Together with the University of Utrecht and Reloop we released a report highlighting that reusable packaging produces far fewer carbon emissions than their single-use counterparts. Read our policy recommendations to reduce packaging waste and to build efficiently reusable systems.
Available in English
Greenhouse gas emissions from Waste-to-Energy are currently hidden in the energy sector and therefore overlooked in waste sector accounting, giving us the false impression that WTE is an effective low-carbon waste solution. Our latest briefing shows that the trends across Europe are telling a different story.
Available in English
We are asking the European Commission to act by setting the necessary policy framework to support and empower menstruators to access safe, fair & circular menstrual products – in line with the EU’s circular economy objective. Our manifesto is open for signatures at the following link: http://bit.ly/signmanifesto
Zero Waste Europe released a policy briefing to act as guidance for the European Commission. In light of their proposals on accounting methodology for potential greenhouse gas emissions from so called ‘recycled carbon fuels’.
Available in English
Zero Waste Europe released a policy briefing to act as a tool for those working at the city and municipal level in Europe. The briefing provides an overview of the key targets related to waste management that EU governments must achieve and by when, whilst also acting as a tool to help local zero waste groups and activists in their advocacy work.
Available in English and Czech.
Drawing from the findings of the pioneer study on the state of packaging free shops in Europe, Zero Waste Europe makes the case for the European Union to put in place a set of legislative and economic measures to support expanding the packaging free shops market.
Available in English
Zero Waste Europe released a policy briefing which addresses the current EU legislation on waste management and analyses different ways to design a comprehensive and coherent waste prevention framework which embeds all different steps of the supply chains from sustainable production patterns to sustainable waste management.
Available in English & Hungarian
Our latest policy briefing with Bellona EU & the Rethink Plastic alliance concerns using non-renewable plastic fuels under transport targets within REDII, making recommendations for how to maintain circular economy promises.
Zero Waste Europe releases today a policy briefing highlighting the importance of defining a new strategy for managing residual waste that corresponds with the requirements of the age of climate emergency we live in. The report defines an approach based on Material Recovery and Biological Treatment as a bridge strategy for managing residuals within a circular economy.
Full briefing available in English, French, Italian, and Polish.
Condensed briefing available in English and Montenegrin.
We have the opportunity to reform EU legislation on chemicals in food packaging to make it safe and reusable. Our latest policy briefing outlines recommendations to ensure a toxic-free circular economy.
Available in English
The Farm to Fork Strategy presents a great opportunity to profoundly reshape our relation to food and design food waste, hazardous chemicals and overpackaging out of our food system. Addressing such issues specifically requires a holistic vision leading to coordinated actions all along the food supply chain. Read Zero Waste Europe’s feedback on the new Farm to Fork Strategy Roadmap.
Available in English
This Policy Briefing which analyses in depth the new Landfill Directive, part of the Circular Economy Package adopted in 2018. Specifically, the landfill minimisation target obliges Member States to limit the amount of municipal waste due to be landfilled to 10% or less of municipal waste generated at any given year by 2035. As the briefing describes, meeting the target is extremely challenging and the way it’s defined and must be calculated (in any given year and defined as a percentage) may contradict the overarching principles of the EU Circular Economy Agenda.
Available in English, Spanish & French
Policy briefing by Zero Waste Europe bringing together our previous two reports on (1) the environmental and economic impacts of single-use menstrual products, nappies and wet wipes and (2) existing measures and future policy recommendations to minimise their impact.
Available in English.
Joint Policy Briefing signed by Zero Waste Europe and Reloop Platform to provide the European Commission with clear recommendations on the implementation phase of the Single Use Plastic Directive.
Available in English.
Zero Waste Europe welcomes the European Commission’s commitment to developing its Circular Economy efforts as part of the European Green Deal and we are happy to submit our recommendations in line with our vision to create a zero waste Europe. Read our response to the new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) Consultation.
Available in English.
The revised Renewable Energy Directive sets a framework for the promotion of energy from renewable sources, such as biomass. This document intends to provide a methodology to guide Member States in implementing it in alignment with the circular economy.
Available in English
Waste-to-Energy incineration is sometimes promoted as a low-carbon source of energy, justifying increasing quantities of waste burned to produce electricity. The evidence, however, suggests that the carbon intensity of energy produced through incineration is greater than the one of the current EU average electricity grid intensity while having significantly more adverse climate impacts than conventional electricity generation.
Available in English & French
The EU has excluded waste-to-energy incineration from a list of economic activities considered ‘sustainable finance’, those that can make a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation and which do no significant harm to other environmental objectives such as transition to a circular economy, waste prevention and recycling.
Available in English
