MEPs on the European Parliament’s Environment Committee today voted through a mixed bag of plans aimed at cutting resource use and waste across the EU. The Committee’s vote largely improved a series of weak proposals made by the European Commission as part of its 2015 Circular Economy Package. However, improvements to recycling targets and measures …
Joint NGO position paper: bioplastics in a circular economy
There is an increasing trend towards replacing conventional fossil-based plastics with “green-sounding” bioplastics. However, this paper shows that bioplastics do not solve many of the problems we are facing with plastic pollution and overconsumption and in fact cause new ones. The real issue at stake is the pressing need to reduce all plastic use. The …
Joint NGO position paper: bioplastics in a circular economyRead more
Bioeconomy is “no magic bullet” for environmentally-friendly economy
A number of existing and emerging EU policies and initiatives to green plastics, packaging, fuels and more through plant-based sources are at risk of backfiring with big social and environmental impacts, according to a new report from Friends of the Earth Europe. Substituting fossil-based products for plant-based ones is the core idea of the ‘bioeconomy’, …
Bioeconomy is “no magic bullet” for environmentally-friendly economyRead more
Buy nothing day: the radical act of not shopping
As Black Friday rolled around again, Friends of the Earth groups from across Europe locked down their wallets and took to the streets to promote the radical act of not shopping. Buy Nothing Day – an “international day of protest against consumerism” – invites people around the world to abstain from spending for 24 hours …
Civil society calls for strict measures to reduce food waste
19 civil society organisations across Europe have signed a statement and launched an online petition regarding food waste. The statement was sent to key European decision-makers and highlights the need to drastically cut our food waste by introducing binding measures in EU waste legislation as part of the flagship circular economy package.
Civil society calls for strict measures to reduce food wasteRead more
Governments must keep ambitious targets for recycling – open letter from civil society
Eleven civil society organisations, including NGOs, think tanks and progressive business groups, have written a joint open letter to all 28 EU Environment Ministers, calling on them to adopt ambitious and binding recycling targets. The European Council is currently debating changes to EU waste laws, which were proposed in December 2015 by the European Commission …
Governments must keep ambitious targets for recycling – open letter from civil societyRead more
