Key Legislative Acts

The new legislative framework for the circular economy will rely on several key regulations:

• Regulation on Ecodesign of Sustainable Products: This regulation will introduce new performance and informational requirements, including a digital product passport. The goal is to ensure that as many products as possible are made from recycled materials, are durable, repairable, upgradable, and designed to be easily and efficiently recyclable at the end of their lifecycle.

• Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste: This regulation will significantly change the way packaging is designed, used, and disposed of in the EU. It introduces new rules for the packaging economy with a focus on minimizing packaging, increasing recycled content, recyclability, and reuse.

• Regulation on the Circularity of Vehicles and End-of-Life Vehicles: Specifies requirements for the circularity of vehicles and their proper disposal at the end of their lifecycle.

• Regulation on Batteries: Regulates the production, use, and recycling of batteries to minimize their environmental impact.

• Regulation on Waste Transport: Introduces a ban on the export of certain types of waste with an emphasis on building capacities for their use within the EU. It also aims to reduce bureaucratic burdens and harmonize requirements for cross-border waste transport, including a digital platform for recording and permitting individual transports.

• Directive on the Right to Repair: Ensures the availability of repair manuals and long-term availability of spare parts. These requirements will apply to almost all products except food, medicines, living organisms, and vehicles, which will have similar requirements set out in separate regulations.

• Revision of the Waste Framework Directive and Directive on Environmental Claims: Additional legislative acts that will regulate waste management and environmental claims.

Ecodesign of Products: The Cornerstone of the New Legislation

The core of the new circular economy legislative framework will be the ecodesign of products. This concept will bring performance and informational requirements, including a digital product passport. The aim of these requirements is to ensure that products are durable, repairable, upgradable, and easily recyclable at the end of their lifecycle.

These requirements are closely linked to the right to repair, which will ensure the availability of manuals and spare parts. These regulations will affect a wide range of products except for food, medicines, living organisms, and vehicles, for which similar requirements will be established in separate regulations.

New Rules for Packaging and Packaging Waste

The ecodesign of products complements the regulation on packaging and packaging waste, which will bring new rules for minimizing packaging, increasing recyclability, and reuse. The aim is to fundamentally change the way we design, use, and dispose of packaging in the EU, across the entire value chain.

Changes in Waste Transport

The regulation on waste transport has undergone significant changes, including a ban on the export of certain types of waste and an emphasis on building capacities for their use within the EU. It also aims to reduce bureaucratic burdens and harmonize requirements for cross-border waste transport.

Transition from Directives to Regulations

One of the novelties in EU legislation is the change in the legal form of some regulations from directives to regulations. This means that these regulations will be directly effective and applicable in member states without requiring implementation at the national level. This applies, for example, to the regulations on packaging, ecodesign, and batteries.

Free Webinar

Join us online for our free webinar on Wednesday, 11th September 2024 from 9:30 AM till 10:30 AM. Our experts from Cyrkl Consulting — Denis Bede and Michaela Streichsbierová — will guide you through what these changes mean for your business and why it's crucial to start preparing now. The language of the event is Czech and Slovak. Register here.

Circular Economy Compliance Check Service

In this area, we offer clients a service to monitor compliance with the new EU legislation – Circular Economy Compliance Check. This service includes a complete and detailed overview of new obligations and deadlines for compliance. It can serve as a basis for developing a company strategy for the upcoming period and help clients avoid the risk of fines for non-compliance.