The Circular Economy Act (CEA) should mark Europe’s shift from fragmented waste management to a functioning internal market for secondary raw materials. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is the primary instrument used across the EU to finance the collection, sorting and recycling of waste. Yet its performance remains uneven across Europe, rules fragmented, and its contribution to circularity held back by divergent national implementation. The CEA should establish a strong, harmonised and enforceable EU framework for EPR, enabling underperforming systems to catch up and making EPR a driver of circularity, competitiveness and strategic autonomy - not a patchwork of mere administrative obligations.

A Circular Economy Act delivering a strong EU market for secondary raw materials (October 2026)