Circular Economy Package

In March 2020, the Commission adopted a new circular economy action plan for the EU. This included measures to:

make sustainable products the norm in the EU;

• give more power to consumers and public buyers;

• focus on the sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high, such as:

  • electronics and ICT,

  • batteries and vehicles,

  • packaging, plastics and textiles,

  • construction and buildings,

  • food, water and nutrients;

• ensure less waste;
• make the circular economy work for people, regions and cities;
• lead global efforts on circular economy..[2]

The latest Circular Economy Package involves:

• A Europe-wide EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy and annex to transform the way plastics and plastic products are designed, produced, used and recycled. By 2030, all plastics packaging should be recyclable. To achieve its ambitious vision, the Strategy foresees actions to improve the economics and quality of plastic recycling; to curb plastic waste and littering; to drive investments and innovation; and to harness global action. To reduce the leakage of plastics into the environment, the Commission has also adopted a new proposal on Port Reception Facilities, to tackle sea-based marine litter and published a report on the impact of the use of oxo-degradable plastic, including oxo-degradable plastic carrier bags, on the environment.
• A Communication on options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation that assesses how the rules on waste, products and chemicals relate to each other.
• A Monitoring Framework on progress towards a circular economy at EU and national level. It is composed of a set of ten key indicators which cover each phase i.e. production, consumption, waste management and secondary raw materials, as well as economic aspects, investments and jobs and innovation.
• A Report on Critical Raw Materials and the circular economy that highlights the potential to make the use of the 27 critical materials in our economy more circular.

In 2018, the European Commission adopted other ambitious initiatives in the context of the Circular Economy Action Plan which were:

• A proposal for a Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment - implementation of the EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy. The Directive proposes different measures for specific items made of single use plastics taking into account consumer behaviour as well as consumer needs and opportunities for businesses. When alternatives are clearly available – both single use and multi-use ones – market restrictions are proposed. Other measures include appropriate labelling, awareness raising, voluntary actions, and the establishment of Extended Producer Responsibility schemes that would also cover the costs for the clean-up of litter.
• A proposal for a Regulation on minimum requirements for water reuse - the proposal aims to boost the efficient, safe and cost-effective reuse of water for irrigation – a deliverable of the Circular Economy Action Plan[2].