EU Industrial Strategy

At the heart of the European Green Deal is the new EU Industrial Strategy, which presents a plan for an ecological and digital "twin transition” in EU industry while ensuring competitiveness via-à-vis the rest of the world. Energy-intensive industries are required to reduce their carbon and material footprint. Recycled copper already serves as a sustainable avenue to a) meet the increasing demand for copper, being a carrier metal, in products of key value chains and b) secure clean and affordable energy. Promoting circular practices will reinforce the global competitiveness of the copper industry through its multifaceted integration in international value chains.

The twin transition needs to be both just and sustainable. Partnerships that leverage industry expertise and increased EU participation in international standardization bodies are essential to developing or harmonizing standards and technical regulations. According to the EU Industrial Strategy, priority will be given to high-impact product groups to promote investment in innovation and scalable market strategies. To this end, the copper industry is and shall remain a frontrunner in developing products that adhere to the EU's ambition for a green, digital and resilient industry, in line with the European Green Deal and the Paris Agreement aspirations.

Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP - 2.0)

The Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP 2.0) aims to make sustainable products the norm on the EU market. It focuses on resource-intensive value chains with high circularity potential, such as electronics, batteries, vehicles, construction and buildings. The Action Plan strives to reduce waste through effective resource management, extending material usage and providing their subsequent reuse in new products.

The copper industry is focused on ensuring a safe and sustainable operating space for the realization of a truly functional circular economy. Copper’s natural properties make it a key material in the green transition. To achieve the EU’s electrification and decarbonization strategies, both primary and secondary copper production will be needed to meet demand. To this end, promoting life cycle thinking, optimizing product and system design, and maintaining responsible and ethical copper production are at the forefront of the copper industry’s circularity efforts.

ECI supports the establishment of appropriate recycling efficiency indicators that demonstrate the efficacy of the waste management system, taking account of sector-specific nuances. Simultaneously, circular systems that maximize the use of industrial by-products (“industrial residues”) and promote recycling of existing materials (“in-stock”) need to be incentivized to reach the full potential of material use for the environment and the economy.

In doing so, the viability and limitations of recycling processes and strategies must be considered. If systems try to maximize resource conservation by increasing recycling processes beyond technically feasible levels, it will lead to an overconsumption of energy. These considerations can be addressed through state-of-the-art technologies, but these technologies would need to be deployed on a larger scale.

Recycling goes beyond just solid materials. Management of chemicals, which should be based on the chemical’s risk assessment and societal value, is also key to developing circular systems.

Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation

The initiative’s Design-for-Sustainability approach will prioritize product groups to set up eco-design performance and information requirements. In doing so, sectoral specificities will determine the criteria for products, including inter alia resource use and resource efficiency, substances of concern that negatively affect re-use and recycling of the products in scope, energy consumption from cradle-to-gate, and environmental impacts resulting from the products’ lifecycle. It will also consider systemic opportunities and solutions. For example, sustainable building design, when addressed holistically, can save energy at equivalent rates to expected savings from policies addressing product efficiency alone. In addition, fostering industrial symbiosis by increasing the use of circular materials can contribute to product sustainability. Consumers are important actors in perpetuating sustainable systems through their market choices, and sufficient incentives should not be overlooked.