A comprehensive strategy for nature-based biodegradable materials to foster circularity and resource efficiency, strengthen the agri-food sector and scale-up the EU bioeconomy

Key points

The EESC:
 

• considers that the EU has a timely opportunity to strengthen its transition to a circular bioeconomy combining circularity, material reduction within planetary boundaries, sustainable biomass use, and industrial competitiveness. Building on the forthcoming Circular Economy Act and the updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy, the Committee calls for coherent and ambitious implementation that translates political momentum into practical industrial and regional development outcomes;
• stresses that efficient use of environmental resources requires applying the waste hierarchy in accordance with the Waste Framework Directive, based on lifecycle thinking and the best overall environmental outcome. It therefore supports an outcome-oriented, technology-neutral approach prioritising waste prevention, reuse and material efficiency, that recognises both technical and biological cycles through differentiated circular pathways;
• highlights that materials derived from chemically non-modified natural polymers, legally recognised as non-plastic under the Single-Use Plastics Directive and aligned with REACH, can help prevent pollution, including by reducing microplastic leakage. Their role should be assessed in line with the One Health approach, recognising the interconnections between environmental integrity, ecosystem resilience and human and animal health;
• underlines the potential of such materials to strengthen rural and coastal economies by valorising agricultural and marine secondary biomass, reinforcing local and regional value chains, supporting generational renewal in farming and fisheries, and creating high-quality jobs, thereby contributing to social cohesion. The Committee stresses that food, feed and soil protection uses must remain prioritised, in that order;
• calls for greater regulatory coherence across EU product, waste and industrial legislation, ensuring consistent application of the legal distinction between plastics and unmodified natural polymers. Packaging legislation should avoid unintended barriers or de facto market exclusion, reflect both technical and biological circularity, and ensure clear, harmonised information for consumers and predictability for operators, and small businesses;
• highlights the implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) as a priority and warns that packaging made from chemically non-modified natural polymers could be excluded if recyclability rules only allow technical recycling. It therefore calls on the Commission to ensure that PPWR implementation recognises their non-plastic status and allows biologically designed end-of-life pathways where this delivers the best overall environmental outcome;
• calls on the Commission to ensure coordinated action across environmental, industrial and agricultural policies to scale-up sustainable materials, facilitate industrial deployment, strengthen regional value chains and secure Europe’s global competitiveness in sustainable material innovation, while supporting private investment and the scale-up of innovative solutions.