The most important results are achieved in the field of ecological design. It is estimated that the new product design standards, in the three-year period from 2016 to 2019, resulted in achieving savings in energy consumption which is sufficient, for example, to supply electricity throughout Italy.
At the beginning of March this year, the European Commission had the opportunity to boast: the 54 steps agreed in 2015 to implement the principles of circular economy in the European Union were largely fulfilled either their implementation was started. The basis was laid for the European Union to continue to be a leader in the implementation of this principle on a global level in the future.
What preceded the adoption of the Circular Economy Action Plan, what are the results and the next steps?
The circular economy has been recognized as one of the priority areas in the work of the European Commission that took office in 2014. Within one of its ten priorities, such as jobs, growth and investment, the European Commission intends to work diligently to apply the principles of circular economy. Benefits recognized by their application were: preservation of natural resources; reducing industry costs; creating new opportunities for developing a business that will be innovative and resource efficient.
The reasons that the European Commission decided to deliberately work on the principles of circular economy were clear - it was estimated that savings measures worth 600 billion euros could be achieved through waste prevention measures, the application of eco-design and similar measures, leading to the opening almost 600,000 new jobs and significantly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions - 450 million tons of carbon dioxide less up to 2030. [1]
The first step towards a circular economy was made by the European Commission through the drafting of a legislative proposal "Towards a Circular Economy - a program for zero percent waste for Europe". However, this proposal was withdrawn and replaced with a more comprehensive proposal - the Circular Economy Package and the Action Plan [2], which included 54 concrete measures. With the new Strategy and Action Plan, the European Commission better covered the whole issue of the circular economy. Although waste management is an important segment of the circular economy, its essence lies in improving the production process, more efficient consumption, and creating a market for secondary raw materials. As they considered in the European Commission, through such a comprehensive approach, they would be closer to achieving the essential goal of the circular economy: increasing and maintaining the value of the product as long as possible, while minimizing the generation of waste.
Five areas that have become priority through the Action Plan are: plastics, food waste, raw materials, construction materials, as well as biomass and plant based products. Some of the proposed measures in the Action Plan were: adoption of the Strategy for the Use of Plastic in the Circular Economy, defining new goals in the field of waste management, developing a methodology for monitoring the generation of food waste, re-using construction materials, promotion of efficient use of biomass and new goals in the field of wood recycling.
For the successful implementation of these measures, significant financial means have been provided through various programs - over EUR 10 billion for supporting the development of the circular economy through the programme Horizon 2020 (researches in the field of waste and resource management, improvement of the production system), Cohesion policy (supporting small and medium enterprises for the application of environmentally innovative technologies and the application of legislation in the field of waste management), as well as from the LIFE program.
In order to strengthen cooperation in the field of circular economy, a Stakeholder platform [3] was developed as a basis for the exchange of knowledge, good practices and networking of partners from different sectors.
When the line was underlined at the beginning of 2019, the European Commission could be satisfied. New targets in the field of plastic recycling have been set, aiming at 10 million tons of recycled plastic by 2025. Also, the ban on the use of certain plastic disposable products will soon take effect. Also, more ambitious goals in the area of municipal waste management have been designated, with the aim of recycling 60% of municipal waste in the European Union by 2035. New measures for the prevention of waste generation have also been adopted. New pieces of legislation have been developed to reduce food waste, as well as guidelines for using food that is no longer for human consumption. The most important results are achieved in the field of ecological design. It is estimated that the new product design standards, in the three-year period from 2016 to 2019, resulted in achieving savings in energy consumption which is sufficient, for example, to supply electricity throughout Italy.
In order to monitor further progress in the application of new legislation in the field of circular economy, a methodology for monitoring progress in this area has been developed. [4]
Recognizing the success of accelerating the European Union's transition to the circular economy, through the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan in the previous period, the Commission also recognizes the challenges that stand in the upcoming roadmap. First of all, it is about reducing and monitoring the presence of chemicals in products, because this problem, although recognized in the Action Plan, has not been addressed through the development of new public policies in this area, as it was planned. [5]
Photo: canva.com
Ognjan Pantić, Belgrade Open School
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/circular-economy-factsheet-general_en.pdf
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm
[3] https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/
[4] http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/pdf/monitoring-framework.pdf
[5] https://eeb.org/reaction-to-the-european-commissions-report-on-the-circular-economy/