The European
Green Deal
Circular Economy
Action Plan
March 2020
#EUGreenDeal
The new Circular Economy Action Plan presents new initiatives along the entire life
cycle of products in order to modernise and transform our economy while protecting the
environment. It is driven by the ambition to make sustainable products that last and to
enable our citizens to take full part in the circular economy and benefit from the positive
change that it brings about.
According to a recent Eurobarometer survey the growing amount of waste is among the
3 top environmental concerns to citizens. The interviewed considered that the most
effective ways of tackling environmental problems are by changing the way we consume
and the way we produce.
ELECTRONICS and ICT
Products placed on EU market will
be designed to last longer, to be
easier to repair and upgrade,
recycle and reuse.
Providing incentives for product-asa-service:
companies will keep the
ownership and responsibility for the
product throughout its lifecycle.
Electrical and electronic equipment is
one of the fastest growing waste streams
in the EU.
Two in three Europeans would
use their digital devices for
longer provided performance is
not significantly affected.
Some examples of suggested measures and how they are applied in different sectors:
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Print  ISBN 978-92-76-17035-8 doi:10.2775/855540 NA-03-20-127-EN-C
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Single-use products will be phased
out wherever possible and replaced by
durable products for multiple use.
Acting on microplastics - restricting
intentionally added microplastics, increasing the
capture of microplastics at all relevant stages
of the product lifecycle.
Measures will be introduced for waste
prevention and reduction, increasing
recycled content, minimising waste exports
outside EU. An EU model for separate collection
and labelling of products will be launched.
New legislative initiatives on reuse to substitute
single-use packaging, tableware and cutlery
by reusable products in food services, as well
as targets for reducing packaging waste will be
proposed.
By 2050, plastics could account
for 20% of oil consumption, 15%
of greenhouse gas emissions,
and there could be more plastics
than fish in the ocean.
Consumption of plastics is expected
to double in the coming 20 years.
Each citizen produces nearly half
a tonne of municipal waste
per year.
In 2017 packaging waste reached
in Europe a record of 173 kg per
inhabitant.
TEXTILES
PLASTICS
WASTE
FOOD and PACKAGING
Driving new business models will
boost sorting, reuse and recycling
of textiles, and allow consumers to
choose sustainable textiles. Ecodesign
will apply to a broader range of
products: clothes will be made to last longer.
Worldwide, a full truck of textiles
is sent to incineration or landfilled
every second.
It is estimated that less than
1% of all textiles worldwide
are recycled into new textiles.