European Commission pushes Circular Economy Act with public consultation

The European Commission (EC) has launched a public consultation and Call for Evidence for the forthcoming Circular Economy Act (CEA). The legislative initiative aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, increasing the EU’s economic security, resilience, competitiveness, and decarbonization.

“Due for adoption in 2026, it [the CEA] aims to establish a Single Market for secondary raw materials, increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials, and stimulate demand for these materials in the EU,” an EC spokesperson tells Packaging Insights. 

The goal of the consultation is to gather input from a range of stakeholders and the broader public, so the EC can understand the bottlenecks and opportunities associated with rolling out a circular economy. 

The CEA aims to contribute to the ambition set out in the Competitiveness Compass and the Clean Industrial Deal to make the EU the world leader on the circular economy by 2030 and double its circularity rate.

Collecting circularity data

The spokesperson notes all individuals, public authorities, and stakeholders (for example, businesses, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations) within and outside the EU can contribute to the consultation.

“The consultation aims to ensure that all relevant stakeholders, public authorities, and individuals can provide their views, evidence, and experience regarding circularity in the single market to support the preparations for the CEA,” they add.

“This will also improve the evidence base underpinning the initiative and enable the EC to take into consideration information and views on the problems and potential solutions.”

The consultation will also help align the Circular Economy Act with key EU initiatives, such as the Competitiveness Compass, the Single Market Strategy, and the Steel and Metals Action Plan. It also aims to facilitate the implementation of relevant recently adopted legislation, such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, and the Critical Raw Materials Act.