12 September 2024 - CLG Europe’s Materials and Products Taskforce has released a new report highlighting the urgent need to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in the EU, emphasising its critical role in strengthening the EU's resilience, competitiveness, and strategic autonomy.
Download the full report here.
This report delves into the business case for accelerated EU action on the circular economy, which is gaining increasing political and policy traction. With European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promising to present a new Circular Economy Act, the report is timely, offering essential insights for businesses eager to innovate for sustainability and leverage the full potential of the circular economy transition.
It explores the opportunities and challenges in accelerating the transition to a circular economy and provides policy recommendations for the forthcoming Circular Economy Act, focusing on the business perspective and how the Act could support the EU’s resilience and competitive sustainability. The report also highlights barriers and actions identified by companies across various sectors, from apparel to cement and packaging to energy.
Adopting a systemic perspective, the report the report connects shifts in production and consumption patterns to broader changes in:
- Policy and governance, including ambition and coherence.
- Capital allocation, including public financing and private sector investment.
- Market demand, including research and development into circular innovation and technologies and investment in a strong and circular Single Market.
- Societal engagement, to ensure that the circular economy transition is just, inclusive and publicly supported.
The report stresses that a more ambitious and integrated approach, driven by the new Circular Economy Act and other strategic EU initiatives, is essential for achieving the EU’s broader goals of climate neutrality, industrial success, and social equity. Without a strong circular economy framework, many of these strategic objectives will remain out of reach.
Through this report, the Materials and Products Taskforce aims to improve the understanding of both businesses and policymakers about the urgent need for accelerating the circular economy transition.
Citing this report
University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership(CISL). (2024). No Time to Waste: Driving the EU’s Resilience and Competitiveness through a Circular Economy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
