56 Amendments of Marisa MATIAS related to 2020/2077(INI)
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. considers that in the face of climate change, the collapse of biodiversity, the generalisation of pollution, and the increasing scarcity of certain natural resources, so-called green growth strategies are inadequate; recalls that since 1972, and the publication of the Meadows report, it has become obvious that the search for exponential economic growth, even in the context of an economy which intends to be circular, can only lead to exceeding the Earth's biophysical limits, which could lead to a collapse of the current mode of production, consumption and exchange;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stresses that in order to produce and consume within our planetary limits, production, consumption and thus waste needs to be reduced; considers therefore that a radical and rapid bifurcation of our mode of production, consumption and exchange is necessary; considers that the implementation of a true circular industrial economy can be the keystone of this bifurcation;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. considers therefore that the new European circular economy must serve to build an economic system compatible with the nine global limits identified by Rockström et al., and to drastically reduce the Union's ecological footprint in order to ensure that the final consumption, and the resulting waste production, of the Union, and in particular European industries, does not exceed the biological capacities of ecosystems to supply biological materials and assimilate the waste generated, using existing management methods and extraction technologies;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Stresses that a major shortcoming of the Commission's Circular Economy Action Plan is the failure to take into account the concepts of reduction and sobriety; stresses that, beyond eco-design, a genuine circular economy raises the question of what is a fair need;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 e (new)
Paragraph 1 e (new)
1e. Considers that the implementation of a true circular economy implies a shift from the production and sale of new objects to the provision of quality services and thus towards an economy of functionality which makes possible a society based on the satisfaction of fair needs;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 f (new)
Paragraph 1 f (new)
1f. Considers that the definition of fair collective and individual needs cannot be determined by the arbitrary mechanisms of the market, but should be the result of a collective democratic deliberation; stresses that the role of Member States should be to map out a bifurcation trajectory which combines the satisfaction of needs with the respect of planetary limits; considers that satisfying the needs of successive generations whilst respecting planetary limits requires the planning of resources over time; considers therefore that a democratic, ecological and social planning is the essential corollary of a genuine circular industrial economy;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 g (new)
Paragraph 1 g (new)
1g. Considers that a genuine circular economy implies moving from a reasoning in terms of exchange value to a reasoning in terms of use value; calls, in this regard, on the Commission and the Member States to generalise the display, alongside the selling price, of a use price designating the market value associated with the use of services provided by a good, and not with the ownership of that good;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 h (new)
Paragraph 1 h (new)
1h. Stresses that the Commission's Circular Economy Action Plan conflates waste prevention with recycling; underlines that a truly circular economy is built on waste hierarchy whereby waste prevention is distinguished and prioritised to recycling; stresses that circular economy activities are often at odds with waste prevention since there is no profit with waste avoidance; considers therefore that the realisation of a truly circular economy, capable of reducing our ecological footprint, is incompatible with the continuous existence of a capitalist economy based on the sole imperative of profitability;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 i (new)
Paragraph 1 i (new)
1i. Stresses therefore the need to reframe the notion of profitability in order for companies to reduce their ecological footprint and thus contribute to the construction of a real circular economy; considers that corporate profits ought to reflect the profits actually available after the renewal of all the financial, natural and human capital degraded by corporate activities; stresses that no capital should be considered substitutable for another, considering the scarcity of resources and the irreversibility of the destruction of some of their components; calls for the generalised extension of traditional financial accounting standards to natural and human capital in order to account for and integrate the annual deterioration of the latter in the financial accounts of companies;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 j (new)
Paragraph 1 j (new)
1j. Stresses the great potential for complementarity between a truly ambitious European industrial strategy, in particular regarding the maintaining and strengthening of a strong traditional industrial base, and the establishment of a genuine circular economy; stresses that significant greenhouse gas emissions reduction could be achieved in the industrial sector by increasing material efficiency, developing recycling and the use of recycled products, and producing durable goods with high added value;
Amendment 36 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 k (new)
Paragraph 1 k (new)
1k. Urges the Commission and the Member States, through democratic, ecological and social planning, and in the context of the new circular economy, to promote the establishment of an industrial and territorial ecology at EU level, i.e. to adopt a global vision of all the components of industrial systems, taking into account the relationship of these components with the biosphere; considers that this industrial and territorial ecology approach should systematically follow four principles: the systematic recovery of waste, the minimisation of dissipation losses and discharges, the dematerialisation of products and the decarbonisation of energy; calls on the Commission and the Member States to encourage the development of eco- industrial parks throughout the Union's territory;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 l (new)
Paragraph 1 l (new)
1l. Deplores the fact that the territorial aspect of the circular economy is given too little attention in the Commission's Circular Economy Action Plan; points out that the different circular economy sectors are located in territories with specific characteristics, whether in terms of material or energy resources or in terms of employment; considers that the sustainable anchoring in the territories must be an essential element of the new circular economy, in order to encourage the development of productive activities whilst limiting their ecological footprint; stresses therefore the importance of spatial planning and infrastructure development policies; stresses that the sustainable anchoring of circular industrial sectors in the territories requires the establishment of high-quality public services throughout the Union in the fields of education, research, health and transport;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 m (new)
Paragraph 1 m (new)
1m. Recalls that circular economy processes are currently at the margin of our mode of production; stresses that in order to be efficient, provide affordable and high-quality secondary raw materials and create secure high-quality jobs in the Union, a real circular economy must be underpinned by industrialised processes;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 n (new)
Paragraph 1 n (new)
1n. Calls on the introduction and definition of standards for the industrialised processes of the industrialised circular economy; considers that the usage of these standards should be accessible under Fair, Reasonable and Non- Discriminatory (FRAND) conditions so that the value resulting from these standards can be distributed among all industrial sectors;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 o (new)
Paragraph 1 o (new)
1o. Demands the introduction of binding eco-design rules to enhance reparability, maintainability, upgradability and recyclability, including provisions in the design of the product and of the industrial organisation; stresses that all wear pieces and modules should be identifiable, separable and easy to replace at an affordable price; emphasizes that the reparability of a product should by no means exceed 10 at 15% of the original price so as to provide incentive to repair over buying a new product;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 p (new)
Paragraph 1 p (new)
1p. Calls on the Commission to introduce a regulation defining, for each category of industrial product sold in the Union, a minimum period of product support; considers that during this mandatory period of product support, the manufacturer should directly or under its responsibility maintain: (a) a sufficient number of spare parts, covering at least as many years of consumption as the mandatory period of product support, or alternatively the specifications and instructions to manufacture new ones, including quality assurance test specification; (b) the product passport with all the necessary information to test, maintain, repair, upgrade, dismantle and recycle in a safe way the product and its constituents or modules, including software modules; considers that after the end of this mandatory period of product support, the information regarding spare parts and the product passport should be made freely available to all in a standard format;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 q (new)
Paragraph 1 q (new)
1q. Is alarmed by the fact that currently the prices of goods made from virgin materials are in some cases equivalent to those of products made from recycled materials, or even cheaper; calls for a modulation of VAT rates, especially reduced rate, to be allowed in order to promote the activities of the circular economy which target final consumers, especially repair services;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 r (new)
Paragraph 1 r (new)
1r. Stresses the complementarity between an effective circular economy and the implementation of a border adjustment mechanism which would create a floor price on primary raw materials and thus encourage the usage of recycled materials in heavy industries such as steel;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 s (new)
Paragraph 1 s (new)
1s. Stresses that the implementation of a circular economy capable of contributing to the swift and immediate decarbonisation of European industries requires a strong regulatory and legislative framework, in particular by drastically limiting, or even prohibiting, the export or landfilling of recoverable waste, or by reforming the standards relating to the constituents of materials used in downstream industries such as construction and the automotive industry; demands the introduction of 2050 roadmaps with clear targets for improving circularity for carbon-intensive industries and materials such as plastic, steel and cement; stresses that circularity in heavy industries should avoid the production of new materials with high embodied emissions and not merely avoid the disposal of old materials;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 t (new)
Paragraph 1 t (new)
1t. Considers that the implementation of a circular economy has great potential for the future of the European steel industry; stresses the great potential for an increase in the material efficiency of steel; calls for the increase of public support for the development of new steel grades allowing the use of less steel for the production of the same quantity of goods without lowering safety or performance requirements;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 u (new)
Paragraph 1 u (new)
1u. Insists on the need to significantly extend the lifetime of steel-based products in the fields of household appliances, automotive industry products and mechanical and electrical equipment; stresses that an extension of the lifetime of these products would lead to a significant reduction in steel production and hence in greenhouse gas emissions;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 v (new)
Paragraph 1 v (new)
1v. Stresses the need to increase the proportion of steel produced from the secondary sector; points out that the EU has a substantial scrap metal reserve which can be used in a circular economy; stresses the need to secure this reserve, in particular by drastically limiting or even banning exports of scrap metal; stresses that better use of the scrap metal reserve would allow for a reduction of the proportion of iron ore and coke imports needed for the production of the primary sector;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 w (new)
Paragraph 1 w (new)
1w. Stresses that, in order to attain circularity in the steel sector, systems to collect end-of-use products need to be set up more widely and expand their capacities; underlines that the forming of new scrap could be reduced with closer- to-shape semi-finished products; underlines the need to reduce re-melting losses through the limitation of the mixing of alloy prior to melting in order to minimise impurities;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 x (new)
Paragraph 1 x (new)
1x. Recalls that the cement industry is both a necessary industry for the realisation of the ecological transition and one of the largest industrial source of greenhouse gas emissions; stresses that the implementation of a truly circular economy could contribute to the decarbonisation of this industry;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 y (new)
Paragraph 1 y (new)
1y. Calls for greater use by the cement industry of waste produced by other industries, in particular sawmill residues, slaughterhouse waste, tires, oils, solvents, household waste, plastics, textiles and paper, in the mix providing the heat needed to manufacture bottom ash; stresses also the strong complementarity between the steel industry and the cement industry through the substitution of clinker by waste and by-products of steel production such as blast furnace slag; stresses the need for a production planning to guarantee the continuity of supply of these wastes by preventing competition between industries for access to these resources, and to perpetuate the interactions between waste streams and industrial production;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 z (new)
Paragraph 1 z (new)
1z. Stresses the strong potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by increasing the material efficiency of cement, in particular by optimizing the use of concrete; points out that this can be achieved through better eco-design by making buildings lighter, using alternative materials such as wood for non-structural aspects, and using wood- concrete composite in infrastructures; also stresses the need to integrate the issues of deconstruction and modularity for the reuse of materials in the building sector;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a a (new)
Paragraph 1 a a (new)
1aa. Stresses that greater use of waste from biomass or other industries as an alternative fuel could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the heavy chemicals industry; calls for the widespread recycling and reuse of certain products or by-products of the heavy chemicals industry in order to reduce discharge and pressure on resources; calls for the substitution of hydrocarbon by biomass in the manufacture of petrochemical products and for priority to be given to the heavy chemicals industry in the supply of biomass waste; stresses that this use of waste streams from the agriculture and forestry sectors is more rational and environmentally sustainable than their use for electricity generation of biofuel production;
Amendment 53 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a b (new)
Paragraph 1 a b (new)
1ab. Recalls that four main value chains account for three quarters of EU plastic use: packaging (40%), building and construction (20%), automobiles (9%) and electronics (6%); stresses that actual effective plastic recycling rates are very low in the Union; calls for drastic and binding measures to reduce the use of plastic; recalls that many plastic items are designed in ways that make recycling difficult or impossible; calls on the Commission to introduce biding standards regarding product design to prevent contamination and facilitate the dismantling of products at their end of life; stresses the need for the Union and Member States to support the constitution of a major secondary materials industry for plastic recycling;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a c (new)
Paragraph 1 a c (new)
1ac. Recalls that resource gains from circularity are particularly large with aluminium, as re-melting aluminium requires only 5% of the energy needed for new production, thus sharply reducing CO2 emissions; stresses that whilst aluminium collection from building and cars is already very high, the rates are much lower for consumer products; calls for the introduction and generalisation throughout the Union of additional deposit system similar to those used for beverage cans; demands the introduction of binding product standards regarding product design in order to ensure easy separation of aluminium components upon dismantling;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a d (new)
Paragraph 1 a d (new)
1ad. Underlines that construction is a key area of complementarity between the circular economy and emission reductions; demands the introduction of binding eco-design requirements to improve the efficiency and reusability of construction materials; calls on the Commission to ensure that harmonised construction standards and practices are used and promote the use of recycled concrete; calls on the Commission to revise the Construction Product Regulation to enable the setting of EU- wide, product specific environmental standards for construction products; stresses the need for iron and steel products to be separated when building are demolished;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a e (new)
Paragraph 1 a e (new)
1ae. Emphasises the still under- exploited benefits of replacing single-use products, especially plastics, with long- term sustainable products such as recycled wood; calls on the Commission and Member States to promote the most efficient use of wood according to the cascade principle and to ensure that biologically derived materials, including all wood waste, are brought back into the value chain by encouraging eco-design, increasing recycling targets, and promoting the use of secondary wood raw materials for products before their eventual incineration at the end of their lives;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a f (new)
Paragraph 1 a f (new)
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a g (new)
Paragraph 1 a g (new)
1ag. Calls on the Member States to maximise and promote the reuse, recycling, and recuperation of materials, including in their procurement strategies and publicly financed renovation and construction projects, e.g. by reviewing Green Public Procurement (GPP) targets and through streamlining energy efficiency, environmental and social criteria for building renovations;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a h (new)
Paragraph 1 a h (new)
1ah. Stresses the need for the adequate management and reduction of construction and demotion waste; notes that collection and take back schemes and sorting facilities should be created to ensure appropriate and safe handling of all construction waste, as well as for the recycling or reuse of building materials, for the safe handling, removal and substitution of hazardous substances in waste streams in order to protection the health of occupants and workers as well as the environment; calls on the Commission to propose concrete measures on these issues as part of the Circular Economy Action Plan and the Sustainable Built Environment Strategy;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a i (new)
Paragraph 1 a i (new)
1ai. Calls on the Commission to support research and development (R&D) programmes for efficient construction materials and, taking into account the social situation, calls for a low cost renewable energy based heating system to be implemented in rural and remote areas;
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a j (new)
Paragraph 1 a j (new)
1aj. Asks the Commission to consider introducing a Digital Product Passport which should provide transparent product information about the environmental and social impacts of the products, including information about the product lifespan and availability of repair services and spare parts;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that research into sustainable materials, processes, technologies and products, as well as into their industrial scale-up, can providbenefit the European companies with a worldwide competitive advantageas well as the people and the environment; believes that shortening a number of value chains would make European industrial ecosystems more resilient, competitive and profitable, as well as promote the EU’s strategic autonomylead to sustainable, fair and resilient European industrial ecosystems;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to make more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fit for the circular economy, by supporting them through adequate incentive schemes and financing tools, capacity building and technical assistance, as well as by reducing their administrative and legal burdens;
Amendment 119 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is of the opinion that the transition towards a digital economydigitalisation in all sectors can reduce their environmental footprint, while also boosting the green transition; points out that measures are nevertheless needed to deal with the short- and medium- term costs of the transitions and to make them just;
Amendment 129 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that the positive role played by social economy enterprises, which are paving the way to circular economy models, should serve as an inspiration to other companies, and that such best practices should be made more visible and adequately supported;
Amendment 146 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Is convinced that reliable and transparent information is a must in order to build consumers' confidence in the legitimacy of the green claims and to protect them from any kind of "greenwashing";
Amendment 154 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Stresses the need for individual firm and sector to be organised as to perform maintenance operations over the long term by training its workforce, and preserving its skills and knowledge about older products, and by setting up and maintaining stocks of compatible spare parts;
Amendment 160 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Stresses the importance of implementing a huge training and re- training programme for all workers negatively impacted by the circular economy; recommends that all workers in waste sorting and recycling be trained in the automated testing of industrial products and modules;
Amendment 165 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Underlines that the transition to a truly circular economy must be negotiated with the trade unions to guarantee that the health and safety of workers are protected; considers that trade union safety representatives should be elected to check if health and safety regulations are followed and if working conditions are adequate;
Amendment 169 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7e. Stresses that trade unions have a role to play in forging alliances between formal and informal workers; considers that such alliances would ensure better and safer working conditions for all waste workers whilst expanding circular economic activities; calls for the creation and generalisation of structures associating public authorities, formal workers and informal waste recyclers;
Amendment 170 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7f. Stresses that whilst automation processes have a potential to create safer work environment for workers, changes to work must be negotiated with trade unions to ensure that automation does not penalise so-called unskilled workers; considers that automation processes should serve as a basis for a wide reduction of working time for all workers;
Amendment 174 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 g (new)
Paragraph 7 g (new)
7g. Stresses that a truly circular economy can only be sustainable if the health and safety of the workers involved in it are prioritised; underlines that some recycling, repair and reuse activities are high risk jobs; stresses that insufficient safe working conditions for the workers can expose our whole society to health and safety risks; denounces the fact that the Commission's Circular Economy Action Plan absolutely ignores the health and safety risks for workers who operate in the circular economy; expresses its deep worriedness that circular economy policies and practices could be developed without risk assessment which take workers' health into account;
Amendment 175 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 h (new)
Paragraph 7 h (new)
7h. Recalls that most waste is generated in construction which contributed over 36% of total waste in the EU in 2016; stresses that construction and demolition waste workers risk exposure to hazardous materials, such as tar, radioactive waste, lead and electrical component containing mercury; underlines that excessive dust in construction and demolition waste recycling plants poses a real health and safety concerns for workers; demands that the voluntarily policy commitments outlined in the EU's Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol become binding in order to better protection workers; stresses the need to carry out proper risk assessments and consultation with the relevant trade unions to ensure that the Union increase in its construction and demolition waste recycling capacity in a way that protects workers and the environment;
Amendment 176 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 i (new)
Paragraph 7 i (new)
7i. Considers that remunicipalisation of waste collection services is the better way to ensure that the health and safety of workers are decent and respected and that they are fairly remunerated; calls therefore for the remunicipalisation of these activities across the EU and more generally for the reinforcement of public services and public ownership, management and democratic control over circular economy activities;
Amendment 177 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 j (new)
Paragraph 7 j (new)
7j. Recalls that the life expectancy of sanitation and sewage workers is considerably lower than that of the wider population due to high risk exposure to dangerous biological agents; stresses that the Covid-19 pandemic has amplified the health and safety threats for sanitation workers; demands that sanitation workers be systematically given adequate personal protection equipment; demands that proper risk assessments be carried out in consultation with the relevant trade unions to ensure that sewage workers' health is protection, in particular in regards to the Covid-19 outbreak; urges the Member States to recognise the arduous nature of these jobs and to establish or maintain early retirement schemes for these workers; stresses that workers in these sectors should benefit from social and medical assistance tailored to their needs upon retirement;
Amendment 178 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 k (new)
Paragraph 7 k (new)
7k. Stresses that waste of electronic and electronical equipment (WEEE) is one of the fastest growing streams in the Union; recalls that it is estimated that less of 40% of e-waste in the Union is currently recycled; underlines that the health and safety risks of WEEE are significant as it contains a complex mixture of materials that include hazardous content; stresses as a result repair and recycling of electronic products expose workers to toxic and radioactive materials; demands that workers in this sector be given appropriate personal protective equipment; demands that the right to adequate personal protective equipment be extended to the informal circular economy;
Amendment 179 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 l (new)
Paragraph 7 l (new)
7l. Recalls that the export of WEEE to non-OECD and non-EU countries is illegal; underlines that, according to a study from the United Nations University, up to 90% of the world's e-waste was illegally traded or dumped as thousands of tonnes of e-waste are falsely declared as second-hand goods; recalls that it is estimated that every year 352,474 metric tonnes of e-waste are exported from EU countries to countries of the global South were social, health and safety regulations are lower than those enforced in the Union; condemns this illegal and scandalous practice; calls for harmonisation in the definition of waste in the Union and for the unification of efforts in the field of market surveillance to avoid such illegal exports of waste; calls on the Commission to introduce a biding due diligence on EU companies exporting second-hand products and waste to ensure that they comply throughout their value chain with environmental and social standards equivalent to those prevailing in the Union;
Amendment 180 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 m (new)
Paragraph 7 m (new)
7m. Recalls that whilst often promoted as "environmentally friendly" Waste-to- Energy (WtE) systems are not a long-term sustainable solution as it often ends up discouraging waste prevention as well as recycling; stresses that WtE still produces waste and in particular residues that are hazardous and that put workers and environment at risk; underlines that the incineration of certain products such as plastics also exacerbates CO2 emissions and air pollution; calls for a drastic reduction of WtE and its exclusion from the framework of the circular economy;
Amendment 181 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 n (new)
Paragraph 7 n (new)
7n. Denounces the creation of private monopolies and the continuing breakdown of energy, water and waste public services, as recently illustrated by Veolia's takeover bid on Suez; urges for a return to public management of waste collection and treatment;