On August 1, 2025, the European Commission officially announced  a call for evidence on the Circular Economy Act, with a submission deadline of November 6, 2025. The legislation is expected to be formally enacted in 2026, marking a crucial step toward establishing a unified circular economy policy framework across the EU.

The European Commission emphasized that this legislation will strengthen the EU's economic security, strategic resilience, and industrial competitiveness while supporting its decarbonization and green transition goals. Its core vision is to double the EU's material circularity rate by 2030 and establish a highly efficient single market for secondary raw materials.

Key measures: Creating a single market for recycled materials and promoting high-value recovery of e-waste

The Circular Economy Act revolves around two policy pillars:

1. Enhanced e-waste management

• E-waste represents the EU's fastest-growing waste stream (annual growth >2%) but has a sub-40% recovery rate;

• The act proposes higher recovery targets for critical materials (rare earths, cobalt, lithium);

• It will revise relevant directives to standardize and harmonize implementation.

  
  

2. Establishing a single market for secondary raw materials

• Reforming End-of-Waste criteria to legalize recycled material pathways;

• Implementing digital extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems;

• Mandating green public procurement standards to drive market demand;

• Creating unified certification systems to eliminate regulatory fragmentation and market barriers.

  
  

The legislation will synergize with core policies including the Competition Guidelines, Single Market Strategy, Critical Raw Materials Act, and Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation to further strengthen the EU's green economic foundation.