Informal Environmental Council on sustainable materials management
The way materials are used today involves raw materials and damages the environment. For this reason, environmental ministers will exchange ideas on sustainable materials management during the Informal Environment Council. The key question is to what extent EU policy can contribute to materials – regardless of whether they are raw materials, semi-processed products or waste products – as efficiently and in as environmentally friendly a way as possible. In other words, how can we keep hold of natural capital and reduce the environmental impact over the whole life-cycle from extraction, consumption and production to recycling?
The Belgian presidency would like to bring the issue of sustainable materials management to European level by organising an informal environment council on the subject.
If we carry on using materials the way we are now, this will ultimately result in the depletion of raw materials and harm the environment. The aim of sustainable development is to use materials – regardless of whether they are raw materials, semi-processed products or waste products – as efficiently and in as environmentally friendly a way as possible. The aim is to preserve the natural capital and reduce the environmental impact over the whole life-cycle from extraction, consumption and production to recycling.
At the Informal Council of Environment ministers and experts, the following issues in particular will be discussed:
- Closing cycles: how can EU policy promote waste reduction and recycling?
- Dealing with the finite nature of raw materials: how can European policy contribute to increasing the efficient use of raw materials? How can we stimulate new forms of cooperation between players in one chain and between policymakers, industry and consumers, to achieve sustainable material chains? How can policy contribute to the development of new business models which are compatible with a complete lifecycle?
- Towards an ambitious European materials policy: how can current EU initiatives on raw materials, production and consumption, waste, etc., best be coordinated? What new EU policy tools can contribute to sustainable materials management?
In parallel with the Informal Environment Council, there will be an exhibition illustrating good examples of sustainable materials management. It will be open to the environment ministers of the 27 EU member states and to the general public.
Programme for Informal Environment Council of EU Ministers