EU Set to Reshape Material Specification

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Later this year the European Union (EU) is expected to adopt the Circular Economy Act, which is aimed to create a stronger market for recycled and reused materials across Europe.

The legislation is expected to support circular product design, increase demand for secondary materials and encourage greater material recovery throughout the construction supply chain. While final details are still being worked out, the act is already driving conversations around material innovation and resource efficiency across the built environment.

Rather than the linear model of “take, make, use, dispose,” the circular economy keeps products and materials in circulation as long as possible, and waste and resource use are minimized.

The EU’s transition to a circular economy is seen as crucial for reducing pressure on natural resources, halting biodiversity loss, achieving climate neutrality by 2050, and building a more competitive Europe.

The Circular Economy Act aims to establish a single market for secondary raw materials, increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials and stimulate demand for these materials within the EU, which seeks to be the world leader in the circular economy by 2030.

The circularity rate is one way to measure how circular the economy is by showing how much of the materials we use are recycled or reused instead of being thrown away. Right now, Europe’s circularity rate is about 12%, but the goal is to double that by 2030.

The United States’ circularity rate is about 15%.