CEN-CENELEC, the European Standardisation Organisations, organised a workshop on standards for circular economy today. The objective was to understand the challenges for the industry to act on managing waste and use of secondary raw materials and to outline standardisation solutions to enable the circular economy to function.
Some of the points discussed were the Extended Producer Responsibility and the proximity principle for waste disposal.
EBC believes that responsibility should be borne not only by producers, but also by consumers and municipalities, who also play a main role in disposing waste. It is also fundamental to ensure the proximity of disposal and recycling points because workers should not be obliged to drive too far to access them, especially when they carry hazardous waste. Suitable alternatives have to be put in place and be easily accessible.
The input gathered during the event will shape the CEN-CENELEC standardisation roadmap for circular economy for waste and secondary raw materials.
Read EBC’s position paper on circular economy