Options to address the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation
On 26 April, the ENVI Committee will consider the above draft motion for resolution which is part of a new set of measures adopted by the Commission to implement the Circular Economy Action Plan including a Communication aiming at promoting a broad discussion on how the major elements identified at the interface between chemicals, product and waste legislation can be addressed. The Communication's starting point is that recycling and re-use can be hampered by the presence of certain chemicals.
The Commission identified four critical issues in the way the legislation on chemicals, products and waste work together and how these are hampering a circular economy development: insufficient information about substances of concern in products and waste, presence of substances of concern in recycled materials, uncertainties about how materials can cease to be waste, and difficulties in the application of EU waste classification methodologies, which impacts on the recyclability of materials. The draft motion for resolution stresses the importance of taking swift action in order to tackle the 'interface' problems and successively addresses the four critical issues and their impact on a circular economy development.