Parliament adopted comprehensive policy recommendations to achieve a carbon-neutral, sustainable, toxic-free and fully circular economy by 2050 at the latest.
Parliament urges the Commission to put forward new legislation in 2021, broadening the scope of the Ecodesign Directive to include non-energy-related products. This should set product-specific standards, so that products placed on the EU market perform well, are durable, reusable, can be easily repaired, are not toxic, can be upgraded and recycled, contain recycled content, and are resource- and energy-efficient. Other key recommendations are detailed here.
Read more at:
Circular economy: MEPs call for tighter EU consumption and recycling rules | News | European Parliament
Showing posts with label Circular Economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Circular Economy. Show all posts
2/23/20
Circular Economics - Recycling: Netherlands in EU top three for recycling, says circular economy report
The Netherlands is in
Europe’s top three for recycling, according to the latest figures
published by the Dutch statistics office.
A report on the ‘circular economy in the Netherlands’ – looking at the
extent to which the country uses raw materials and recycles what it uses
– shows that it is apparently improving.
In 2018 the country consumed around 20% less in materials than in 2000 –
including goods that are used in production. On average, each resident
used 10,000 kilos of materials in 2018 – however another 21,500 kilos
per head were produced, intended for export.
Read more at DutchNews.nl:
Europe’s top three for recycling, according to the latest figures
published by the Dutch statistics office.
A report on the ‘circular economy in the Netherlands’ – looking at the
extent to which the country uses raw materials and recycles what it uses
– shows that it is apparently improving.
In 2018 the country consumed around 20% less in materials than in 2000 –
including goods that are used in production. On average, each resident
used 10,000 kilos of materials in 2018 – however another 21,500 kilos
per head were produced, intended for export.
Read more at DutchNews.nl:
 |
| Upcycle Center Almere |
A report on the ‘circular economy in the Netherlands’ – looking at the extent to which the country uses raw materials and recycles what it uses – shows that it is apparently improving.
In 2018 the country consumed around 20% less in materials than in 2000 – including goods that are used in production. On average, each resident used 10,000 kilos of materials in 2018 – however another 21,500 kilos per head were produced, intended for export.
One example of the many cities in the Netherlands focusing on improving their recycling efforts is the modern city of Almere (population +/-200.000) in the new Dutch province of Flevoland, reclaimed from the Zuiderzee (South Sea), which in 1986 officially became the 12th Dutch Province.
The city of Almere’s ambition is to become a city without waste. The city’s goal is that this year each citizen only produces 50kg of household waste.
At the moment, around 75% of the household waste collected doesn’t belong in it, such as paper, plastic, glass or organic waste. By separating these raw materials, they can be reused, meaning fewer raw materials are needed to create new products.
The municipality is responsible for waste collection in the city,utilizing waste bins and (underground) containers. There are three recycling stations (recyclingperrons) where you can discard your waste for free. And there is a free collection service for bulky waste that may otherwise be difficult to transport.
In addition, the municipality cleans up litter in the city and takes care of illegal dumping.
Almere-Digest
6/13/16
EU: The transition from a linear to a circular economy
Probably no one could argue that a circular economy is what we need in the future.
Economists and industry experts keep saying that it’s cleaner, more eco-friendly and even cheaper.
If so, why might the transition from a linear to a circular economy take up to 30 years?
Jean-Louis Chaussade, CEO of SUEZ, says there are three elements that should synchronise their efforts: industry, government and consumers.
And he believes what has to be changed first is our life style and the sooner we understand that our planet has limits the better it will be for everyone.
Watch the full interview to find out more about the potential of the circular economy in terms of new jobs, and which country is the world’s leader in transition to a circular economy.
Economists and industry experts keep saying that it’s cleaner, more eco-friendly and even cheaper.
If so, why might the transition from a linear to a circular economy take up to 30 years?
Jean-Louis Chaussade, CEO of SUEZ, says there are three elements that should synchronise their efforts: industry, government and consumers.
And he believes what has to be changed first is our life style and the sooner we understand that our planet has limits the better it will be for everyone.
Watch the full interview to find out more about the potential of the circular economy in terms of new jobs, and which country is the world’s leader in transition to a circular economy.
Read more and watch the full interview: The transition from a linear to a circular economy | euronews, interview
7/15/15
European parliament pushes commission to close the loop on circular economy - by Ariadna Rodrigo
After the European commission controversially shelved its flagship
piece of waste and resource legislation – the circular economy package –
last year, first vice-president Frans Timmermans promised to re-table
it in a "more ambitious" form.
Recently, the European parliament laid down a marker on what such an ambition should look like - and all eyes will now be on the commission to make sure it pays attention.
MEPs voted 394 to 197 in favour of a report formalising their expectations for the revised package, calling for legally-binding targets on a broad array of waste, recycling and resource use issues.
Ahead of the vote, the worry had been that the package would be watered down and stripped of much of its legally-binding language, or even rejected outright by the centre-right EPP bloc.
Given the well-known challenges ahead, the transition to a circular economy is crucial. The EU is highly dependent on the import of raw materials and a significant number of natural resources face rapid depletion.
In addition, every EU citizen produces five tonnes of waste per year on average, of which only one third is recycled. This underlines the urgent need to use the strategic stock of resources in a more sustainable and efficient way.
Flanders,an EU parliamentarian said; "the nation I represent in the European parliament, has a strong track record on waste management. 65 per cent of our household waste is recycled, making us the top performer in Europe.
Flanders also has some successful pioneers in the broader field of circular economy. Building on that expertise, I have engaged constructively in the ongoing discussions to make real progress. My contribution has centred around economics, scientific data and subsidiarity.
Apart from the important intrinsic environmental benefits, making our economy more circular essentially boils down to economics and competitiveness. It concerns access to - or the sustainable availability of - raw materials, the re-industrialisation and further digitalisation of Europe, the creation of new jobs and challenges linked to climate, energy and scarce resources.
I still consider this to be the most powerful argument to convince non-believers. If we want the circular economy to work in practice, we need competitive businesses which act as a driving force towards systemic change.
I am convinced that there is now a genuine window of opportunity to achieve this, but we need smart policy which reduces burdens and barriers, stimulates innovation as well as new business models which create long-term legal certainty.
Furthermore, effective policies should always be underpinned by sound and scientifically-founded data. The feasibility of new proposals should be subject to comprehensive impact assessments. A circular economy requires a mix of instruments, at various policy levels taking full account of subsidiarity.
The report adopted in parliament's environment, public health and food safety committee explicitly refers to subsidiarity, but I remain cautious. I fully support the key messages of the resolution adopted in its recent strategic report, and three of these stand out to me.
We must have the means to effectively measure and reduce the overall use of resources, we require a well thought-out product policy, and we must incentivise smarter waste management.
However, I believe that parliament could send out an even stronger signal if it focused on the important political messages and avoid the detail and prescription that risk overshadowing these essential points.
Given what is at stake, we must be ambitious. At the same time, if we want to ensure substantial progress in the real world - rather than just on paper - we need to reconcile ambition with realism.
Our proposals need to work and be achievable. I represent a top-performing nation, therefore my level of ambition is high. But something European environment agency Hans Bruyninckx said often crosses my mind:
"if you think you are leading, but nobody is following, you are just taking a walk".
Reconciling ambition with realism does not equal lowering our level of ambition. On the contrary, it is a strong commitment to make the circular economy happen in practice.
EU-Digest
Recently, the European parliament laid down a marker on what such an ambition should look like - and all eyes will now be on the commission to make sure it pays attention.
MEPs voted 394 to 197 in favour of a report formalising their expectations for the revised package, calling for legally-binding targets on a broad array of waste, recycling and resource use issues.
Ahead of the vote, the worry had been that the package would be watered down and stripped of much of its legally-binding language, or even rejected outright by the centre-right EPP bloc.
Given the well-known challenges ahead, the transition to a circular economy is crucial. The EU is highly dependent on the import of raw materials and a significant number of natural resources face rapid depletion.
In addition, every EU citizen produces five tonnes of waste per year on average, of which only one third is recycled. This underlines the urgent need to use the strategic stock of resources in a more sustainable and efficient way.
Flanders,an EU parliamentarian said; "the nation I represent in the European parliament, has a strong track record on waste management. 65 per cent of our household waste is recycled, making us the top performer in Europe.
Flanders also has some successful pioneers in the broader field of circular economy. Building on that expertise, I have engaged constructively in the ongoing discussions to make real progress. My contribution has centred around economics, scientific data and subsidiarity.
Apart from the important intrinsic environmental benefits, making our economy more circular essentially boils down to economics and competitiveness. It concerns access to - or the sustainable availability of - raw materials, the re-industrialisation and further digitalisation of Europe, the creation of new jobs and challenges linked to climate, energy and scarce resources.
I still consider this to be the most powerful argument to convince non-believers. If we want the circular economy to work in practice, we need competitive businesses which act as a driving force towards systemic change.
I am convinced that there is now a genuine window of opportunity to achieve this, but we need smart policy which reduces burdens and barriers, stimulates innovation as well as new business models which create long-term legal certainty.
Furthermore, effective policies should always be underpinned by sound and scientifically-founded data. The feasibility of new proposals should be subject to comprehensive impact assessments. A circular economy requires a mix of instruments, at various policy levels taking full account of subsidiarity.
The report adopted in parliament's environment, public health and food safety committee explicitly refers to subsidiarity, but I remain cautious. I fully support the key messages of the resolution adopted in its recent strategic report, and three of these stand out to me.
We must have the means to effectively measure and reduce the overall use of resources, we require a well thought-out product policy, and we must incentivise smarter waste management.
However, I believe that parliament could send out an even stronger signal if it focused on the important political messages and avoid the detail and prescription that risk overshadowing these essential points.
Given what is at stake, we must be ambitious. At the same time, if we want to ensure substantial progress in the real world - rather than just on paper - we need to reconcile ambition with realism.
Our proposals need to work and be achievable. I represent a top-performing nation, therefore my level of ambition is high. But something European environment agency Hans Bruyninckx said often crosses my mind:
"if you think you are leading, but nobody is following, you are just taking a walk".
Reconciling ambition with realism does not equal lowering our level of ambition. On the contrary, it is a strong commitment to make the circular economy happen in practice.
EU-Digest
12/1/14
EU: Upgrade to the circular economy - a new. profitable way to create environmentally clean businesses
In Dublin, Ireland,
like everywhere else in the world, electronics consumption is growing
rapidly, as is the associated waste. But one small business, MicroPro,
has turned this into a business opportunity.
Three years ago, Paul Maher’s company was the very first computer manufacturer to win a European Eco-label. His pcs are 98% recyclable – compared to 38% for conventional equivalents. They use 50% less electricity and the machines don’t contain mercury, lead PVCs or plastics.
Paul Maher and Ann Galligan developed a business model based on after sales service. The aim is to ensure record-breaking longevity for their PCs, said Paul Maher, the Managing Director: “Our computers are upgradeable via a modular design so they are quite easy to repair or update. All our computers are made of wood or reused wood so no two computers will ever look the same.”
This is called the circular economy: almost everything is reusable. At the end of their lives, these eco-pcs can be used as cash registers or emergency lighting.
Today the company employs 25 people and has an annual turnover of 1.5 million euros in Ireland. It is aiming for turnover of 10 million euros in 5 years and hopes to triple its workforce via partnerships across Europe.
Anne Galligan, MicroPro’s Director, said: “Our business model can be replicated all over the world. At the moment we are in talks with various service centers all over Europe so that our Iameco computers can have the same level of service as they have here in Ireland.”
It is estimated that designing durable products and and reusing raw materials could save EU businesses 600 billion euros, ie 8% of their annual turnover and Shane Colgan, the Manager at the Resource Efficiency Unit, at the Environmental Protection Agency in Ireland says the approach can work across all types of sectors: “Examples would include car-sharing schemes that we’ve seen across cities in Europe and, for example, a factory in Ireland that converts waste plastics into fleece clothing.”
The transition to a circular economy could produce up to 580,000 jobs in Europe. And all this whilst still combating global warming.
Shane Colgan said that the circular economy really is a win-win situation: “The European commission have said that in the period up to 2030 we’ll be able to reduce EU carbon emissions by 450 million tonnes per year through the circular economy.”
Read more: Upgrade to the circular economy | euronews, business planet
Three years ago, Paul Maher’s company was the very first computer manufacturer to win a European Eco-label. His pcs are 98% recyclable – compared to 38% for conventional equivalents. They use 50% less electricity and the machines don’t contain mercury, lead PVCs or plastics.
Paul Maher and Ann Galligan developed a business model based on after sales service. The aim is to ensure record-breaking longevity for their PCs, said Paul Maher, the Managing Director: “Our computers are upgradeable via a modular design so they are quite easy to repair or update. All our computers are made of wood or reused wood so no two computers will ever look the same.”
This is called the circular economy: almost everything is reusable. At the end of their lives, these eco-pcs can be used as cash registers or emergency lighting.
Today the company employs 25 people and has an annual turnover of 1.5 million euros in Ireland. It is aiming for turnover of 10 million euros in 5 years and hopes to triple its workforce via partnerships across Europe.
Anne Galligan, MicroPro’s Director, said: “Our business model can be replicated all over the world. At the moment we are in talks with various service centers all over Europe so that our Iameco computers can have the same level of service as they have here in Ireland.”
It is estimated that designing durable products and and reusing raw materials could save EU businesses 600 billion euros, ie 8% of their annual turnover and Shane Colgan, the Manager at the Resource Efficiency Unit, at the Environmental Protection Agency in Ireland says the approach can work across all types of sectors: “Examples would include car-sharing schemes that we’ve seen across cities in Europe and, for example, a factory in Ireland that converts waste plastics into fleece clothing.”
The transition to a circular economy could produce up to 580,000 jobs in Europe. And all this whilst still combating global warming.
Shane Colgan said that the circular economy really is a win-win situation: “The European commission have said that in the period up to 2030 we’ll be able to reduce EU carbon emissions by 450 million tonnes per year through the circular economy.”
Read more: Upgrade to the circular economy | euronews, business planet
11/7/13
Recycling and Waste Management: EU recycling industry could create an additional 160,000 jobs by 2020
Recycling could create at least an additional 160.000 jobs in a circular economy say executives at WRAP a British advisory company which works with a wide range of partners, from major UK businesses, trade
bodies and local authorities through to individuals looking for
practical advice on recyclin. They are funded by all four governments across the UK and the EU and run programs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.
As a practical example of a circular economy - Norway, along with many other northern European countries, has built a network of cogeneration plants that produce heat and electricity from recycled waste. Referred to as waste-to-energy facilities, the process is relatively simple. Garbage is burned in a portion of the facility, creating steam, ash and flue gases. The facility collects the steam and uses it to turn turbines, which generates the electricity used throughout much of the country. The ash is trucked away to a landfill, while the remaining gases are either filtered and dispersed into the atmosphere, or collected and used for additional products like biofuel.
With a growing recycling infrastructure diverting more European waste from landfills, as well as systems R&D investments from integrated waste handling firms the EU could eventually be turning their waste into gold and jobs.
EU-Digest
A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.
As a practical example of a circular economy - Norway, along with many other northern European countries, has built a network of cogeneration plants that produce heat and electricity from recycled waste. Referred to as waste-to-energy facilities, the process is relatively simple. Garbage is burned in a portion of the facility, creating steam, ash and flue gases. The facility collects the steam and uses it to turn turbines, which generates the electricity used throughout much of the country. The ash is trucked away to a landfill, while the remaining gases are either filtered and dispersed into the atmosphere, or collected and used for additional products like biofuel.
With a growing recycling infrastructure diverting more European waste from landfills, as well as systems R&D investments from integrated waste handling firms the EU could eventually be turning their waste into gold and jobs.
EU-Digest
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