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Lawmakers back mandatory targets in EU circular economy action plan

(EurActiv, 10 Feb 2021) Lawmakers in the European Parliament adopted a set of ambitious proposals on the EU’s circular economy action plan on Tuesday (9 February), including calls to introduce mandatory targets to reduce waste.

The motion, which passed with 574 votes in favour, 22 against and 95 abstentions, urges the European Commission to set binding 2030 targets for materials use and consumption footprint of all products placed on the EU market.

It also calls on the EU executive to introduce product-specific standards for recycled materials to be incorporated into new products placed on the EU market.

“If we continue to use all these natural resources at this speed by 2050, we won’t need one planet, we’ll need three,” said Jan Huitema, a Dutch liberal MEP who authored the Parliament’s report.

“It’s much better to make sure that the waste we would otherwise burn or dump, that we use it as a valuable raw material to make new products,” he said.

The Parliament motion comes in reaction to the European Commission’s circular economy action plan, presented in March last year.

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EurActiv, 10 Feb 2021: Lawmakers back mandatory targets in EU circular economy action plan