Europe relies heavily on material resources for almost all of society’s activities.
Europe is at crossroads regarding its management of plastic, plastic waste and the plastic waste trade.
The circular economy, including new waste and recycling laws, will represent “half” of the EU’s effort to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and will be erected as “the number one priority” of the upcoming European Green Deal, officials have said.
The European Commission has published new calls for proposals under the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme on research and innovation related to the circular economy. Previously launched calls on the circular economy are also still open.
Chemical recycling (CR) is attracting an increasing attention as solutions to deal with certain types of waste plastics are sought in Europe and beyond.
On 4th October 2019 the Council of the European Union adopted conclusions on "More circularity - Transition to a sustainable society".
On 20 September 2019, the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) co-signed the Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA) Declaration during the High-level event organized by the European Commission.
The European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) is the biggest Europe-wide initiative promoting since 2009 the implementation of awareness-raising actions about sustainable resource and waste management during a single week.