Circular economy: Council adopts conclusions

On 25 June 2018, the Council of the European Union adopted the following conclusions on delivering on the EU action plan for the circular economy.
The Council conclusions on
− Sustainable materials management and sustainable production and consumption
− Greening the European Semester and the Europe 2020 Strategy
− A Roadmap to a Resource-Efficient Europe
− The EU and Responsible Global Value Chains
– Closing the loop -> An EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy
− The protection of human health and the environment through the sound management of
chemicals
− Eco-innovation: enabling the transition towards a Circular Economy
− The European Union priorities for the third meeting of the United Nations Environment
Assembly

REITERATING the potential of a truly Circular Economy to achieve sustainable growth and boost the EU’s competitiveness, create jobs, decrease the EU’s dependency on non-renewable primary raw materials, prevent and minimise waste generation and achieve resource and energy efficiency and a reduced environmental footprint while ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment and respecting existing protection standards;

ENDORSING the aim of moving towards sustainable production and consumption patterns;

STRESSING the responsibility of all stakeholders to take the necessary action for change, notably regarding the design, use and consumption of plastic and plastic products, towards a value chain approach taking into account the entire life cycle of these products;

UNDERLINING the importance of the waste hierarchy in supporting the implementation of the transition to a Circular Economy, starting with an increase in prevention, preparing for reuse and recycling, other recovery of waste, and minimising waste disposal;

EMPHASISING that rethinking the functioning of value chains, as for plastics, is closely interconnected with creating non-toxic material cycles where hazardous substances are reduced to a minimum, fully in line with the goal to achieve the sound management of chemicals and waste throughout their life cycle, as agreed during the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and at the International Conference on Chemicals Management in Dubai in 2006 that adopted the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), and further developed in the outcome document of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development entitled „The future we want“ and most recently in the 2015 UNGA Resolution entitled“Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development“;

HIGHLIGHTING the need to establish a cross-sectoral process or mechanism at EU level dealing with risks and pollution from chemicals along their lifecycle in order to ensure a coherent approach to achieve the EU’s objectives as well as to meet its international commitments with regard to the protection of human health and the environment and the achievement of sustainable development;

Read the full 26 conclusions: http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-10447-2018-INIT/en/pdf