Nature-based biodegradable materials could play a bigger role in the EU’s circular economy, but EU rules need to be better aligned to support their development, according to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
The committee adopted an own-initiative opinion on 29 April calling for a “comprehensive strategy” to scale up materials made from biological sources that can biodegrade, while linking the approach to the EU’s wider circular economy and bioeconomy policies, including the forthcoming Circular Economy Act, the EESC reported on Monday.
Such materials could help cut pollution — including microplastics — and reduce reliance on fossil resources, while also supporting rural and coastal industries tied to farming, forestry and fisheries, according to the EESC.
The opinion said EU policy should make better use of residues from agriculture, forestry and fisheries by “valorising” them — turning by-products and waste into higher-value materials — as part of efforts to improve resource efficiency, it added.
Focus on lifecycle outcomes
EU regulation remains largely geared towards technical recycling systems and should shift towards a lifecycle-based framework that recognises both biological and technical “cycles” in the circular economy, the EESC said.
It also called for strict application of the EU’s waste hierarchy under the Waste Framework Directive — an approach that prioritises prevention, reuse and recycling — based on lifecycle thinking and overall environmental outcomes.
The committee backed a “technology-neutral” approach that prioritises prevention, reuse and material efficiency, while recognising multiple routes to circularity.
It also pointed to “chemically non-modified natural polymers” as one potential route to reducing pollution, noting these materials are treated as non-plastics under the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive and are aligned with REACH, the EU’s chemicals regulation.
