Brussels, 17 June – The EU Resource Efficiency Platform (EREP) has today issued a call for ambitious EU targets on decoupling economic growth from resource use. The call comes as one of eight recommendations made by the platform intended to “support …the move to a circular economy”.
Brussels, 17 June – The EU Resource Efficiency Platform (EREP) has today issued a call for ambitious EU targets on decoupling economic growth from resource use. The call comes as one of eight recommendations made by the platform intended to “support …the move to a circular economy”.
The platform proposes indicators to measure progress on resource efficiency, with a focus on water, land and material productivity (measured as GDP/raw material consumption). Targets should be set, the recommendations say, “with a view to achieving the EU 2020 objective of overall decoupling of resource use and its environmental impacts from economic growth.” The platform did not, however, suggest its own targets.
Other recommendations made by the platform include phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies, promoting higher quality recycling, improving resource efficiency and developing support instruments for SMEs.
The membership of the platform makes the recommendations highly significant. EREP was established to provide high-level guidance to the Commission on resource efficiency topics, and is made up of Commissioners (for industry, economic affairs, taxation, climate and the environment), MEPs, national ministers, business CEOs, academia and civil society.