As part of the European Green Deal ambitions, the proposal encourages sustainable consumption through additional incentives to repair products to reduce waste and emissions. By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and James Bee On 22 March 2023, the European Commission (Commission) adopted a new proposal on common rules promoting the repair of goods (the … Continue Reading
New regulations in renewable energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and ESG are expected to impact companies and investors in Spain in the coming year. By José María Alonso and Leticia Sitges Despite the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the Spanish government has established a route toward decarbonizing and digitalizing the economy and toward promoting circular-economy initiatives. This … Continue Reading
Making Europe greener, fairer, and more sustainable is at the heart of the European Commission’s new work programme. By Paul Davies, David Little, Michael D. Green, and Pierre Bichet On 19 October 2020, the European Commission (Commission) published its Work Programme (Programme) for 2021. The Programme — “A Union of vitality in a world of … Continue Reading
The EU Commission aims to enshrine into law the 2050 climate-neutrality target and has taken further steps to establish a unified EU “green” classification system. By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, and Federica Rizzo The European Green Deal, presented on 11 December 2019, provides a roadmap with actions aimed at boosting the efficient use of resources and the … Continue Reading
The Action Plan is part of the European Green Deal promoting actions to boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a cleaner and more competitive Europe. By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green and Federica Rizzo On 11 March 2020, the European Commission published its Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European … Continue Reading
The Directive aims to reduce the impact of plastic products and therefore help protect the environment and human health. By Paul A. Davies and Michael D. Green On June 12, 2019, a new directive was published that aims to help protect land and marine environments, as well as human health. The mandate — Directive (EU) … Continue Reading
Increasingly, financial institutions are looking to align business decisions with environmental principles. By Paul A. Davies and Michael D. Green ABN AMRO, ING, and Rabobank have teamed up to publish guidelines for investing in the circular economy. The banks have designed the guidelines to help financial services companies around the globe transition towards a circular … Continue Reading
Member States will follow a single EU legislative framework merging industrial policies and environmental protection to encourage sustainable economic and social development. By Paul A. Davies and Jörn Kassow The European Parliament adopted the new Circular Economy Package, on 18 April 2018, setting ambitious, legally binding EU targets for waste recycling and reduction of landfilling. … Continue Reading
Spain takes a further step towards sustainable development with consultation on draft Circular Economy Strategy. By Rosa Espín and Leticia Sitges The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment has launched a public consultation on a draft Circular Economy Strategy, which will involve the business sector, not-for-profit entities, and citizenship in the drafting process. … Continue Reading
By Michael Green and Paul Davies Following decision C(2017)7124 of the European Commission (EC), the EC has launched its Work Programme for 2018 (WP 2018). WP 2018 outlines plans for achieving the EC’s primary policy objectives during the next 12 months — with particular attention to environmental issues. WP 2018 outlines four “Focus Areas” (FAs) … Continue Reading
By Paul Davies and Michael Green A new European Parliament briefing highlights the benefits of, and difficulties associated with, transitioning the chemicals industry to a circular economy. The traditional economy typically involves purchasing and using a product, and then disposing that product when it no longer has utility (i.e. the “take-make-dispose” approach to resources). Conversely, … Continue Reading
By Paul Davies The launch of the Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019, covering the eco-design and energy labelling framework last month is another key milestone in the Commission’s plan to transition the EU to a more circular economy. Key points to note from the Working Plan include: The current state of play is that the Commission … Continue Reading
