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News | 2015-12-16

The EU-strategy for circular economy is "An important step forward even if some parts are missing"

The European Commission's new platform concerning circular economy has been criticized for not being ambitious enough. Åsa Stenmarck, waste expert at IVL, still sees a lot of value in the strategy - having a greater focus on eco-design and including several measures to increase the recovery and enable companies to create more environmentally friendly products.

– It is hopeful that there now is a platform which has identified everything that is included in the discussion of circular economy; waste legislation, design and consumption. It is true that in many cases strategies and action plans still need to be developed, and it can seem like there is a lack of concrete goals, but it is still positive that they have included design and want to put in place different measures in order to increase recovery, says Åsa Stenmarck. She would however have wished for a better pathway for how to make the closed-loops non-toxic. –It is mentioned in connection with plastic recycling, but I would have liked a clearer wording on how the product legislation and the waste legislation should become harmonized. Objectives regarding recycling are now more modest than in the old proposal. The Commission wants 65 percent of all municipal waste to be recycled by 2030. The strategy also includes a joint EU target, stating that 75 per cent of all waste from packaging is to be recycled by 2030 and an additional target of reducing landfill to 10 per cent of all waste by 2030. Åsa Stenmarck also think it's gratifying  that they from now on will be working towards comparable statistics, meaning that methods will be developed for measuring the amount of waste, both for the recovery targets but also for food waste. The strategy has also distanced itself from treatment methods that do to utilize waste material to the fullest. For questions please contact: Åsa Stenmarck, asa.stenmarck@ivl.se, phone +46 10 788 65 66 The European Commission's legislative package for a circular economy was launched on December 2nd. The EU aims to foster a transition towards a stronger and more circular economy, where resources are used more sustainably. The package includes an overall action plan and revised bills in a number of areas, including waste management and recycling. Read more here: http://ec.europa.eu/sweden/news/20151202_sv.htm

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