Source: European Parliament
The Commission delivered the set of policy actions announced in the 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan[1] aimed at significantly reducing EU’s material and consumption footprints, safeguarding natural resources and mitigating environmental impacts such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
To monitor trends in achieving these objectives, in 2023 the Commission revised the circular economy monitoring framework and added material and consumption footprint indicators[2], which serve also to track progress on the 8th Environmental Action Programme[3] and on the Sustainable Development Goals[4].
The implementation of the actions in the plan, and more broadly of the European Green Deal, will contribute to faster progress towards decreasing EU’s material and consumption footprints.
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation[5] creates the framework for integrating circular economy principles and resource efficiency requirements in the design of a wide range of products.
Specific initiatives under the plan tackle sustainability dimensions of construction products, electronics, batteries and vehicles, packaging and packaging waste, textiles and food waste, industrial production and waste shipments, and aim to empower consumers in the green transition and lead efforts at the global level.
The political guidelines for next Commission 2024-2029[6] place circular economy as a pillar of a prosperous and competitive Europe and announce a new Circular Economy Act to boost the market demand for secondary materials and a single market for waste.
It is for the next Commission to formulate the most appropriate initiatives to advance the shift to more sustainable production and consumption patterns.
- [1] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/circular-economy-action-plan_en
- [2] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/circular-economy-faster-progress-needed-meet-eu-resource-efficiency-targets-ensure-sustainable-use-2023-05-15_en
- [3] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/implementation-key-achieving-eu-2030-climate-and-environment-objectives-first-progress-report-8th-2023-12-18_en
- [4] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/monitoring-report-progress-towards-sdgs-eu-context-2024-2024-06-18_en
- [5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj
- [6] https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683-f63ffb2cf648_en?filename=Political%20Guidelines%202024-2029_EN.pdf