The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) welcomes the publication of the European Green Deal by the European Commission on 11 December 2019. The European Green Deal rightly puts climate and circular economy policies at the core of the objective to re-shape Europe’s economy and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

The recycling industry is inherently resource and climate efficient. By turning waste into secondary raw materials, recycling reduces Europe’s dependency on extracted materials and saves a significant amount of greenhouse gas emission and energy. In addition, recycling is an inclusive industry providing local jobs which rely on a variety of qualifications and cannot be outsourced.

EuRIC strongly welcomes the emphasis placed on the need to build a robust and integrated single market for secondary raw materials and by-products and the consideration for mandatory recycled content in targeted streams which are both much needed to alleviate obstacles to circular value chains in Europe and beyond as well as to boost the market for secondary raw materials. Equally important is the need to strengthen circular product policy, green public procurement and to empower consumers’ in making sustainable choices based on reliable information.

As highlighted in its 5 top priorities, EuRIC would like to stress the importance of simplifying the legal framework applicable to recycling activities as part of an internal market for recycling and of rewarding through market and fiscal based instruments recycling’s environmental benefits to level the playing with materials extracted or logged. Last but not least, it is equally instrumental to better take into consideration the global nature of commodity markets on which recyclers compete.

For Cinzia Vezzosi, President of EuRIC, the European recycling industry is eager to work with the Commission services, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to turn the ambition of the European Green Deal into reality and deliver a Circular Economy Action Plan 2.0 that addresses a number of challenges impacting the recycling industry. Meeting the objectives of the Green Deal requires deeper cooperation across value chains; EuRIC is fully committed to play its part, she added.

Read the Top 5 Priorities of the Recycling Industry for the Period 2019 -2024.

EuRIC - The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation - is the umbrella organisation for recycling industries. Through its Member Federations from 21 EU&EFTA countries, EuRIC represents across Europe over:

• 5,500+ companies generating an aggregated annual turnover of about 95 billion €, including large companies and SMEs, involved in the recycling and trade of various resource streams;
• 300,000 local jobs which cannot be outsourced to third EU countries;
• Million tons of waste recycled per year (metals, paper, glass, plastics, textiles, tyres and beyond);

By turning waste into resources, recycling is the link which reintroduces recycled materials into the value chains again and again. Recyclers play a key role in bridging resource efficiency, climate change policy and industrial transition.