With the European Commission due to present its Sustainable Products Action Plan on 30 March, Emmanuel Katrakis takes stock of the EU's push for a more circular economy in an interview with EURACTIV France.
Jan Huitema, who is in charge of guiding the circular economy strategy through the European Parliament, says his report will include requirements for products to contain a minimum amount of recycled material.
Around half of e-waste plastics are not recycled in Europe but rather shipped abroad where they often end up being dumped or burnt. Simpler laws on recycling in Europe would help keep those materials at home and recycle them, argues Chris Slijkhuis.
The announced EU food policy should also strive to create future prosperity for businesses in good harmony with the environment, not only to take policies against some parts of the food value chain, Nestlé Europe chief Marco Settembri told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Circular economy wrangling has kept the EU busy for the last few years, from withdrawn policies to far-reaching recycling strategies. The EU's outgoing environment boss, Karmenu Vella, insists that industry is still critical to waste-reducing efforts and that “there is nothing to gain from waiting”.
The risk of toxic substances contaminating food already exists with virgin plastic, so it will only be higher with recycled packaging coming from old plastics that may contain banned chemicals, says Floriana Cimmarusti.
The European Commission is looking at targets for recycled plastics into new products as a way to boost demand for secondary raw materials, according to a senior EU official involved in drafting upcoming laws on recycling.
The European Commission is looking at different types of fiscal incentives to increase demand for recycled plastics, which are currently more costly than virgin materials, Jyrki Katainen told EURACTIV in an interview.
France is breaking new ground with preliminary investigations into programmed obsolescence by Apple and Epson. But at a European level, the debate on product life-cycles is not taking place, Pascal Durand said in an interview with EURACTIV France.
The excess wind and solar electricity generated at times of oversupply could be used more systematically to produce synthetic gas, providing a convenient way of storing renewable energy that would otherwise be lost. The potential is huge, and can be used to heat homes during winter, argues Beate Raabe.
Pension funds are looking to invest money and interest rates are low, the lead MEP on the EU’s building energy performance bill has said. Unlocking that capital will boost Europe’s low renovation rates, increase energy efficiency and cut household bills, Bendt Bendtsen told EURACTIV.com.
The European Commission’s Circular Economy Package could have been more ambitious, the director-general of the Confederation of European Paper Industries said in an interview about recycling, Brussels red tape and the shift to a low-carbon economy.
The proposed 2030 waste targets are ambitious, but achievable, EURACTIV Slovakia learned from Henrik Lystad, deputy director of the Norwegian Association of Waste Management and chair of the European Compost Network.
More and more member states are adopting bioeconomy plans and the EU is actively encouraging its Central and Eastern European partners to develop their own strategies. EURACTIV Slovakia talked to the Commission’s John Bell about the issue.
In a few years’ time, people won’t buy a car just to get from A to B. Cars are going to become more like computers. The whole concept of transport will change, predicts Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy.
IKEA’s decision in the 1990s to ban PVC from its furniture and textile products had a devastating impact on the industry’s reputation. But 15 years after phasing out the most toxic chemicals, the PVC sector believes it is now ready to gain acceptance as a sustainable material, says Brigitte Dero.
Only around ten companies currently collect waste from SMEs in France. New laws oblige businesses to separate their waste paper, but big change will not come without bigger incentives, Fabien de Castilla told EURACTIV’s partner La Tribune.
Repatriating competences to the member states is not going to help citizens enjoy a better environment, Jeremy Wates tells EURACTIV Slovakia.
Every food producer should help make agriculture sustainable, Janez Potočnik told EURACTIV.com.
An EU-wide ban on landfill waste would provide a much-needed push for the circular economy by increasing the amount of recycled raw materials available on the market, says Erika Mink.
Guillaume Balas criticised the Juncker Commission, and questioned the role of the Socialists in a grand coalition that promotes the internal market at the expense of social standards, in an interview with EURACTIV France.
The European Commission's investment plan has been one of its biggest priorities this year. Now that the legal skeleton is in place, its political pilot, Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, recognised that he has to redouble efforts to ‘sell’ the package.
SPECIAL REPORT / Construction will be an essential part of the transition to a circular economy, and can also drive growth, the European Union's Environment Commissioner has said.
Disruptive new business and consumption models are needed to deliver an ambitious circular economy, and it is only the European Commission that can create the conditions for them, the European Environmental Bureau’s Stéphane Arditi has said.
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