Recycling is key to bridge circular economy and climate policy

EuRIC, the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation, of which the BMRA is a founding member, has released its strategic priorities for the recycling industry for the period 2019-2024.

Following the vote of consent at the European Commission by the Parliament on December 27, EuRIC fully backed the first priority of the Commission to put forward a European Green Deal with the circular economy being a key element of it.

By turning waste into secondary raw materials, the recycling industry not only plays a vital role in the circular economy but also saves a substantial amount of CO2 and energy.

Recycling is both resource-efficient and climate-efficient and thus a key sector to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent, stressed Emmanuel Katrakis, Secretary General of EuRIC.

To address the main obstacles hindering recycling activities in Europe and unlock the full potential of the transition towards a circular economy and climate-neutrality, EuRIC sets five top priorities:

1.       Reward recycling environmental benefits to pull the demand for recycled materials in new products and level the playing field with primary materials based on market & fiscal-based instrumentsgreen public procurement and recycled content targets for dedicated streams;

2.       Realise an internal market for recycling through simpler and faster waste shipment procedures, harmonised EU or national end-of-waste criteria for targeted streamsa new status of “secondary raw materials to level the playing field with primary materials, both in terms of regulatory constraints and public perception

3.       Strive for a competitive recycling sector in Europe and globally by enforcing competition in the waste management and recycling sector to forbid reserved markets and cross-subsidisation, implementing a pragmatic approach to residual waste treatment and ensuring free and fair access to international commodity markets;

4.       Align the interface between waste, product and chemicals to trusted circular flows by phasing out substances of concern at design stage and implementing a risk-based approach taking into consideration the intrinsic specificities of waste as a resource;

5.       Making design for circularity the rule rather than the exception through requirements to improve products’ recyclability and recycled content, reward mechanisms such as eco-modulation of EPR fees and eco-labelling to empower consumers’ sustainable choices.

EuRIC priorities to boost the circular economy and combat climate change are available here.