Activities of Miapetra KUMPULA-NATRI related to 2020/2077(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on New Circular Economy Action Plan
Amendments (22)
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that trade policy is an essential tool for implementing the circular economy andadvancing the transition to the circular economy globally and supporting the EU’s sustainability agenda globally; underlines that increased re-using, repairing, remanufacturing and recycling can reduce the EU’s reliance on imports of raw materials, and points to the need to decouple economic growth from resource use in order to ensure the long- term sustainability and resilience of global value chains;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets the lack of international and European standards on waste quality as this hinders a viable trade policy that is conducive to the circular economy; calls on the Commission to present harmonised standards on waste quality and a legal definition of recyclable waste, and to include these in future FTAsdefinitions and standards and European standards and labelling on circular economy. The lack of these is particularly problematic when it comes to waste quality and secondary raw materials, recycled, remanufactured and repaired goods as this hinders a viable trade policy that is conducive to the circular economy; calls on the Commission to present harmonised standards and legal definitions on waste quality, recycled material, recyclability and reparability, and to include these in future FTAs; Stresses the need for eco-design and labelling to be brought to a global level to enhance the global circular economy and create level playing field;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that in the transition to a circular economy particular attention must be given to key supply chains where the EU’s environmental footprint is significant and where the EU’s dependence on unreliable sources of raw materials is particularly high;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to identify and abolish barriers that prevent or restrict market access for circular products and services from outside the EU and to investigate the possibilities and benefits of reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers on certain products and services in order to encourage the development of the circular economy;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges the Commission to ensure that FTAs reflect the objectives of the circular economy by including strong, binding and enforceable sustainable development chapters; suggests that the circular economy should be addressed in a cross-cutting manner in all relevant FTA chapters; stresses the opportunity to use the cooperative mechanisms of TSD chapters to work together with third countries on promoting the circular economy;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Encourages the Commission to engage with the EU’s trading partners to further support the objectives of the circular economy; stresses that particular attention must be given to how less developed partner countries can participate in and benefit from the circular economy; calls for an assessment of the impact of increased intra-EU recycling rates on countries strongly relying on waste imports; calls on the commission to use Aid for Trade and GSP+ to help developing countries adopt circular economy practices, including product standards.
Amendment 67 #
2. Underlines that research into materials, processes, technologies and products, as well as into their industrial scale-up, can provide European companies with a worldwide competitive advantage; believes that shortening a number of value chains would make European industrial ecosystems more resilient, competitive and profitable, as well as promote the EU’s open strategic autonomy;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Highlights that when waste streams are exported from the EU in a socially just, clean and manageable way, opportunities can be created for third countries and economic efficiency gains can arise when manufacturing hubs are in close proximity to recycling plants, leading to recycling “champions” with top notch sorting and processing infrastructure, boosting global recycling volumes and quality;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Highlights that the availability of critical raw materials is a strategic question for European industries; recovery of valuable raw materials, use of secondary materials, as well as recycling and bioeconomy play important role in securing Europe’s raw material supply;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Stresses that, as long as the quality of EU’s waste exports cannot be guaranteed and there is uncertainty whether the exported waste is recycled in third countries respecting high social, health and environmental standards, improving waste recycling within EU borders should remain a priority;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6 c. Calls on the Commission to implement the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials in a coordinated and mutually reinforcing manner; stresses that improving Europe’s recycling rates for the metals and minerals required in green and digital technologies will give Europe a sustainable domestic supply source, helping to improve its resilience versus more polluting imports from unreliable third countries;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Emphasises the importance of sustainable product design as a means to enhance circularity; welcomes Commission’s aim to propose sustainable product policy legislative initiative and widen the Ecodesign directive;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6 d. Emphasizes that circular economy and sustainable production require transparent and traceable value chains. In order to improve circularity of all the materials and to keep track of chemicals and hazardous elements, it is essential to foster the availability of data related to product's content, materials, carbon footprint and recyclability. Special efforts should be made to integrate and develop work on the digital product passports that would collect structured and standardised data from all phases of the product and enable better circularity, promote extended producer responsibility (EPR) as well as sustainable consumer choices.
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 e (new)
Paragraph 6 e (new)
6 e. Emphasizes the risk of environmental dumping when secondary raw materials or second-hand goods are traded because of higher environmental standards in Europe than in a third country, which would undermine global climate and environmental actions and hinder sustainable transition in third countries.
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 f (new)
Paragraph 6 f (new)
6 f. Stresses that a distinction should be made between waste for material recovery and waste intended for energy production as to safeguard valuable materials and avoid dumping; highlights that the Basel Convention ban on plastic waste exports from OECD to non-OECD countries, with the exception of material that is “non-hazardous, clean, unmixed and uncontaminated" and purposed for recycling, not for energy-recovery, is very relevant in this regard and that this international legislation could speed up international negotiations on waste standards and definitions;
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Stresses that construction is among the least automated and digitized sectors and the most resource-intensive businesses in the European Union. The use of innovative and future-oriented technologies at a construction site would increase the degree of digitisation of the sector while increasing resources efficiency. Similarly, the adoption of digital solution in built environment would allow better energy performance of buildings;
Amendment 124 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Also believes that the use of sustainable circular bio-based products and systems in the construction and renovation sectors can help achieving the Union's environmental objectives through the development of a regulatory framework for recognition of carbon removals as well as through the elaboration of Green Public Procurement binding rules to enable users to choose sustainable and climate friendly materials and secondary raw material;
Amendment 135 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Asks the Commission to support a digital transition that builds on maximising the value of data and deploying digitally- enabled solutions to permit the sustainable use of resources and to maintain the value, durability, reusability and repairability of products and materials for as long as possible.
Amendment 139 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Stresses that the availability of data on products, materials and industrial processes is crucial in the transition towards more sustainable product design, product use and re-use or disposal; highlights the importance of transparent and traceable value chains in securing the availability of data; considers that swift action is needed to make such data available and to enable the sharing and re-use of this data; in this context, supports the Commission’s intention to Establish a common European data space for smart circular applications;
Amendment 151 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Considers that the Commission’s suggestion to develop digital ‘product passports’ is a step in the right direction as regards use of data; stresses that such product passports should contain data in interoperable and re-usable formats and that the information should be clear, trustworthy and easily available to all market players regardless of their size;
Amendment 156 #
7c. Highlights that transitioning European industry to a circular model could cut the emissions of resource intensive industries by 56% by 2050 and reduce the impact on biodiversity loss; in this context, stresses the importance of aligning the EU’s industrial and bioeconomy strategy with the circular economy action plan to ensure the required systemic change and green transition; stresses that the use of sustainable raw materials, such as sustainable renewable materials, needs to be at the centre of the circular economy action plan;
Amendment 163 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Underlines the crucial role that consumers play in transition towards circular economy and calls for consumers to be better equipped to act in a sustainable manner; highlights the importance of awareness raising and consumer education in empowering consumers to act; stresses that product information provided to consumers related to recycling and repairing must be standardized and understandable; welcomes Commission’s aims to protect consumers from greenwashing;