On the 2nd December 2015 the European Commission adopted an ambitious new Circular Economy (CE) Package to stimulate Europe's transition towards a circular economy.
The focus of the CE Package will fall on cities as the nexus and the pillars of the Centre for Sustainability are perfectly aligned to fit with this exciting and ambitious package. The activities in the KIC programme, in particular the KIC EIT Raw Materials and KIC Climate, will be the key driver for the Centre for Sustainability. New Centre for Sustainability/KIC projects are starting in January 2016.
"Our planet and our economy cannot survive if we continue with the 'take, make, use and throw away' approach."
First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, responsible for sustainable development, said: "Our planet and our economy cannot survive if we continue with the 'take, make, use and throw away' approach. We need to retain precious resources and fully exploit all the economic value within them. The circular economy is about reducing waste and protecting the environment, but it is also about a profound transformation of the way our entire economy works. By rethinking the way we produce, work and buy we can generate new opportunities and create new jobs. With today's package, we are delivering the comprehensive framework that will truly enable this change to happen. It sets a credible and ambitious path for better waste management in Europe with supportive actions that cover the full product cycle. This mix of smart regulation and incentives at EU level will help businesses and consumers, as well as national and local authorities, to drive this transformation."
Closing the loop
The European Commission adopted the Circular Economy Package to help European businesses and consumers to make the transition to a stronger and more circular economy where resources are used in a more sustainable way. The proposed actions will contribute to "closing the loop" of product lifecycles through greater recycling and re-use, and bring benefits for both the environment and the economy. The plans will extract the maximum sustainable value and use from all raw materials, products and waste, fostering energy savings and reducing Green House Gas emissions. The proposals cover the full lifecycle: from production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials.
This transition will be supported financially by ESIF funding, €650 million from Horizon 2020 (the EU funding programme for research and innovation), €5.5 billion from structural funds for waste management, and investments in the circular economy at national level. The Package has broken down silos in the Commission and contributes to broad political priorities by tackling climate change and the environment while boosting job creation, economic growth, investment and social fairness.