Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on ‘Developing synergies across different circular economy roadmaps’

(own-initiative opinion)

(2020/C 14/03)

Rapporteur: Cillian LOHAN

Plenary Assembly decision	24.1.2019
Legal basis	Rule 32(2) of the Rules of Procedure Own-initiative opinion
Section responsible	Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment
Adopted in section	4.9.2019
Adopted at plenary	26.9.2019
Plenary session No	546
Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions)	144/2/8

1.   Conclusions and recommendations

1.1.

The first phase of the circular economy has been a huge success. The concept is being mainstreamed in the business sector in particular, with private companies moving ahead of policy-makers in seeing the potential of work based on a circular economy model. EU initiatives have kick-started this and been a driving force for action. The circular economy has already moved beyond recycling and waste management into a new and more critical stage. The EESC encourages the incoming Commission in 2019 to ensure that this broadening of the concept is reflected in any new circular economy package.

1.2.

The circular economy is a practical means of achieving broader international policy goals such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement. It can also contribute to the Global Climate Action Agenda through the active participation of non-state actors, including local and regional governments and civil society organisations as represented by the three groups of the EESC.

1.3.

The European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) and its Coordination Group have a crucial role to play in developing the next stages and implementing the circular transition, by acting as an information hub through the ECESP website. The Platform also provides strong networking opportunities and encourages synergies, and is well positioned to design a template for a circular economy roadmap that could be made freely available.

1.4.

The ECESP secretariat, which the EESC manages, has put civil society and stakeholders at the heart of the Platform’s decision-making. The EESC supports a stakeholder-led initiative, and encourages stakeholders to identify and signal the practical barriers faced by civil society in driving the circular economy agenda. The ECESP is ideally placed for this, working with the secretariat to propose solutions to such barriers.

1.5.

Support for roadmaps, and support for creating synergies, must be complemented by research and development, the appropriate regulatory environment, education across all stakeholders, and information on access to financial support for transitioning to circularity.

1.6.

There are obvious barriers to achieving a circular economy, despite the successes to date. These include political, public perspective, infrastructural governance, and financial barriers. The ECESP must identify and flag up any other barriers when proposing solutions to policy-makers.

2.   Introduction

2.1.

Following the adoption by the European Commission of the EU Action Plan on the Circular Economy, the EESC continues its efforts to support the transition to a circular economy in Europe through strong engagement of civil society to ensure that the transition is effective, equitable and just.

2.2.

This own-initiative opinion builds on the study commissioned by the Committee on circular economy strategies and roadmaps in Europe, which seeks to identify synergies and potential for cooperation and alliance-building. These can be found at all levels and between all players — policy-makers, businesses, workers, consumers, and members of the public.

2.3.

The circular economy is a practical means of achieving broader international policy goals such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement. It can also contribute to the Global Climate Action Agenda through the active participation of non-state actors, including local and regional government and civil society organisations as represented by the three groups of the EESC.

2.4.

The first phase of the development of the circular economy has been a huge success. The concept is being mainstreamed in the business sector in particular, with private companies moving ahead of policy-makers in seeing the potential of work based on a circular economy model. EU initiatives have kick-started this and been a driving force for action. The circular economy has already moved beyond recycling and waste management into a new and more critical stage. The EESC encourages the incoming Commission in 2019 to ensure that this broadening of the concept is reflected in any new Circular Economy package.

3.   What are the characteristics of a roadmap?

3.1.

Circular economy roadmaps and strategies help to outline and define what a country, region or city wishes to achieve, and the steps needed to get there. These are often comprehensive documents that address the transition from a linear to a circular model in value chain stages such as production, consumption, waste management, secondary raw materials, innovation and investment.

3.2.

Such documents often relate to activities designed to meet international objectives, such as the Paris Agreement on climate change or the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as addressing global challenges such as resource scarcity and the limitations of the current economic model for the environmentally and socially sustainable management of resources.

3.3.

Circular economy roadmaps and strategies tend to have a thematic focus linked to the territorial aspects of a particular locality, region or Member State. For example, in Extremadura in Spain the conservation of land for pasture is viewed as a key component of the region’s long-term economic performance; in the Finnish national strategy there is a strong focus on forestry.

3.4.

Strategies and roadmaps that are strongly inclusive consider the value-chain approaches within a sector, such as manufacturing, agriculture, food and water management. Stakeholder inclusiveness is important for identifying key stakeholders in the transition to a circular economy, and several strategies and roadmaps approach inclusiveness through horizontal topics that can be grouped according to whether they are technical, product-focused, network-focused or based on territorial development.

3.5.

How inclusive of stakeholders a strategy or roadmap is can also be seen in terms of how integrated the thematic and sectoral approaches are. Some strategies aim to introduce the concept of circularity and so have a broad focus for stakeholders in order to encourage participation and involvement in the transition. Others are more sector-focused and have a narrower base of stakeholders that are relevant to targeted sectoral loops. The most common form of strategy to date is one that is all-encompassing — incorporating multiple sectoral loops and encouraging partnerships.

4.   European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

4.1.

The ECESP was established in 2016 as a joint initiative between the EESC and the European Commission following a proposal from the EESC in its opinion (1). It is a European-level network of networks bringing together stakeholders from all over the EU and facilitating dialogue, sharing of best practices and identification of policy gaps. The Platform comprises a coordination group with representatives from academia, civil society and local government, and existing national or sectoral networks.

4.2.

The ECESP has become an important hub for information and networking in the context of European circular economy initiatives. It has an active coordination group of 24 member organisations and a busy website with an average of 7 000 visitors per month. It also holds an annual two-day conference that is regularly oversubscribed.

4.3.

The EESC provides the secretariat for the ECESP, bringing added value to the Platform. As the home of civil society in the EU, the EESC has developed expertise in finding a strong common voice from among diverse groups. The Committee builds consensus across its broad range of members through its legislative work. These core attributes have helped ECESP members to fully express themselves and engage with the Platform without the process being overly institutionalised.

4.4.

The ECESP can play a role in fostering the development of new circular economy strategies in two ways: (1) by providing a platform for the publication of strategies and roadmaps, making documents easy to find and reference, and (2) by facilitating the networking of stakeholders both within and between territories. Through the secretariat, the Platform can maximise the potential of linking those active in implementation at local and Member-State level with policy-makers at EU level.

4.5.

Through this networking, the Platform can also encourage the inclusion of a broad range of civil society stakeholders in the transition to a circular economy, and at an early stage of roadmap design and development.

4.6.

The ECESP provides a unique infrastructure where a consistent and coordinated approach to design and implementation of new economic models can be achieved in the EU. It has become a model for other platforms where civil society organisations run the secretariat and stakeholders take it in turns to chair a coordination group.

4.7.

The EESC emphasises that all stakeholders need to be consulted at every stage of strategy and roadmap development — from design to implementation and monitoring of progress.

4.8.

The EESC, in its unique position as a partner of the Platform and provider of the Platform’s secretariat, can further encourage this inclusive approach by providing an adaptable model strategy that can inspire the developers of circular economy strategies and roadmaps. This model strategy has been developed and published as part of a study commissioned by the Committee (2).

4.9.

Developing strong strategies requires robust science and research to underpin decision-making. This is one of the foundations of innovation, and will require a strong mix of public and private investment to achieve.

5.   Key lessons from the study

5.1.

‘Circular economy’ is a broad term that encapsulates changes across the use of materials, business models, production models, the bioeconomy, the flow of stock, secondary raw material markets, and the role of consumers.

5.2.

Strategies need to reflect this broad range, but are most effective when they are focused on a specific area, one that is relevant for the geographical spread of the strategy. For example, in an agricultural region a circular economy strategy will focus on the bioeconomy and the role of agriculture and natural ecosystems in circularity. In a region with more waste production, a strategy will focus on how best to re-frame waste as a valuable secondary raw material.

5.3.

The existence of an EU-level action plan has encouraged the development of national-level plans. There are significant clusters of strategies in certain regions. Where national strategies have been adopted, local or regional strategies are more likely to occur. The EESC encourages all Member States to produce and implement national strategies that are in line with the EU’s circular economy initiatives.

5.4.

In 80 % of cases there is a lack of civil society consultation in the scoping and design stage of strategies. The ECESP and the EESC highlight the work being done by civil society organisations in this area and the expertise that is available. The EESC recommends a coordinated approach to developing an engagement process for all stakeholders at the earliest stage of strategy design. This could be produced by the ECESP, or as a joint project with the Committee of the Regions, the Parliament, the Council and the Commission.

5.5.

The scope of strategies is determined at the earliest stage. It is critical to ensure that the interconnected nature of the circular economy and the cross-disciplinary requirements for effective implementation are recognised at the scope-setting stage. The circular economy has already moved beyond recycling, and strategies should reflect this.

5.6.

Strategies should be developed with scalability and transferability in mind. The early strategies do not seem to consider these elements. A more coordinated approach to developing new strategies or revising existing ones would certainly help in achieving this.

5.7.

Good governance is important. Roadmaps need to ensure ownership, either by an established unit in an organisation or by a newly created one. Such a unit would foster networking, produce knowledge and communication, monitor progress, and ensure the strategy is regularly updated. Such an approach helps to ensure that roadmaps are living documents that are acted upon.

5.8.

The circular economy has a strong role in agriculture. Traditional family-owned and family-operated farms have been (and in some cases still are) models of efficient use of resources in harmony with nature. The EESC calls for EU funding to support circularity in the agricultural sector, at all levels and on all scales. The bioeconomy is a subsector of circularity. Biological flows and material flows combine to create the interconnected wheels of the circular economy. Roadmaps for agricultural regions can help those areas to have a coordinated approach and to ensure that the competitive advantage of being circular is fully realised.

5.9.

Other focuses for roadmaps may include remanufacturing or repair. New business and ownership models, plus implementation of strong eco-design, can provide opportunities for jobs and regional prosperity in relation to remanufacturing of goods.

5.10.

Communicating accurate and clear information to consumers is an essential part of a strong roadmap. Cultural barriers to transitioning to the use of circular goods, or to the use of secondary materials, need to be addressed through communication. For consumers, remanufactured goods are often of the same functional standard but more sustainable than those made from virgin raw materials. Concerns about quality and consumer rights should be a part of any successful roadmap.

5.11.

An important element of successful implementation of the circular economy will be to incorporate a coordinated approach to educating the public, from schoolchildren to consumers, about the advantages and the principles of circularity. Education across all stakeholders is an essential part of achieving a successful and inclusive transition.

5.12.

Training, communication and knowledge-sharing can be strengthened through the use of the peer-to-peer learning resources available from the Commission.

6.   Barriers to successful roadmaps

6.1.

Roadmaps in themselves are not enough to deliver enhanced progress towards circularity. A number of barriers that need to be overcome.

6.2.

Political: lack of political backing. — Strategies existing in a political void — not linked to other policies and not part of a coherent, wider circular strategy.

6.3.

Public: lack of public awareness and understanding of the concept of the circular economy. Fear of the implications for all stakeholders of transition, from producers and manufactures to end-users and consumers. — One way of overcoming this fear is to bring people together to share knowledge and experiences. This is a function of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, and is supported by the work of its Coordination Group members, for example the French Institut national de l’économie circulaire (INEC) and their work in mapping circular economy networks in Europe.

6.4.

Infrastructure governance framework: lack of provisions for scalability and transferability. — Roadmaps need to be tailored to a specific territorial context. The appropriate regulation needs to be in place and be implemented.

6.5.

Financial: there can be a lack of economic incentives both for businesses to transition and for users to switch to circular products and services. Ultimately circular consumer options will be more economically competitive, but incentivisation may be required for the initial transitional phase. Access to relevant funding must be clearly communicated and the application process made easy and understandable.

6.6.

The EESC calls on the ECESP to address these fundamental barriers, identify others, and propose specific solutions to policy-makers on how to best address the key issues.

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(1)  EESC opinion on ‘Circular Economy Package’ (OJ C 264, 20.7.2016, p. 98).

(2)  Circular economy strategies and roadmaps in Europe: Identifying synergies and the potential for cooperation and alliance building — Study.