The European Commission’s ambitious Circular Economy Package aims to help European businesses and consumers to make the transition to a stronger circular, low-carbon economy where resources are used in a more sustainable way.

A Circular Economy looks to "close the loop" for product lifecycles through greater recycling and re-use. It creates benefits for both the environment and the economy by extracting the maximum value and use from all raw materials, products and waste, but also by fostering energy savings and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainable resources

To build a circular economy we need to establish resource efficiency criteria and integrate other policy areas like energy and water. A sustainable circular economy requires advanced processing technologies that will help us use existing resources more efficiently. We also need new regulations, services and business models supported by a coherent and stable policy framework.

The chemical industry is a central player in the recycling of end-user products and throughout all value chain processes. Enhanced collaboration between the chemical industry and all partners in that value chain is crucial to achieve a successful circular economy.

Enabling chemistry

The chemical sector is an essential enabler for a sustainable circular economy. Chemistry helps optimise the use of raw materials by transforming waste and by-products into new or secondary raw materials. In turn, these can be used for the production of new chemicals and new materials used in the design and manufacture of consumer products. They can enable better recycling options, and improve the overall efficiency of production processes.

The chemical industry is key to a successful sustainable circular economy with jobs, growth and competitiveness. To find out more on how SusChem is working to enable the circular economy and how this relates to Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges and the UN Sustainable Development Goals check below!