With the EU ETS2, the European Union is extending emissions trading to fuels for buildings and road transport for the first time.

The environmental debate has shifted fundamentally in recent years.

Recycling is considered a major component of the circular economy concept. At the same time, how-ever, the actual recycling rates of many packaging streams fall short of political and social expecta-tions.

The consequences of climate change are increasingly affecting infrastructures, material flows and the supply of secondary raw materials.

With the amendment of the Industrial Emissions Directive, landfills are once again moving into the focus of European environmental policy. The current state of the art shows that modern plants are already making an important contribution to climate protection. At the same time, there is still considerable potential, especially in the case of old landfills. The study "State of the art of waste disposal at landfills in Germany and its contribution to cli-mate protection in preparation for the work for a BAT leaflet on landfills" by IFAS and HiiC-CE on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency presents a comprehensive inventory and shows which technical and regulatory developments will shape the industry in the future.

Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution form an interconnected "triple planetary crisis." The report "Moving from interconnected crises to systemic solutions" by Ecologic Institute on behalf of the German Environment Agency shows why this requires a change of perspective for the circular and waste management industry: away from pure waste management and towards the active control of material flows and resource use.

The steel industry is one of the world's largest industrial emitters of greenhouse gases. In addition to new production processes and a climate-friendly energy supply, the circular economy in particular offers great opportunities for reducing emissions. The study "Circular Economy can substantially reduce EU steel supply chain emissions: A quality-focused circularity assessment" by Dutch and Spanish scientists shows that material efficiency, longer product lifespans and high-quality recycling could significantly reduce the demand for steel in Europe and massively increase the share of secondary steel. It is not only the amount of available scrap that is decisive, but above all its quality. The study was published in "Resources, Conservation & Recycling".

Climate impacts not only affect Europe directly, but also have an impact in complex chain reactions via global supply chains, markets and political upheavals. The study "Critical intervention points for European adaptation to cascading climate change impacts" by European scientists shows at which systemic nodes these risks are concentrated. The study was published in "Nature".

The circular economy is considered the key to resource and climate protection. But it has long been an important employment factor. A global survey of "Employment in the Circular Economy" by Circle Economy, the World Bank Group, the International Labour Organization and Page shows that up to 142 million people worldwide work in circular activities.

The World Meteorological Organization's global climate data for 2025 show a significant acceleration of key trends from rising greenhouse gas concentrations to record temperatures and a growing energy imbalance in the Earth system. These developments are not without consequences for industrial value chains.