Politics

Circularity is no longer a niche environmental ambition — it is fast becoming a defining pillar of Europe’s industrial strategy. Amid mounting geopolitical pressures, volatile supply chains, and climate emergencies, the ability to retain materials, reduce resource dependence, and lower emissions has moved to the core of EU policymaking.

FEAD has unveiled its 10 policy recommendations for the upcoming Circular Economy Act, a crucial step to ensure that Europe’s circular economy ambitions are met with concrete, actionable legislation.

A new report released by Zero Waste Europe argues for bolder system-wide measures to address the EU’s material consumption. As the bloc prepares its much-anticipated Circular Economy Act, the report states that current policy measures are insufficient to reduce the absolute levels of resource use, a blindspot that threatens the EU’s strategic autonomy.

The European Commission’s first Working Plan for implementing the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) has been published. It confirms the list of priority products this policy will tackle first to improve their sustainability – with almost all products on the EU market due to be covered eventually. The list includes textile apparel, furniture, mattresses, tyres, iron and steel, and aluminium.

The environmental network’s study “Designing EPR to Foster the EU’s Competitiveness and Strategic Autonomy” analyses 30 years of EPR implementation and proposes a comprehensive framework to transform EPR systems into catalysts …

By 19 April, the European Commission will adopt its first Working Plan to implement the new EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). It will confirm which products will be addressed first before developing performance requirements to improve their environmental sustainability – including measures on durability and repair. The Working Plan will supplement other ongoing work on ESPR implementation, such as a ban on the destruction of unsold goods. What can we expect and when?

The BIR and EuRIC acknowledge the European Commission’s publication of the European Steel and Metals Action Plan yesterday. As global and European representatives of the recycling industry, we appreciate the Commission’s efforts to support the competitiveness and sustainability of Europe’s metals sector.

The European Commission’s Steel and Metals Action Plan is a gamble with Europe’s recycling future. Instead of first securing demand for recycled metals, it prioritises keeping “scrap” in Europe, for Europe, by restricting exports, ignoring the fundamental problem: part of Europe’s recycled metals (“scrap”) is exported because of weak domestic demand and limited processing capacity.

Today, the Commission takes action to maintain and expand European industrial capacities in the steel and metals sectors. The Action Plan on Steel and Metals is designed to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and safeguard the industry’s future.

A report published by Za Zamiata and Zero Waste Europe reveals the stark parallel realities in Bulgaria’s plastic packaging waste management, where official recycling statistics paint a misleadingly optimistic picture that clashes with on-the-ground failures.

A new report by Bankwatch, Za Zemiata and Zelena Akcija, in collaboration with Zero Waste Europe, reveals that current EU budget allocations for circular economy and municipal waste management measures are insufficient to help central and eastern European countries catch up with the EU’s decarbonisation targets.