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Plastics, the circular economy and Europe′s environment

Publication Created 14 Jan 2021 Published 28 Jan 2021
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Plastics play an essential role in modern society, but also lead to significant impacts on the environment and climate. Reducing such impacts while retaining the usefulness of plastics requires a shift towards a more circular and sustainable plastics system. This report tells the story of plastics, and their effect on the environment and climate, and looks at their place in a European circular economy.
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Publication Created 14 Jan 2021 Published 28 Jan 2021
EEA Report No 18/2020
Plastics play an essential role in modern society, but also lead to significant impacts on the environment and climate. Reducing such impacts while retaining the usefulness of plastics requires a shift towards a more circular and sustainable plastics system. This report tells the story of plastics, and their effect on the environment and climate, and looks at their place in a European circular economy.

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Plastic in textiles: towards a circular economy for synthetic textiles in Europe Plastic-based — or ‘synthetic’— textiles are woven into our daily lives in Europe. They are in the clothes we wear, the towels we use and the bed sheets we sleep in. They are in the carpets, curtains and cushions we decorate our homes and offices with. And they are in safety belts, and car tyres, workwear and sportswear. Synthetic textile fibres are produced from fossil fuel resources, such as oil and natural gas. Their production, consumption and related waste handling generate greenhouse gas emissions, use non-renewable resources and can release microplastics. This briefing provides an overview of the synthetic textile economy in Europe, analyses environmental and climate impacts, and highlights the potential for developing a circular economy value chain.
A framework for enabling circular business models in Europe The circular economy has become a priority policy topic in Europe (EC, 2015, 2020) and is a key objective of the European Green Deal. There is increasing interest in the potential for altering traditional business models to enable materials and products to be reused and remain in the economy for as long as possible — as opposed to being used once and then discarded. This briefing presents an analytical framework, identifying actions that can be taken to implement circular business models effectively.

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Human needs — the drivers of marine litter Human needs for food, hygiene and well-being, and related economic activities, lead to plastic production and the generation of mismanaged waste or discarded items that become marine litter. One of the challenges is adequately meeting fundamental human needs while minimising environmental degradation and pollution that occurs as a consequence. Here, we look at the main problems and drivers of marine litter.
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Cross-cutting story 5: Co-benefits of addressing climate change and pollution This cross-cutting story examines the measures being taken to address climate change and pollution. It also explores the potential synergies and trade-offs between measures designed to address these two key societal issues.
4. Circular economy and resource use The EEA monitors the progress of Europe’s transition towards a circular economy, as well as the environmental and climate benefits such changes deliver. We assess Europe’s efforts towards reducing the impacts caused by society’s production and consumption, with a focus on raw materials, products, services and waste.
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'How Bad For The Environment Can Throwing Away One Plastic Bottle Be?' 30 Million People Wonder Wishing to dispose of the empty plastic container, and failing to spot a recycling bin nearby, an estimated 30 million Americans asked themselves Monday how bad throwing away a single bottle of water could really be.

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