22 September 2011The 'roadmap' aimed at transforming Europe's economy into a sustainable one by 2050 has called for waste to be treated as a resource through the provision of economic incentives to reinforce markets for secondary materials and boost demand for recycled materials.
In the recently published document - Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe - the European Commission identifies the economic sectors that consume the most resources, and suggests tools and indicators that it says can help guide action both in Europe and internationally.
According to the Commission, the roadmap recommends an integrated approach across many policy areas at European and Member States levels and focusing on the resources under most pressure.
The instruments employed to achieve the goals laid out in the roadmap will include both legislative, and market-based instruments.
Furthermore, the Commission says that by 2013 it will have developed clear targets and indicators that will provide predictability and transparency, through a participative process involving policy makers, experts, NGOs, business and consumers.
Milestones
The roadmap sets milestones, which illustrate what the Commission says will be necessary to put the EU on a path to resource efficient, and sustainable growth. Among the 2020 milestones for the waste sector are:
- Waste is managed as a resource
- Waste generated per capita is in absolute decline
- Recycling and re-use of waste are economically attractive options for public and private actors due to widespread separate collection and the development of functional markets for secondary raw materials
- More materials, including materials having a significant impact on the environment and critical raw materials, are recycled
- Waste legislation is fully implemented
- Illegal shipments of waste have been eradicated
- Energy recovery is limited to non recyclable materials, landfilling is virtually eliminated and high quality recycling is ensured.
According to the commission, if waste
is to become a resource to be fed back into the economy as a raw
material, then much higher priority needs to be given to re-use and
recycling.
The roadmap says that a combination of policies would help create a full recycling economy, such as better product design, better cooperation along between all stakeholders in the value chain, better collection processes, appropriate regulatory framework and incentives for waste prevention and recycling.
In addition, the roadmap calls for public investments in modern facilities for waste treatment and high quality recycling.
Instruments
For it's part in achieving the goals set out in the roadmap, the Commission says that it will:
The roadmap says that a combination of policies would help create a full recycling economy, such as better product design, better cooperation along between all stakeholders in the value chain, better collection processes, appropriate regulatory framework and incentives for waste prevention and recycling.
In addition, the roadmap calls for public investments in modern facilities for waste treatment and high quality recycling.
Instruments
For it's part in achieving the goals set out in the roadmap, the Commission says that it will:
- Stimulate the secondary materials market and demand for recycled materials through economic incentives and developing end-of-waste criteria (2013/2014)
- Review existing prevention, re-use, recycling, recovery and landfill diversion targets to move towards an economy based on re-use and recycling, with residual waste close to zero (2014)
- Assess the introduction of minimum recycled material rates, durability and reusability criteria and extensions of producer responsibility for key products (2012)
- Assess areas where legislation on the various waste streams could be aligned to improve coherence (2013/2014)
- Continue working within the EU and with international partners to eradicate illegal waste shipments with a special focus on hazardous waste
- Ensure that public funding from the EU budget gives priority to activities higher up the waste hierarchy as defined in the Waste Framework Directive (e.g. priority to recycling plants over waste disposal) (2012/2013)
- Facilitate the exchange of best practice on collection and
treatment of waste among Member States and develop measures to combat
more effectively breaches of EU waste rules (in 2013/2014).
According to the Commission, the key
words for resource efficiency are reduce, reuse, recycle, substitute
and save. It says that this means using new materials, lighter
materials, renewable materials and recycled materials.
Janez Poto?nik European Commissioner for Environment said of the roadmap: "The objective is to decouple resource use and impact from growth. It is not just about technology. It is also about changing behaviour, so that we Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle. And, it is not about Europe becoming a service economy - we need to dematerialise, not de-industrialise."
Reaction
Commenting on the publication of the roadmap, the UK's Environmental Services Association (ESA) director of policy, Matthew Farrow, said:
"ESA welcomes the publication today of the European Commission's 'Roadmap to a resource efficient Europe'. The roadmap highlights the need for businesses and consumers to use resources sustainably and recognizes that reducing waste, and turning the waste that remains into a resource, is absolutely central to this. This is what our members are doing day in and day out.
"ESA particularly welcomes the Commission's proposal to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss future action on resource efficiency, including how to measure progress, and set targets. It is vitally important that the waste and resource management sector is fully engaged in those discussions."
Meanwhile, Rhian Kelly, director for business environment policy at the CBI said:
"A competitive, sustainable and low-carbon economy relies on effective resource management and politicians should evaluate the role of public policy in this area. But any proposals must be subject to a full impact assessment to ensure we balance sustainability with improving EU competitiveness and securing critical resource supply."
Janez Poto?nik European Commissioner for Environment said of the roadmap: "The objective is to decouple resource use and impact from growth. It is not just about technology. It is also about changing behaviour, so that we Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle. And, it is not about Europe becoming a service economy - we need to dematerialise, not de-industrialise."
ReactionCommenting on the publication of the roadmap, the UK's Environmental Services Association (ESA) director of policy, Matthew Farrow, said:
"ESA welcomes the publication today of the European Commission's 'Roadmap to a resource efficient Europe'. The roadmap highlights the need for businesses and consumers to use resources sustainably and recognizes that reducing waste, and turning the waste that remains into a resource, is absolutely central to this. This is what our members are doing day in and day out.
"ESA particularly welcomes the Commission's proposal to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss future action on resource efficiency, including how to measure progress, and set targets. It is vitally important that the waste and resource management sector is fully engaged in those discussions."
Meanwhile, Rhian Kelly, director for business environment policy at the CBI said:
"A competitive, sustainable and low-carbon economy relies on effective resource management and politicians should evaluate the role of public policy in this area. But any proposals must be subject to a full impact assessment to ensure we balance sustainability with improving EU competitiveness and securing critical resource supply."
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