Michael Brunn

The documents address vehicles, refrigerators and temperature exchange equipment, as well as small appliances and ICT products. They are intended to support manufacturers in improving the recyclability of plastic components and preparing for forthcoming European regulatory requirements.

The proposal follows recommendations set out in the report led by former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on the future competitiveness of the European economy. The IAA introduces targeted requirements for public procurement and public funding programmes that prioritise products manufactured in the EU or with low-carbon production standards. These criteria are initially intended for selected strategic sectors, including steel, cement, aluminium, the automotive industry and net-zero technologies. The framework may later be extended to additional energy-intensive sectors such as the chemical industry.

According to the organisation, suppliers of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) technology contribute to the objectives of the Act through the development and manufacturing of equipment used in waste treatment and energy recovery.

The proposal introduces designated industrial acceleration areas and provisions for public procurement aimed at stimulating demand for lower-carbon industrial materials. Public authorities would be required to include minimum shares of low-carbon products in certain procurement processes, including 25% for steel and aluminium and 5% for concrete and mortar.

The IAA, presented on 3 March 2026, aims to support the decarbonisation of European industry. However, the current proposal does not position public procurement as a central policy instrument for accelerating the market uptake of low-carbon materials. ECOS argues that the proposed quotas for low-carbon steel and concrete are significantly below current market potential and therefore provide limited stimulus for the expansion of existing clean production technologies.

The system addresses a long-standing challenge in plastics recycling: black plastics are often excluded from mechanical recycling because established optical sorting technologies cannot reliably detect them. The demonstrator will be presented from 18 to 19 March 2026 at SOLIDS & RECYCLING-TECHNIK in Dortmund (Exhibition Centre Dortmund, Hall 4, Stand D47).

With war in the Middle East, crude oil and natural gas prices are surging as ships are held back at the Strait of Hormuz with obvious negative implications for global economies. But another big constraint is exports of chemicals and plastics from the region which will put upward pressure on prices.

The decision assigns the Landbell Group subsidiary responsibility for implementing producer responsibility requirements for textile products placed on the California market.

The report, titled "Pollution and mental health: current scientific evidence", reviews scientific findings on air pollution, environmental noise and chemical exposure in relation to depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and other mental health disorders. It also outlines policy implications in the context of the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan.

The Implementing Decision also sets out the Commission's mass-balance approach under the SUPD implementing act voted through on 6 February.