The Commission is of the view that the EU should stop exporting its waste outside of the EU and will therefore revisit the rules on waste shipments and illegal exports. The circular economy is therefore a focal point in our strategy. New business models based on renting and sharing goods and services will play a role as long as they are truly sustainable and affordable.Â. Circular Economy Model On the bright side, the waste challenge posed by EV batteries combined with the rapidly increasing demand for raw materials creates a significant opportunity to develop a circular economy. If this confidence is removed, then the market will demand virgin materials, and the attempt to create a circular economy will fail. While the circular economy action plan will guide the transition of all sectors, action will focus in particular on resource-intensive sectors such as textiles, construction, electronics and plastics. Nick said this is the first company he’s worked for that he’s been genuinely inspired by the culture, which is centered around advancing the circular economy — an economic system aimed at minimizing waste and making the most of resources. The following figure outlines the necessary business activities and their importance in creating a circular economy. 1 Statistics: Green Deal Call - public engagement platform for area 3: Industry for a clean and circular economy In your opinion, how relevant is the proposed topic 'Closing the carbon cycle in industry’ for a 'Clean demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of at least one circular systemic solution per territorial cluster; identify the economic, social and environmental benefits and challenges of each circular systemic solution; contribute to overcome market failures, testing public-private partnership models. 8. The Funding and Tenders Portal is the single entry point (the Single Electronic Data Interchange Area) for applicants, contractors and experts in funding programmes and procurements managed by the European Commission. To be ready in 2050, decisions and actions need to be taken in the next five years. Industrial scale demonstrator operational by 2026 based on Industrial Symbiosis and novel,highly optimised and energy efficient catalytic systems. Plastic Recycling Process Overview Last month, Jennifer Ferreira, a researcher in the Centre for Business in Society at Coventry University and Opinion Leader at CoffeeBI, gave a guest lecture at Leiden University in the Netherlands to talk about the coffee shop industry, recycling and the circular economy. However, the transformation is taking place at a too slow pace with progress neither widespread nor uniform. This requires new legislation, including targets and measures for tackling over-packaging and waste generation. Companies making ‘green claims’ should substantiate these against a standard methodology to assess their impact on the environment. The circular economy action plan will also include measures to encourage businesses to offer, and to allow consumers to choose, reusable, durable and repairable products. Call area 3 “Industry for a Clean and Circular Economy” it’s one of 11 areas of European Green Deal Call (#Horizon2020), launched in September 22 having as deadline January 26. Fig. Leave no one behind (Just Transition) From ‘Farm to Fork’: a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system . Europe must leverage the potential of the digital transformation, which is a key enabler for reaching the Green Deal objectives. Priority areas include clean hydrogen, fuel cells and other alternative fuels, energy storage, and carbon capture, storage and utilisation. The cleaning industry still has some way to go if it wants to become a more circular industry. The EU’s industry has started the shift but still accounts for 20% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. They can deliver substantial material savings throughout value chains and reduce the adverse environmental impacts of production processes to unlock economic opportunities, among others. Demonstrate systemic solutions for the territorial deployment of the circular economy at the level of governance closest to citizens: Replication and scalability of systemic solutions in order to multiply the economic, social and environmental benefits to achieve policy targets of the European Green Deal, EU Circular ensure replicability, scalability and visibility of successful systemic solutions; facilitate industrial exploitation of demonstrated research results; contribute to address bottlenecks such as certification and labelling issues, standardisation and data exploitation; contribute to connect SMEs to large companies value chains; contribute to connect and upgrade open access circular demonstration facilities across. Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility Promoting a Circular Economy with Clean Fuels and Chemicals made from Municipal Waste. 5. This requires deeper cooperation across value chains, as in the case of the Circular Plastics Alliance. To support innovative new solutions, we are continuously expanding our infrastructure and facilities. Full Cycle Bioplastics. Develop innovative, renewable energy driven, catalytic processes, to produce synthetic fuels and chemicals, at a sufficiently large scale to demonstrate its cost effectiveness. In parallel, EU companies should benefit from a robust and integrated single market for secondary raw materials and by-products. A sustainable product policy also has the potential to reduce waste significantly. The built environment remains a strategic research and innovation domain in view of the goal of full de-carbonisation by 2050. Achieving a climate neutral and circular economy requires the full mobilisation of industry. Call topic 4 is dealing with Building and Renovating in an Energy and Resource Efficient Way. energy, cement, chemical and steel). Preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity. At the same time, Europe needs a digital sector that puts sustainability at its heart. However, it is necessary to demonstrate the industrial and economic feasibility of producing synthetic fuels and chemicals by scaling-up the developed technologies to reach industrial production levels and validate the industrial exploitability. Building a circular economy for food is important if we want to support the global population of tomorrow, expected to be 9.7 billion by 2050. EU Green Deal Call has available € 1 billion of funding for all the 11 areas included. for a clean and circular economy. About half of total greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress come from resource extraction and processing of materials, fuels and food. This has the potential to reduce by over 50% the current 370Mt of CO2 emissions per annum2 related to the chemical industry. A key aim of the new policy framework will be to stimulate the development of lead markets for climate neutral and circular products, in the EU and beyond.Â, Energy-intensive industries, such as steel, chemicals and cement, are indispensable to Europe’s economy, as they supply several key value chains. It will analyse the need for a ‘right to repair’, and curb the built-in obsolescence of devices, in particular for electronics. Building and renovating in energy- and resource-efficient way. 2 projects funded) Health and Wellbeing. (Source https://ec.europa.eu/). Enhance the effectiveness of renewable energy sources (i.e. The circular economy is a new way of doing business that extracts as much value as possible from resources by recycling, repairing, reusing, repurposing, or refurbishing products and materials—eliminating waste and greenhouse gas emissions at the design stage. Eurostat data shows that in 2016 the EU 28 recycled … Increase your chances of getting EU grants - contact us. The decarbonisation and modernisation of this sector is essential. A great development, looking at the increasing world population, increasingly scarce materials, heightened price volatility and supply chain risks. The Commission will also support other initiatives leading to alliances and to a large-scale pooling of resources, for example in the form of Important Projects of Common European Interest, where targeted time-bound State aid can help build new innovative value chains.Â. In this HCES session, speakers from opposite ends of the supply chain will discuss the technology, policies and market drivers that are required to design out waste within the industry. Together with the industrial strategy, a new circular economy action plan will help modernise the EU’s economy and draw benefit from the opportunities of the circular economy domestically and globally. At Port of Amsterdam we believe that the circular economy is the future for business and industry. 13 Global Resources Outlook 2019: Natural Resources for the Future We Want: The International Resource Panel. From 1970 to 2017, the annual global extraction of materials tripled and it continues to grow 13, posing a major global risk. The European Green Deal places the concept of circular economy at the centre of efforts to transform the European Union into a fair and prosperous society, where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. Drawing on natural light for reduced energy consumption and using locally sourced furniture and materials, an environmentally sensitive design for HP Inc.’s new offices at London’s Thames Valley Park achieved a BREEAM Very Good Rating. To be ready in 2050, decisions and actions need to be taken in the next five years.Â. The first Circular Economy package of 2018, including actions such setting new recycling targets for various materials and measures against single use plastics, was a first step to the right direction. The Commission will develop requirements to ensure that all packaging in the EU market is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable manner by 2030, will develop a regulatory framework for biodegradable and bio-based plastics, and will implement measures on single use plastics. 1 shows a steep increase in the number of publications on the Circular Economy, reaching a more than tenfold growth in the last 10 years. to EUR XX million and with a duration of up to 5 years would allow this specific challenge to be The European Green Deal places the concept of circular economy at the centre of efforts to transform the European Union into a fair and prosperous society, where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. Nevertheless, the absolute number of publications on the Circular Economy is small when compared to publications on sustainability (see Table 1).This finding suggests that research on the Circular Economy may be far from saturated, and … 3.2: Demonstration of systemic solutions for the territorial deployment of the circular economy. The lecture focused on exploring the implications … Only 12% of the materials it uses come from recycling14 . The Commission will propose further legislation and guidance on green public purchasing. Join the Circular Economy Symposium at Harvard for Designing Out Waste in the Circular Economy / Consumer Electronics on Tuesday, April 20 at 2 pm EDT.. Register here. It will propose legislation in 2020 to ensure a safe, circular and sustainable battery value chain for all batteries, including to supply the growing market of electric vehicles. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up Webinaire de présentation du futur appel Horizon 2020 Green Deal, Area 3 Industry for a clean and circular economy. interregional cooperation mechanisms and/or multilevel funding synergies useful for de risking business investments; contribute to connect different stakeholders of specific value chains, including key actors of the regional innovation ecosystems and final users; provide policy-makers and public and private investors with concrete examples of effective and sustainable systemic circular solutions to be replicated in other areas. Industry 4.0 bears enormous opportunities to enable circular economy in which end of life products are reused, remanufactured and recycled. The Commission will continue to implement the Strategic Action Plan on Batteries and support the European Battery Alliance. More broadly, the EU Emissions Trading System Innovation Fund will help to deploy such large-scale innovative projects. Industrial and systemic innovation are crucial elements for the transition towards a sustainable, regenerative, inclusive and just circular economy. In March 2020, the Commission will adopt an EU industrial strategy to address the twin challenge of the green and the digital transformation. From 1970 to 2017, the annual global extraction of materials tripled and it continues to grow13, posing a major global risk. project. boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy; restore biodiversity and cut pollution; The plan outlines investments needed and financing tools available. Introduction. Circular Economy: New opportunities to transform the textile industry and apparel industry Several circular principles could be applied throughout the life cycle of textile and apparel products. addressed appropriately. Catalysis and Nanotechnology. 9. Within the agricultural realm, the circular economy approach suggests that the industry can achieve greater sustainability simply by keeping more resources and materials in use for as long as possible. No better time than the present to make use of the advantages of a circular economy. reduction by 2050) with the potential to achieve a carbon intensity below 20g CO2eq/MJ. Foster a cross-sectorial European innovation eco-system to deploy sustainable alternatives. Sessions from the European Research and Innovation days 2020 presenting the Horizon 2020 European Green Deal Call. 10. Digital technologies are a critical enabler for attaining the sustainability goals of the Green deal in many different sectors. The binding call text will be published following the formal decision by the European Commission on the Funding and tender opportunities portal. The Commission will step up its regulatory and non-regulatory efforts to tackle false green claims. The Commission will consider legal requirements to boost the market of secondary raw materials with mandatory recycled content (for instance for packaging, vehicles, construction materials and batteries). Energy Storage create jobs and new sustainable business opportunities; demonstrate contribution to key pathways towards long-term environment and climate goals; increase circularity of clusters’ economic sectors and social and community-based innovation schemes; promote the role of ecosystems services in the circular economy; increase the clusters’ overall ecosystem, sustainable management of local resources, and reduce GHG emissions; promote the use of natural capital accounting into business strategy and decision making to optimise the circular economy; promote decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources; promote eco-design in businesses and value chains based on local resources. As part of the EU’s circular economy policy it has produced a new set of rules to make waste legislation fit for the future. A sustainable, regenerative, inclusive and just circular economy can significantly help our economies to reconcile with the limits and boundaries of our planet by restoring natural systems, reducing GHG emissions and minimising loss of natural capital and biodiversity. Furthermore, to mobilise industry for a clean and circular economy EU industry needs ‘climate and resource frontrunners’ that will develop the first commercial applications of breakthrough technologies in key industrial sectors by 2030. Here’s what we learned from Nick. EU industry needs ‘climate and resource frontrunners’ to develop the first commercial applications of breakthrough technologies in key industrial sectors by 2030. The circular economy will only be successful in the long term if customers – including the public – are confident in the quality of recycled material. However, solutions like Tersano and The Sachet System are changing things for the better and prove that effective sustainable cleaning is 100 % achievable. By Robert Atkinson | Project Manager, AssociateIn part one we covered the core principles of the circular economy, namely:Designing […] Where waste cannot be avoided, its economic value must be recovered and its impact on the environment and on climate change avoided or minimised. Consumer policy will help to empower consumers to make informed choices and play an active role in the ecological transition. It’s time to work together to build a sustainable food system where the growing, eating, and disposal of food creates robust benefits for people, the economy… Yet more robust measures are needed in order to … For instance, an electronic product passport could provide information on a product’s origin, composition, repair and dismantling possibilities, and end of life handling. Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility. Type of action: Innovation actions (IA) (min. The Circular Economy label can be applied to different schools of thought that share the same key principles. This can be achieved in a number of different ways, … Promoting new forms of collaboration with industry and investments in strategic value chains are essential. It will foster new business models and set minimum requirements to prevent environmentally harmful products from being placed on the EU market. Demonstrate and validate the industrial feasibility and cost effectiveness of the technologies, at pilot plant level with a minimum chemical production capacity of 4000 tons per annum, while enhancing Europe’s sustainable competitiveness. It explains how to ensure a just and inclusive transition. Cars are by far one of the most under-utilised resources in modern life. Extended producer responsibility will also be strengthened. As an example, the Commission will support clean steel breakthrough technologies leading to a zero-carbon steel making process by 2030 and will explore whether part of the funding being liquidated under the European Coal and Steel Community can be used. Description. The Commission will follow up on the 2018 plastics strategy focusing, among other things, on measures to tackle intentionally added micro plastics and unintentional releases of plastics, for example from textiles and tyre abrasion. It takes 25 years – a generation – to transform an industrial sector and all the value chains. Boosting circularity can be part of the policy response to address systemic crisis such as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic by providing industrial and systemic solutions for economic recovery and sustainable growth. Call area 3: Industry for a clean and circular economy Andrea ACCORIGI Policy Officer European Commission, DG RTD, Circular Economy and Bio-based Systems unit 23 September 2020 Demonstration of systemic solutions for the territorial deployment of the circular economy Significant indirect impact on air quality and citizen health through the filtering of flue gas emissions from large industrial plants (e.g. In the context of an increasing global consumption and growing pressure on resources, there is an urgent need to decouple economic growth from resource use and to increase Europe’s resilience to uncertainty in raw material supply and increase security of value chains. Achieving a climate neutral and circular economy requires the full mobilisation of industry. Develop and deploy highly innovative catalytic material systems to facilitate the production of synthetic fuels and chemicals from industrial CO2 (including CO and H2) flue gas emissions, aiming at 50% increase in the overall efficiency compared to the State-of-the-Art. Circularity and cleaner production processes are both essential for the wider transformation of industry towards climate neutrality and long-term competitiveness. Green Deal call area 3: Industry for a clean and circular economy. The transition is an opportunity to expand sustainable and job-intensive economic activity. These include new recycling targets for municipal waste whereby 55% will be recycled by 2025, 60% by 2030 and 65% by 2035. It will prioritise reducing and reusing materials before recycling them. Boosting circularity can be part of the policy response to address systemic crisis such as climate change and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by providing circular systemic solutions for sustainable growth and economic recovery. The EU aims to be climate neutral in 2050. A circular travel solution. Digitalisation can also help improve the availability of information on the characteristics of products sold in the EU. How The Coffee Industry Has Been Engaging With The Circular Economy. Industrial and systemic innovation are crucial elements for the transition towards a sustainable, regenerative, inclusive and … This report aims to kickstart a more holistic discussion on the full suite of public policies needed to support innovation for a circular economy in Canada. It remains too ‘linear’, and dependent on a throughput of new materials extracted, traded and processed into goods, and finally disposed of as waste or emissions. aviation, chemical, shipping, defence) and validated through Techno-Economic and Life Cycle assessment (TEA/LCA). Greening of industrial and energy production1 by using CO2 emissions from industrial processes. Mobilising industry . The European Green Deal will support and accelerate the EU’s industry transition to a sustainable model of inclusive growth. In … The circular economy, the economic system of closed cycles, is becoming more and more popular, in the food as well. There is significant potential in global markets for low-emission technologies, sustainable products and services. This San Francisco-based company is still in its early stages but is building up … The circular economy action plan will include a ‘sustainable products’ policy to support the circular design of all products based on a common methodology and principles. Mobilising industry for a clean and circular economy. Economy Action Plan and EU Bioeconomy Strategy at regional, national, European and international level: Disclaimer: The presentation of draft topics and the feedback provided shall in under no circumstances bind the European Commission in the final formulation of topics for the call. Building and renovating in an energy and resource efficient way. Ensuring the supply of sustainable raw materials, in particular of critical raw materials necessary for clean technologies, digital, space and defence applications, by diversifying supply from both primary and secondary sources, is therefore one of the pre-requisites to make this transition happen.Â. The Commission will explore measures to ensure that digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, cloud and edge computing and the internet of things can accelerate and maximise the impact of policies to deal with climate change and protect the environment. solar, wind) by enabling the production and transmission of a flexible high energy density storage medium in the form of synthetic fuels to be used for specific industry segments (e.g. It takes 25 years – a generation – to transform an industrial sector and all the value chains. Likewise, the circular economy offers great potential for new activities and jobs. Demonstrate the full value chain for industrial production of synthetic fuels and chemicals, whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Public authorities, including the EU institutions, should lead by example and ensure that their procurement is green. 6. 14 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=cei_srm030&plugin=1, 15 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_19_6353, Designing a set of deeply transformative policies (Chapter 2.1, European Green Deal), Increasing the EU’s climate ambition for 2030 and 2050 (Chapter 2.1.1, European Green Deal), Supplying clean, affordable and secure energy (Chapter 2.1.2, European Green Deal), Building and renovating in an energy and resource efficient way (Chapter 2.1.4, European Green Deal), Accelerating the shift to sustainable and smart mobility (Chapter 2.1.5, European Green Deal), From ‘Farm to Fork’: designing a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system (Chapter 2.1.6, European Green Deal), Preserving and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity (Chapter 2.1.7, European Green Deal), A zero pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment (Chapter 2.1.8, European Green Deal). Digitalisation also presents new opportunities for distance monitoring of air and water pollution, or for monitoring and optimising how energy and natural resources are used. Reliable, comparable and verifiable information also plays an important part in enabling buyers to make more sustainable decisions and reduces the risk of ‘green washing’. The challenge is to sustainably convert CO2 emissions from industrial processes into synthetic fuels and chemicals utilising renewable energy driven processes with novel, highly optimised and energy efficient catalytic systems.