On 11 March 2020, the European Commission adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan. The plan is one of the main blocks of the European Green Deal, the European roadmap for climate neutrality and Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth where economic growth is decoupled from resource use, presented by the von der Leyen Commission on 11 December 2019. It claims that “applying ambitious circular economy measures in Europe can increase EU’s GDP by an additional 0.5 per cent by 2030 and create around 700,000 new jobs”. The initiatives in the plan build on the work done since 2015, when the European Commission launched its first Circular Economy Action Plan.

The new Action Plan aims to modernise and transform the European economy while protecting the environment, making the European economy fit for a green future, strengthening competitiveness, and giving new rights to consumers. The plan also supports innovation and investment by mobilising private financing in support of the circular economy through EU financial instruments such as InvestEU. It also introduces legislative and non-legislative measures targeting areas where action at the EU level brings real added value.

The Circular Economy Action Plan presents measures to:

• make sustainable products the norm in the EU;
• empower consumers and public buyers;
• focus on the sectors that use most resources and where the potential for circularity is high, such as: electronics and ICT; batteries and vehicles; packaging; plastics; textiles; construction and buildings; food; water and nutrients;
• ensure less waste;
• make circularity work for people, regions and cities;
• lead global efforts on circular economy.