EU Commission releases ‘Circular Economy Action Plan’

The European Commission released a ‘Circular Economy Action Plan’ that builds on the European Green Deal released on 11 January 2020. The purpose of the action plan is to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU while protecting the environment and working towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Among other things, the plan covers the design of sustainable products through circular production and waste policy including waste reduction and waste exports from the EU. The plan highlights the importance of digital technology in the context of circular economy given that they have the ability to ‘accelerate circularity but also the dematerialisation of our economy and make Europe less dependent on primary materials’.