On February 26^th, the European Commission presented the Clean Industrial Deal, a plan to reinvigorate European industry while moving forward with the energy transition. The Commission identified circularity as a priority and reaffirmed its goal of making the EU the world leader in circular economy by 2030. The scale of the challenge cannot be understated: the EU must quickly find a solution for the 896 million tonnes of waste currently landfilled or incinerated. This equates to 45% of all wastes treated in the EU. 

Reduction and reuse are unequivocally the primary response to this challenge. While mechanical recycling must also significantly grow, it alone cannot turn all wastes into new products. To find an alternative to landfill and incineration for non-recyclable waste, the EU must develop its chemical recycling capabilities. Enerkem welcomes the ambition of the Commission on circularity and looks forward to collaborating with EU institutions to build the infrastructure capable of turning waste into resource.

Recommendations

• End use of recycled products is defined by market conditions, not recycling facilities. But recycling is recycling. Therefore, Enerkem recommends including waste-to-product in the recycling category of the waste hierarchy, regardless of the end use, and ensure that chemical recycling is accounted for in national recycling targets.
• The price gap between fossil and sustainable product remains a critical barrier in the transition to a circular economy. To drive demand toward recycled products, Enerkem recommends adopting stringent recycling content obligations to create long-term market demand.
• Environmental transparency and accountability are paramount. Enerkem recommends recognizing the mass balance approach as a necessary accounting practice in sustainable plastic production to ensure traceability along the supply chain.

Read the Position Paper