Politicians in the European Parliament’s environment committee have called for stricter European Union measures to stop materials being thrown away or wasted, including binding requirements to include recycled content in products and curb raw materials use.
As it seeks to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shrink its negative environmental impact, the EU’s executive European Commission is drafting laws to encourage companies to reuse materials and recycle more.
Reuters Newsagency reports those plans received a boost, when the Parliament’s environment committee backed the EC’s plan to propose, in 2021 or 2022, mandatory requirements on recycled content in certain products, and binding green public procurement targets.
While the EC intends to propose mandatory requirements on recycled plastic content, politicians said the requirement to use recycled content should not be limited to plastic only.
Parliament’s report aims to inform upcoming EU legislation.
Reuters reports the committee will formally approve its position today before the full Parliament votes on it.
Some low-carbon or recycled products struggle to compete with conventional versions, such as recycled plastics, which cost more than virgin plastics.
Reuters reports the EU wants to help create a market for sustainable products, including by harnessing the purchasing power of public authorities, which represents 14 per cent of the EU’s GDP.
The politicians also asked the EC to propose an EU target to reduce the use of primary raw materials, a measure not included in the EC’s original proposal.
Jan Huitema, parliament’s lead politician on the issue, said reducing waste was key to the EU’s plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, since sourcing some primary raw materials produces up to 80 per cent more emissions than the secondary, or reused, equivalent.
“The CO2 emissions are tremendously higher,” Mr Huitema told Reuters.
“The whole process of recycling has a way lower environmental impact than gaining those resources from our environment.”
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