This opinion addressed the Commission's legislative initiative which aims to reduce the administrative burden without affecting the environmental objectives agreed under the existing legislation in the areas of, among others, industrial installations and circular economy, environmental assessments and permitting, chemical waste, Extended Producer Responsibility and waste management.
The proposed opinion aims to have a constructive influence on policymakers, especially on EU level, providing an objective analysis of the issues at hand and presenting concrete suggestions that may inform legislative action. It will provide insights and recommendations for the development of an effective waste treatment, resource management and circularity measures across the Union in a way that reflects the views and concerns of the social partners, industry and CSOs on this issue.
The classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals regulation is the core piece of Union legislation for the hazard assessment of chemicals, stemming from the United Nations’ global standard (GHS), and sets out the hazard classification of chemicals and how to communicate those hazards to consumers and workers.
Download — Становище на ЕИСК: Revision of the classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals regulation
The Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) package aims to make every aspect of the design, production, use and sale of products placed on the EU market more environmentally-friendly and circular to deliver on the sustainability and climate objectives. The proposals of the package will introduce a new era where sustainable products become the norm as well as Europe's resource independence.
Download — Становище на ЕИСК: Sustainable products initiative, including Eco-design Directive
European Union statistics clearly show the enormous amounts of packaging materials currently used for the safety, hygiene, transportation, conservation, presentation and application of all kinds of goods – be they for industrial purposes, construction work, communication systems or individual consumption. Most of them are of carbonic or metallic origin, which are limited resources. A largely predominant part of the waste of these packaging materials can, and mostly do, have a negative environmental impact and may seriously endanger human health as well as animal and plant well-being. Material transformation and recycling for the reuse of the basic substances can only very partially reduce the many problems connected.
Download — Становище на ЕИСК: Making packaging a safe, affordable and eco-friendly industry
The Commission's new Circular Economy Action Plan focuses on sustainable products, less waste, product value chains, and circularity in regions and cities, and the global level.
Download — Становище на ЕИСК: New Circular Economy Action Plan
This EESC opinion covers both the Communication on A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy (COM(2018) 28 final) and the proposal for a Directive on Port Reception Facilities (COM(2018) 33 final), as this initiative also contributes to the objective of reducing the leakage of plastics into the environment
Download — Становище на ЕИСК: Strategy on plastics in a circular economy (communication)
The EESC fully backs the objective of switching to a greener, resource-efficient and circular economy. It is happy to see that the Commission has come forward with a broader set of proposals covering all the stages of the product lifecycle compared to the previous circular economy package; however, it raises concern over the lower level of ambition, which is likely to lead to lower economic and environmental benefits.
Download — Становище на ЕИСК: Circular Economy Package
