A new Circular Economy Action Plan has been adopted by the European Commission, which constitutes one of the main pillars of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth.

Under the new Action Plan, various initiatives have been announced by the European Commission along the entire life cycle of products, promoting circular economy processes, whilst fostering sustainable consumption and ensuring that the resources which are used are kept in the European economy for as long as possible.

The Action Plan includes both legislative, as well as non-legislative measure which target areas where action at the EU level brings real added value. The measures which are proposed in the Plan are aimed at making sustainable products the norm in the EU, whilst empowering consumers and ensuring less waste overall. The objective is to focus on the sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high, such as in the cases of electronics, batteries, vehicles, packaging, plastics, textiles, construction, food and water.

A total of 35 actions have been proposed in the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the European Commission is committed to ensure a swift implementation of all actions. In November 2020, the European Commission reached the first milestone as contemplated in the Action Plan, that is, a proposal for a Regulation to modernise EU legislation on batteries.

The Circular Economy package can help us achieve green growth for Europe and ensure that the EU is on track to achieving climate neutrality!