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?
Politics
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Politics
BIR welcomes EU Commission’s publication of material stream requests for non-OECD country applications
The BIR welcomes today’s publication by the European Commission of detailed information on which waste streams each non-OECD country has included in their applications to receive waste from the EU beyond May 2027.
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EuRIC and BIR jointly express profound concern over the conclusions reached during the Summit on the Future of the European Steel Industry held in Paris on 27 February 2025.
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President von der Leyen has convened key European industry leaders, social partners, and stakeholders for the launch of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Steel sector. This dialogue marks the start of an inclusive and collaborative process to address critical challenges faced by the sector and ensure its continued success as a key driver of the European economy.
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With the Clean Industrial Deal (CID), the European Commission is strengthening its decarbonization strategy and emphasizing the importance of European raw materials as well as climate protection and the circular economy. The Commission also wants to specifically promote research and innovation. The FEhS Building Materials Institute believes that the planned measures, which would also effectively support the use of by-products from the steel industry, are the right ones.
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The European Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) have published the second Zero Pollution Monitoring and Outlook report, which provides an overview of the EU’s work to meet the 2030 zero pollution targets. The Commission has also published its fourth Clean Air Outlook report. The reports show that EU policies have contributed to reducing air pollution, pesticide use and plastic litter at sea. However, pollution levels are still too high, in particular from harmful noise, microplastic releases into the environment, nutrient pollution and waste generation.
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