Waste, Extended Producer Responsibility, and Collective Compliance Schemes

As per the Green Deal for Europe, which I am currently reading , "the Commission has already set out a clear vision of how to achieve climate neutrality by 2050". This vision is described in the Commission's communication titled: A Green Planet for all . It recognizes circular economy as a key enabler to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The data most relevant to the report on raw materials and the circular economy are presented in a study, titled:  Critical raw materials and the circular economy . It has been prepared by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) . 

If the EU were to take on the challenges of creating a circular economy on its own, its economy would be left at a competitive disadvantage; and the aims of reducing the global consumption of raw materials and redicing pollution overall would not be attained. For that reason, the EU should play an important role in leading a way to a global circular economy. That is why the European Union has comprised a working document titled  Leading the way to a global circular economy: state of play and outlook , which is another one of my reads currently.

Today I am reading an article in the Utrecht Law Review  titled:  The Polluter Pays Principle: Guidelines for Cost Recovery and Burden Sharing in the Case Law of the European Court of Justice  by Petra E. Lindhout and Berthy van den Broek. The article contains a chapter that describes the fundamentals of the polluter pays principle, which are very important, in order to establish how extended producer responsibility derives from the polluter pays principle. The article pointedly notes that environmental damage comes not only in the form of pollution but, also, in the form of the depletion of natural resources which are finite.

Still reading the Circular Economy Strategy - this time I found out about the Commission's strategy for A Sustainable Bioeconomy in Europe . Circularity here plays an important role, too, as it toes in the Commission's Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy .

While reading the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan I learned that there already exists, as of 2009, an Ecodesign Directive . The significance of setting standards in the design stage for products cannot be overstated. This directive only applies to energy-related products and aims to ensure their energy efficiency. 

After some preliminary reading, I think that I should first focus on two major policy documents: the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan . Details to follow in the next posts.