Progress towards a circular economy is a priority in both the United Kingdom and the European Union, but policy and legislative change since Brexit has been evolving at different speeds and to greater depths. This joint report by the Institute for European Environmental Policy UK and the Aldersgate Group provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving circular economy legislative landscapes in the UK and EU. It examines areas of convergence and divergence, and the practical implications for businesses operating across borders.
Looking at divergence across a number of policy areas including ecodesign, textiles, food, buildings and plastics, the report makes a number of recommendations for the UK Government and the devolved administrations, including:
- Strengthen ambition with a shared vision for circular economy in the UK
- Identify and mitigate challenges for businesses caused by divergence from the EU
- Increase collaboration with the EU for data and good practice sharing, for example by joining the European Environment Agency
- Identify implications and opportunities relevant to trade to embed interoperability
- Embed circular economy-related infrastructure, jobs and skills needs, and the policy interventions required to support them.
- Leverage existing legislative and trade developments to support ambition and a level playing field for circularity.
- Resolve policy misalignment currently hampering circular economy practices.
The full briefing can be downloaded below.
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