ZWE calls for “serious overhaul” of EU Waste Framework Directive to achieve circular economy

07 Jul 2023 --- The Waste Framework Directive (WFD) revision is a missed opportunity, says Zero Waste Europe (ZWE). While the environmental NGO welcomes the European Commission’s (EC) proposal to introduce EU-wide food waste reduction targets, it says it regrets that the proposal did not address critical issues in the waste sector. 

“We are very disappointed that despite all the evidence that higher levels of food waste reduction are possible, the commission proposed a 10% reduction of food waste in processing and manufacturing and a 30% per capita reduction in retail, restaurants and households for 2030 compared to the amount generated in 2020,” Theresa Mörsen, ZWE’s waste policy officer tells Packaging Insights. 

Mörsen explains that SDG 12.3 target demands a 50% reduction, including the entire supply chain. “In 2012, the European Parliament called on the commission to take action to halve food waste by 2025 and they repeated this call in 2017 (50% of reduction of food waste by 2030). After so many delays, it will become increasingly difficult to achieve the SFD 12.3.,” she says. 

The environmental pressure on land, water, biodiversity and climate caused by food that does not end up being consumed is immense, obliging the industry and policymakers to act decisively. 

Reshaping EPR rules 
Mörsen says the target can only be met via concerted effort across the supply chain. 

“There are plenty of good examples from businesses, cities and charities that managed to cut food waste, for example, via local food waste valorization or short supply chains like in community-supported agriculture. Without decisive government action to channel support into these measures, it will be difficult to scale them up.”

Extended producer responsibility must be brought forward to tackle European waste, says ZWE.The proposed extended producer responsibility (EPR) for textiles is a first step toward holding producers accountable for the products they release into the market. However, ZWE flags that the “unnecessarily long transition period of 30 months means tons of textiles will continue to go to incineration.” 

Moreover, the organization says that the revision needs to further reshape the rules for EPR in the EU. ZWE asserts that the revision must address issues such as the amount of eco-modulated fees that can be charged and the governance of producer responsibility organizations. 

EPR should act as a price incentive to drive better design instead of a fee producers “pay to pollute,” says the organization. “It is evident that the environmental impact of the textiles industry lies in the production phase and, therefore, managing waste at the end of life has only a small overall effect.” 

Treating a “broken” system?
While overall waste prevention targets would have been the “ideal scenario” for the revision, ambitious waste prevention should be mandated, at least for the waste streams addressed here, explains ZWE’s waste policy officer.

“For textiles, the EU’s goal to improve the durability of garments is a good first step but ignores the fact that production is driven by fast fashion trends and aggressive marketing rather than the need to replace broken clothes. Until this is addressed via effective waste prevention measures, we are only treating the symptoms of a broken system.”

Janek Vähk, zero pollution policy manager at ZWE, adds: “Recent reports from the European Economic Area and the European Court of Auditors reveal the insufficient progress made by the EU toward achieving a circular economy. Today’s proposal overlooks the crucial challenges at hand at a time when we need to take more immediate action.”

“We urgently call upon the European Parliament and the Council to implement essential measures, including the establishment of residual waste targets and mandatory sorting of waste that is not separately collected,” Vähk continues. 

The next commission must take on a “serious overhaul” of the WFD to achieve a resource framework directive, stresses the NGO. “The EC is obliged to examine data on reuse and prevention to assess the feasibility of quantitative targets for reuse and waste reduction by the end of 2024.”

“The commission should seize this opportunity to turn the law into a regulatory framework for a circular economy consistent with the 1.5 degrees Celsius target that lays out a pathway to the continued reduction in raw material consumption across the EU economy,” concludes Vähk.

By Natalie Schwertheim