this pivotal moment for Ukraine’s economy, society and future prospects, multilateral donors and policymakers have a responsibility to ensure money flows towards building better than before. Investment criteria that prioritizes sustainability is not a box-ticking exercise: it’s about meeting people’s needs: for employment, independence, long-term security and resilience, and to restore hope and opportunity for the people of Ukraine.
As the European Union undergoes a crucial revision of its Waste Framework Directive, there is a pressing need for bold and innovative strategies to address the crisis of waste incineration and landfilling, write Alex Darut and Janek Vahk.
As EU policymakers prepare to announce the specifics of the 2040 target, there is a clear risk the EU’s climate ambition could be undermined through a poor design, write Eadbhard Pernot, Mark Preston Aragones and Fabiola De Simone.
In the face of an escalating packaging waste crisis, European citizens and circular businesses are still eagerly waiting for the EU institutions to finally deliver credible rules to stop the growth of throwaway packing, writes Marco Musso.
Europe’s lack of own mineral reserves means that any strategy that fails to fully support the development of innovative materials to displace raw materials will fall short, writes Linus Froböse.
With the demand for critical raw materials set to increase in the following years, governments and companies must adopt measures for a fair system that ensures security of supply while preventing the exploitation of vulnerable communities, write Jonathan Pershing and Monica Araya.
With mining set to increase in the near future, its negative impact on vulnerable communities and ecosystems is bound to worsen. Governments need to ensure their protection from the activities of the mining industry, write Diego Marin and Jan Morrill.
Aluminium plays a crucial role in vital green and digital technologies like semiconductors and solar panels. It has earned its place in the strategic list of the EU's draft Critical Raw Materials Act, writes Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou.
The EU sustainable finance taxonomy aspires to provide the investments necessary to make the ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan a reality, and set an example for countries to follow. But for the transformation to happen, the taxonomies need to be in line with regulatory requirements and standards, write Jack Barrie and Pratrick Schröder.
The European Commission's exclusion of aluminium from the EU's Strategic Raw Materials list is unacceptable because of its importance to key industries of the future. Aluminium should be reinstated to the list as demand for it is rising, writes Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou.
The EU's new Green Claims directive, due to be published on Wednesday (22 March), is essential to move from claims to facts and ensure products live up to their environmental credentials, writes Tahmid Chowdhury.
As the EU nurtures its clean energy manufacturing ambitions, the reliance on imports of critical materials remains a cause for concern in many Member States, write Fatih Birol and Pascal Canfin.
Without opening up new sustainably-managed mines there will be no energy transition in Europe, argues Leon de Graaf.
The ecodesign regulation proposed by the European Commission seeks to reduce the overall environmental impact of a wide range of products. To be effective, it should not only focus on individual products but also towards increasing collection, sorting, repair and recirculation systems, writes Valérie Boiten.
The food delivery sector is a major contributor to packaging waste, and by focusing on the sustainability of its packaging it can attract a larger consumer base while doing good for the planet, writes Sébastien Pellion.
The revision of the EU’s packaging legislation signals a wholesale shift to reusable beverage containers that will derail and undermine the attainment of a true circular economy for soft drink packaging.
The EU's upcoming battery regulation aims to position the bloc as a major player in the global battery value chain. Despite positives, there are still some areas to resolve before the legislation becomes law, write Abhishek Gupta, Maya Ben Dror, and Tilmann Vahle.
Europe hopes that a “circular economy” will help us to get a little closer to an infinite use of the limited supplies on our planet. Eurima, representing the interests of all major mineral wool producers throughout Europe, is asking the EU to rethink the way we treat our waste.
The European consumers are ready to take up more recycled plastics from WEEE. Capacities and innovations of this complex and new recycling industry for WEEE plastics need to be stimulated, by a clearer, simpler, and more stable legal framework, based on the ‘one substance – one assessment’ approach.
European Commission’s Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Energy have launched the Biomethane Industrial Partnership (BIP) as part of the REPowerEU package of urgent actions to mitigate the impact of rising energy prices, diversify gas supplies and accelerate the energy transition.
In the EU, recycled PET is becoming almost as rare and expensive as white truffles or gold. Everybody wants qualitative recycled PET from beverage bottles, and the demand significantly exceeds the offer. Delphine Close is an EU Policy Manager at UNESDA …
The revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) is a rare opportunity to scale up a competitive reuse sector in Europe and reverse a half-century addiction to single-use packaging and record levels of waste, writes Delphine Lévi Alvarès.
The EU should not export its waste challenges to third countries with lower treatment standards. The revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation (WSR) is the last chance to get things right while contributing to EU climate targets and saving secondary raw materials.
When speaking about green transition and the EU Green Deal, it is inevitable to use the expression “circular economy”. This concept is simple: resources stay within the loop while reducing the production of new ones as much as possible. A circular economy is meant to help us make Europe a better place to live.
