The European Commission defines a circular economy as one that “aims to maintain the value of products, materials and resources for as long as possible by returning them into the product cycle at the end of their use, while minimizing the generation of waste. The fewer products we discard, the less materials we extract, the better for our environment.”

In 2015, the European Commission adopted an ambitious “Circular Economy Package,” which led to a series of EU action plans. In March 2020, the European Commission adopted its most recent Circular Economy Action Plan as one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth. The action plan featured initiatives along the entire life cycle of products, from design to manufacturing and consumption. The circular economy also has synergies with the EU’s objectives on climate and energy and with the Commission’s package on “Clean Energy for all Europeans.” 

IPC maintains an active presence in Brussels to monitor and engage in selected, high-priority EHS policy matters. IPC Contact: Kelly Scanlon

Related resources:

• IPC three-slide overview of EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan
• IPC Blog article by Lenka Jancova of Interel