10 Priorities to Transform EU Waste Policy
Almost 90% of material resources used in the EU are lost after their first use. A lot more effort is needed to accelerate a systemic transition to a circular economy, to drastically reduce the EU’s absolute natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions, respecting the planetary boundaries and striving towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. To achieve this, the Prevent Waste coalition of European civil society organisations advocate for the improvement and enforcement of EU policies on waste prevention and product design.
Any new legislative proposals and strategies, and the implementation of the existing ones, need to adhere to the EU waste hierarchy i.e. put prevention first. Reducing resource extraction, designing circular products and stimulating waste prevention all reduce GHG emissions – contributing to the EU’s decarbonisation objective.
The European Commission’s next Circular Economy Action Plan alongside the overarching European Green Deal should consist of ambitious measures enabling waste prevention all along the value chain in all sectors, including food, construction and demolition, packaging, transport, electronics, batteries and textiles.
