Circular economy
Business leader: ‘Europe lacks a clear policy framework for bio-based products’
Est. 9minEurope needs stronger policies for bio-based products in order to make it clear that virgin fossil products do not compete in the same category, Rob Beekers argues in an interview with Euractiv. Rob Beekers is Business Development Director at Cargill, an …
Tech start-up: Blockchain is ideal tool for circular economy
Est. 6minDigital product passports will be critical to trace the origin of products and recover raw materials, and could bring several new opportunities for businesses, according to Phil Brown from Circularise. Phil Brown is Vice-President for Business Development Strategy at Circularise, a …
MEP: ‘Ideologically driven’ EU packaging law endangers food value chain
Est. 4minAn ideologically driven EU packaging law based on rigid targets could end up endangering the food packaging and the food system value chain, Finnish MEP Elsi Katainen told EURACTIV in an interview.
Recycling key to future of battery manufacturing, say CEO and EU bank vice president
Est. 5minFollowing the financing of a new French innovation centre manufacturing electric vehicle batteries, EURACTIV France spoke about the opportunities and challenges for the sector with Ambroise Fayolle, vice president of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Benoît Lemaignan, the centre's CEO.
Fibre packaging chair: ‘We are looking to keep fossils in the ground’
Est. 8minMakers of cartonboard, corrugated board, and other wood fibre-based packaging are campaigning to get the renewability and recyclability of their product recognised under EU law. They also warn against EU plans to introduce mandatory recycled content targets for new products, saying this could "disrupt a system that is already working very effectively".
Expert: EU needs a 90% collection target for beverage cartons to boost recycling
Est. 9minThe European Commission should introduce a collection target for beverage cartons to ensure they are properly collected and sorted and boost recycling in the sector, according to Dragos Popa.
EU recycling chief: product policy should embrace circular economy
Est. 10minWith 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.
Scientist: EU focus on recycled plastics raises food safety concerns
Est. 4minThe European Commission is working on a revision of the regulation on recycled plastics for food packaging, which according to Jane Muncke, raises concerns about food safety.
Academic: ‘Mandatory EU labelling is the only way to fight proliferation of ecolabels’
Est. 16minThe European Commission's upcoming sustainable product initiative should seek to clean the market for ecolabels and impose an EU-wide standard based on lifecycle assessment, says Professor Finkbeiner. However, "I doubt that the EU Commission will be brave enough to put out a mandatory label," he told EURACTIV in an interview.
Recycling pro: Design standardisation is ‘way forward’ for flexible packaging
Est. 21minGreater standardisation in design "has to be the way forward" in order to make it worthwhile economically to recycle lightweight packaging such as crisp packets. In practice, this also means reducing the variety of packaging available to the food and drink industry, says Joachim Quoden.
Simona Bonafè MEP: Recovery of raw materials is cornerstone of EU battery law
Est. 6minThe European Commission has proposed new standards which would make batteries produced and sold in Europe the greenest in the world. MEP Simona Bonafè spoke to EURACTIV about the EU's battery regulation and the future of battery production in Europe.
Jan Huitema MEP: EU must tackle price gap between secondary and virgin plastics
Est. 6minJan 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.
Recycler: Simpler EU laws would help recycle e-waste plastics
Est. 10minAround 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.
EU’s Sefcovic: Europe must be ‘much more strategic’ on raw materials
Est. 19minThe European Union “cannot achieve” climate neutrality without critical raw materials like lithium and rare earths, says Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič. It now needs to be “much more strategic” in relations with supplier countries in order to ensure the bloc's “strategic autonomy,” he argues.
Nestlé chief: EU’s Green Deal should ensure prosperity too
Est. 7minThe 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.
Busoi MEP: EU’s industrial strategy must be ‘in total accordance’ with Green Deal
Est. 5minCristian Bușoi, the chair of the European Parliament’s industry and energy committee, says MEPs are eager for a far-reaching strategy from the European Commission.
Daniel Caspary MEP: Raw materials ‘need a sustainable deal, not a green deal’
Est. 10minA sustainable deal would tackle not only CO2 emissions but also the social and economic development of Europe and the countries where raw materials are mined, says centre-right MEP Daniel Caspary.
Karmenu Vella on circular economy: ‘Nothing to gain from waiting’
Est. 10minCircular 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”.
EU official: ‘Actual recycling could be lower’ with new methodology
Est. 5minWhen it comes to meeting the EU’s new recycling targets, metals will have a big head start. But EU member states could find it harder to reach future objectives under a new methodology being considered at the European Commission, says Maja Desgrées du Loû.
Ex-chemicals agency chief: ‘Courage’ needed to rethink EU laws
Est. 4minEurope's chemical management rules, REACH, are over a decade old and the man seen as the architect of the legislation still thinks it is the most modern of its kind in the world. But the former boss of the European Chemicals Agency says the EU could do with going back to the drawing board.
EU’s Sefcovic: Real risk that ‘raw materials become the new oil’
Est. 16minEuropeans have to be “very vigilant” that today’s dependency on imported oil and gas is not replaced by dependency on lithium, cobalt, copper and other raw materials that industries need for the green transition, Maroš Šefčovič told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Injecting responsibility into recycling
Est. 10minCollecting and recycling waste is more important than ever, since EU targets ask more and more from member states. But national capitals face a dilemma about how best to recycle more, as two distinct schemes offer two very different solutions.
Researcher: ‘The greatest bottlenecks can be expected for lithium and cobalt’
Est. 4minAs excitement builds about the opportunities of the new green economy, concerns are growing as well. The economic transition will require new grid infrastructure, new distribution models and, perhaps most importantly, more raw materials, says Kornelis Blok.
Food safety activist: ‘There will always be a risk’ with recycled plastics
Est. 9minThe 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.