The European Commission’s Circular Economy Act, planned for adoption end 2026, is a legislative initiative aimed at accelerating the EU’s transition to a circular economy. It seeks to create a single market for waste and secondary raw materials, increasing the supply and demand of high-quality recycled materials and fostering economic security, resilience, competitiveness, and decarbonisation across the EU.
Key elements of the Act include:
-
Two strategic pillars: one focusing on improving the collection, sorting, and recycling of e-waste and critical raw materials, and another fostering a unified single market for secondary raw materials by reforming end-of-waste criteria, digitalizing and simplifying Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, and setting mandatory circularity criteria in public procurement.
-
The Act aims to address structural barriers like regulatory fragmentation, unfavorable economics for secondary materials, transparency gaps, and material leakage.
-
It complements existing legislation such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, and the Critical Raw Materials Act.
-
The Commission has launched a public consultation and call for evidence open until November 6, 2025, to shape the final legal form of the Act.
-
The Act aligns with broader EU strategies like the Clean Industrial Deal and Competitiveness Compass to make the EU the global leader in circular economy by 2030.
The Circular Economy Act is expected to impact various sectors including electronics, construction, chemicals, packaging, and textiles, introducing new compliance standards, harmonising rules, simplifying administrative burdens, and driving investment in recycling infrastructure and sustainable product design
source : https://foodpackagingforum.org/news/european-commission-developing-a-circular-economy-act
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/circular-economy-action-plan_en