On 18 January 2018, the European Commission published proposals to revise the current VAT directive, part of an effort to create a harmonised and simplified VAT system across the EU. The proposals are now under the scrutiny of the European Parliament which is set to formalise its opinion during a plenary sitting in October this year. Nevertheless, at a later stage the ultimate decision on the final rules rests in […]
As part of the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package, a number of EU waste laws have recently been updated with Member States having until 4th July 2020 to transpose the new provisions into their national legal frameworks. These include EU Directives on Waste, Packaging and Packaging Waste, Landfill, Batteries, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and End of Life Vehicles (EoLV). RREUSE, the European network of social enterprises active in […]
National Reform Programmes 2018 The European Semester aims at contributing to the coordination of economic policies across the European Union (EU). Within the European Semester [1] process, National Reform Programmes (NRPs) [2] are published by Member States each year, to present the policies that are going to be adopted in order to boost jobs and growth and to counter macroeconomic imbalances. Some sections of the NRPs are dedicated to respond to […]
In Europe 77% of citizens would be willing to have their goods repaired but hardly ever do because it is too expensive for them to do so [1]. Re-use and repair activities need to be made cheaper in order for Europe to keep the value of products and prevent wasting resources. The Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan encourages the use of economic instruments to help ensure the extension of a […]
In 2014, the trade of used clothes, a global commodity, was around 4.2 million tonnes with a value of 4.4bn Dollars (1). Whilst historically the collection of used clothes has been associated with charitable and solidarity objectives, the sector has evolved to include a wide range of actors, both formal and informal in nature – competition between these entities is significant during periods of high global demand for used textile, […]
Setting binding targets for preparing for re-use at EU level amongst the 10 key steps to get the circular economy package on track. We call on the EU Parliament and Member States to put second-hand first Download the full pdf here
In December 2015, the European Commission relaunched a strategy for moving Europe towards a ‘Circular Economy’ which includes a set of legislative proposals to revise key EU waste laws. It is critically important that re-use of unwanted but re-usable goods is the top priority, above recycling and that the role of social enterprises in the sector is explicitly supported within the legal text. Read our feedback and suggestions to policy […]
A new briefing from RREUSE shows that the job creation potential of the re-use sector is significantly higher than recycling, incineration and landfill. The report cites US figures showing that for 10,000 tonnes of waste products and materials, 1 job would be created if incineration were used compared to 6 jobs in landfill, 36 jobs in recycling, and up to 296 in refurbishment and re-use. Data from Komosie, a Belgian […]
In response to the European Commission’s recent consultation on a new Circular Economy package, RREUSE has published an analysis of how EU policy could be better implemented to ensure products entering the EU market are easily and cheaply repairable. Michal Len, Director of RREUSE said: “Jobs in repair are rapidly declining – EU citizens want their stuff repaired but it’s too expensive for them to do so and consequently they […]
We want the EU to put re-use and repair at the heart of the new circular economy legislation, to be published later this year. Putting second hand first with concrete action and targets, beyond recycling, will be a major boost for the economy, society and the environment. Read our position paper here