RREUSE contributed to the drafting of an open letter by the Right to Repair Coalition that highlights the importance of including ambitious circularity provisions within the Critical Raw Material Act. This call to action comes at the start of the inter-institutional negotiations on this piece of legislation.
RREUSE has published a new Position Paper highlighting data on skills from its network and policy recommendations for the 2023 European Year of Skills. Social enterprises carry a long tradition of providing inclusive circular upskilling and reskilling to vulnerable groups. They foster manual circular skills necessary for a circular economy, social cohesion and job creation.
RREUSE has responded to the call for evidence regarding the mid-term evaluation of the EU funding for the environment and climate action. The evaluation will cover the period 2021-2024 and will focus on whether the LIFE programme is achieving its objectives and strategic focus.
RREUSE has responded to the public consultation regarding whole life-cycle carbon (WLC) emissions in the buildings sector. The European Commission initiated the consultation on a roadmap it intends to develop in this area, in pursuit of climate neutrality by 2050. Current EU policies primarily focus on energy efficiency to reduce operational emissions. Yet, reducing emissions from construction, renovation, maintenance, and demolition activities is essential to achieve climate neutrality.
RREUSE, ECOS, and Deutsche Umwelthilfe produced a joint position paper on a reducing our dependency on Critical Raw Materials, which was submitted as answer to the consultation following the publication of the Regulation. Critical raw materials are used in a growing array of products, including renewable energy technologies, electronic and electrical equipment, and batteries for electric vehicles.
RREUSE joined forces with many other organisations to release a Call to Action for the Just Transition. The organisations call on European Ministers for Environment and Energy, as well as other EU and national level decisionmakers, to complement the implementation of urgently needed, ambitious environmental and climate policies with robust social policies that protect marginalised people primarily and the regions suffering disproportionately from the transition, whilst guaranteeing access to high-quality essential services for all. They call on them to show bold and forward-thinking political leadership by prioritising the promotion of climate action and social justice as one coherent and mutually reinforcing agenda.
The current cost-of-living crisis has had a significant impact on households across all Europe. With rising inflation, the cost of basic goods and services is increasing at a rate that outpaces wages, leaving households struggling to make ends meet. According to a European Parliament Eurobarometer survey, 93% of Europeans are worried about the rising cost of living1. Higher prices contribute to general uncertainty. As a matter of fact, the threat of poverty and social exclusion has now become the second most pressing concern for 82% of Europeans, according to the same survey.
With the opportunity to provide feedback on this consultation, RREUSE supports the establishment of an intermediate climate target for 2040 under EU law, highlighting the role of the circular economy in achieving climate goals while guaranteeing a just transition for all and creating economic opportunities.
RREUSE joins partner EU networks of social economy and social service providers in submitting proposals for better State Aid rules for social economy actors and social service providers in the recent public consultation for the future version of the SGEI de minimis Regulation opened by the European Commission.
The construction and demolition sector is one of the most material-intensive industries and one of the largest contributors to waste production in the EU. In fact, it has become the largest waste stream in Europe, accounting for more than a third of all waste generated. To increase circularity in the sector while creating social employment, some social enterprises from the RREUSE network have been active in the re-use of building components. This briefing outlines the importance of these activities carried out by social enterprises.
RREUSE welcomes the possibility to give feedback on new product priorities under the upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. As an organisation that promotes the reuse and repair of products, we believe that mandatory eco-design requirements can play a key role in reducing waste and minimizing the environmental impact of products throughout their life cycle, while also creating major savings for European households.
The first-ever International Day of Zero Waste, held on March 30, 2023, brought attention to the need for sustainable consumption patterns and highlighted the work of social economy enterprises in re-use, repair, and recycling. Re-use, rather than recycling, can often be the better environmental solution, saving materials, energy, money, and time.