The European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD) has today (7 October) released its strategy for 2014-2020, ‘Driving the Circular Economy’, which outlines ‘the policies needed to allow the industry to play its full part in achieving a more sustainable and prosperous European economy’.

According to FEAD, of which the Environmental Services Association (ESA) is the UK member, Europe’s waste and resource management industry plays a ‘vital role’ in developing a more circular economy, but needs to be supported by more action from the European Commission (EC).

The strategy, which was launched today by FEAD President and ESA Chairman David Palmer-Jones to an audience comprising members of the European Parliament, European Commission officials, and representatives of the European waste and resources industry, there are several steps that the EC could take to achieve a more resource efficient economy.

These include:

• ‘speedily’ adopting ecodesign measures for material resource efficiency, including setting recyclability requirements for selected products such as electronics;
• adopting eco-labelling rules to enable consumers to choose recycled products;
• introducing stronger rules on Green Public Procurement at European level so that contracts are awarded to tenders with the ‘most sustainable outome’;
• having Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes operate in a ‘transparent way’, to encourage manufacturers to use recycled materials and ‘ensure fair and equal access to materials and resources’;
• exploring the possibility of applying a lower rate of Value Added Tax to second hand goods and green products, to promote waste prevention and re-use;
• ensuring that safeguards are put in place to ensure ‘fair competition’ between the private
• and public sector providers of waste and recycling services;
• clarifying end of waste, to’ promote legal certainty’ and ensure a ‘level playing field across the EU’;
• improving statistics on raw material and waste flows through ‘tightening and harmonisation of definitions and calculation methodologies so as to limit inconsistencies in waste statistics’; and
• developing a single set of EU models for the evaluation of the environmental burdens associated with primary resource extraction, procurement and conversion ‘to allow for fair competition between primary and secondary raw materials’.

FEAD also stated that it supported the EC’s recent circular economy package, which included new recycling targets and resource efficiency objectives.

Waste management sector ‘crucial’ to the circular economy

In his speech to mark the publication of the strategy, Palmer-Jones said: “The Strategy has two key themes: partnership working by our industry with designers, manufacturers and retailers; and coherence in policy making.

“In this context, FEAD welcomes the European Commission’s proposals to revise EU waste legislation and targets, which set out an ambitious long-term vision for Europe’s resources policy beyond 2020.

“We look forward to working with the EU institutions on the practical steps needed to drive the circular economy forward in Europe.”

The launch event also featured a pre-recorded address by outgoing Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik, in which he welcomed the FEAD Strategy and underlined the key role of the industry.

He said: “The role of the waste management sector is crucial in the transition towards a circular economy. An economy where virtually nothing is wasted, where we get far more value from resources by designing products which last longer; which can be easily repaired; reused; remanufactured; and which eventually can be recycled or safely returned to the environment.

“This is why I strongly welcome the launch of the ‘FEAD Strategy for 2014-2020’.”

Read the FEAD Strategy for 2014-20 ‘Driving the Circular Economy’.