Only 4 months away from the transposition deadline of the EU Plastic bags directive, environmental NGOs including Friends of the Earth Europe celebrate today the 7th edition of International Plastic Bag Free Day. 2016 is a pivotal year which will pave the way towards what NGOs hope, is a European plastic bag free future. EU …
Briefing: How ‘better regulation’ sabotaged the Circular Economy Package
The revised Circular Economy Package, published in December 2015, became a victim of the so-called better regulation agenda of the European Commission. Under the pressure of business lobby groups, it was transformed from a proposal having, primarily, a sustainability approach, recognising resource scarcity and planetary limits, into a proposal geared around economic and short term …
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Top 10 key steps to get the Circular Economy Package back on track
The European Commission’s revised Circular Economy Package, published in December 2015, is weaker and less ambitious than the original version that was withdrawn in 2014, but there’s a chance to fix this. As the European Council and Parliament begin to put together their positions on the revised waste directives, this briefing by 11 organisations, including …
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European Commission initiative on the circular economy: the need to include agriculture
The European Commission launched an initiative that aims at promoting the transition to the circular economy through a comprehensive approach that integrates the whole value chain. Agriculture is a clear example of a sector that could readily operate to circular principles. At present, however, it is linear in its structure. It uses unnecessarily high levels …
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Resource campaigners build movement in Bulgaria
Campaigners from across Europe gathered in Bulgaria recently to discuss plans to tackle resource use, consumption and waste, as part of our programme of European School of Sustainability* events. It proved an inspiring meeting that offered the opportunity to share ideas and experiences and build a united, strong movement, writes Meadhbh Bolger, resource use campaigner at …
Position paper: the Circular Economy Package and European food waste policy
In December 2015, the European Commission dropped an EU-specific target to reduce food waste in the retabled Circular Economy Package. Around 100 million tonnes of food are wasted in the EU each year. It is vital there are binding measures to tackle this. This position paper – developed with partners in Friends of the Earth …
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