On 8 April 2024, as part of WCEF Side Events 2024, CLG Europe’s Materials and Products Taskforce hosted a webinar titled ‘How the new EU institutions can kickstart the Circular Economy’.
Read the summary note from the webinar.
Context and background:
A recent report from the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) highlights that the EU has made very little progress in increasing the circular use of materials. ESABCC points out that the circular material use rate has been increasing very slowly in recent years; it went from 10.8% in 2010 to 11.7% in 2021. As mentioned in the report, the European Commission has announced its ambition to double the circular material use rate by 2030, but this would require a more than a tenfold increase in the recently observed average annual rate of change: from on average + 0.1 pp per year in 2017–2021 to on average + 1.3 pp per year in 2021–2030. According to the report, this would probably necessitate a combination of an increase in recycling and a decrease in the overall material demand.
Leading up to the European elections, we anticipate a significant focus on circular economy in the coming five years. As a side event of the World Circular Economy Forum 2024 (WCEF 2024), this event delved into what role the circular economy should play in European politics and how the new institutions can promote greater circularity. The event convened a diverse array of speakers, encompassing scientific expertise, as well as perspectives from businesses and NGOs.
This debate is ahead of the Taskforce for climate neutral and circular materials and products (Materials and Products Taskforce) launching a report later in the year. This report will set the policy agenda for the EU's transition to circular economy, taking stock of the previous 5 years' progress and offering policy recommendations for the next 5 years.
Speakers included:
- Pieter-Willem Lemmens, Expert, European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC)
- Claudia Bierth, European Public Affairs & Sustainability Manager, Ball Corporation
- Céline Carré, Head of Public Affairs, Saint-Gobain
- Caterina Rocca, Group Regulatory Affairs Director, ROCKWOOL
- Edoardo Bodo, Environment Policy Officer, RREUSE
- Diana Potjomkina, Project Manager, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
- Moderated by Martin Porter, Executive Chair, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
If you have any questions about this event, please contact Martina Mazzini.
Learn more about the Materials and Products Taskforce here.
