The EU has made circularity central to its critical raw materials strategy, with the Clean Industrial Deal and forthcoming Circular Economy Act as key instruments. Four policy pillars show real ambition — but blind spots persist: recycling faces structural limits, international partnerships remain underdeveloped, and export restrictions risk a "circular divide" between wealthy and developing economies. Our new e-paper by Cláudia Azevedo analyses what the EU is getting right, and where it must go further.
Plastic is ubiquitous: we use it for life-saving medical devices, clothing, toys and cosmetics; we use it in agriculture and industry. But we also know the growing risk of plastic waste in the environment, landfills and the oceans. We have only just begun to understand the huge dimensions of this crisis. A change of course requires in-depth knowledge of the causes, interests, responsibilities and effects of the plastics crisis. The Plastics Atlas 2019 wants to offer exactly that in 19 chapters.
