Plans to cut resource use and waste across the European Union were given a boost today, with the European Parliament adopting their final resolution on amendments to the EU Waste Directives. The European Parliament voted through increased recycling targets, reinforcing proposals from their Environment Committee in January. Significant gaps remain however, that could allow waste …
No room for complacency on 10th anniversary of EU recycling rules
On 13 February 2007, Members of the European Parliament voted in pioneering waste rules that have led to higher recycling rates across Europe. [1] They must now keep momentum and vote for more ambitious recycling targets as well as binding measures to reduce waste generation. Thanks to the 2007 legislation, recycling rates have steadily grown …
No room for complacency on 10th anniversary of EU recycling rulesRead more
MEPs propose mixed bag of waste laws
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 …
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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 …
