FEAD publishes manifesto calling for European circular material use act

The Belgium-based European Waste Management Association (FEAD) has published a manifesto calling for circular resources for a European Industrial Deal and proposing the establishment of a circular material use act (CMUA).

Highlighting the need for a CMUA to enact comprehensive waste management policies, FEAD says the report serves as a call to action ahead of the upcoming European elections. 

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“For the circular economy to function, there needs to be a constant demand for recycled materials that compete with the quality standards and prices of virgin materials,” FEAD President Claudia Mensi says.

The manifesto serves as an offshoot of FEAD’s Vision for 2030, which it published in February, and FEAD says a future CMUA should establish two legally binding targets:

• a circular material use rate target of 25 percent by 2030, 30 percent by 2040 and 35 percent by 2050; and
• a 75 percent target for the recycling of all waste materials in the European Union by 2035.

According to FEAD, the CMUA also should align industrial production with the circular economy, namely through developing incentives for manufacturers to replace virgin materials with recycled materials. It also calls to strengthen EU autonomy over its supply resources.

“The CMUA should require that all imported products placed on the EU market are subject to the same rules and requirements as products developed in the EU,” the manifesto says.

Other steps outlined by FEAD include moving toward climate change mitigation efforts, establishing an enforcement mechanism for European waste management legislation and ensuring a competitive market for waste management.