Michael Brunn

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.

Inclusion on the list authorises facilities to recycle large vessels flying the flag of an EU Member State in accordance with the requirements of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation.

In 2025, overall economic conditions in Europe remained subdued. Gross domestic product expanded by around 0.9 per cent, while investment activity continued to be restrained and private consumption showed only limited growth. Although interest rates stopped rising and began to stabilise, they remained above pre-2022 levels, continuing to weigh on residential construction and property investment.

A coordinated plant train from Kleemann forms the core of this process chain, supporting the targeted production of defined aggregate fractions for reuse in asphalt mixing plants. The concept is complemented by application support and service structures within the Wirtgen Group portfolio.