RREUSE Reacts to the Critical Raw Materials Act
RREUSE welcomes the Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on Critical Raw Materials that was first announced by President Von der Leyen in her 2022 State of the European Union address, but reaching the aims of the Regulation will not be possible without a concrete commitment to reduce material demand by prolonging the useful life of products through re-use and repair activities.
“The most sustainable critical raw materials are those that have already been extracted and the circular economy is the most important tool to ensure that these resources are managed with maximum efficiency and minimum environmental impact. The proposed regulation correctly acknowledges the importance of re-use, but the focus on improving collection for recycling is a missed opportunity to fix a broken system that destroys discarded electronics instead of giving them a new life”.
– Edoardo Bodo, Environment Policy Officer – RREUSE