Stay updated on our activities

Circular economy: closing the loop – from waste to resource – the key for success

Back

Countries

Portugal

Policy areas

Better regulationCentral & local administrationGovernanceGreenInnovativeNatural resources

Organisation name Portugese Environment Agency

Share this article via:

Contact person: Ana Cristina Carrola

ana.carrola@apambiente.pt

The project focused on promoting the use of by-products and secondary raw materials, including those that reach the end of waste status, in a context of industrial symbioses. The project also aimed at reducing administrative costs for businesses and the administration by making economic operators more accountable, as well as identifying national and European legislative barriers to the effective implementation of a waste market.

The project contributed to the effective implementation of the waste policy in Portugal, through the achievement of the ambitious objectives set under waste management plans and the circular economy strategy, and full compliance with EU legislation. The project also set the necessary conditions to increase recycling rates and reduce landfill disposal based on better governance and legal approaches that leads to a dynamic and sustainable resources market with the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders in an industrial symbioses framework.

Other relevant outcomes include better data and information collection, and analysis schemes to support decisions, certification of the materials quality, and improved monitoring and control mechanisms. Statistical analyses and stakeholder interviews identifying sector-specific amounts of waste available, potentials for recycling and to replace virgin raw materials, and strategic value for Portugal led to the selection of four hotspot sectors for the project: construction and demolition waste; biowaste from the agro-, fishing and food production industry; textile waste; and wood waste from furniture production.

Analyses of challenges and opportunities to foster a circular economy within the Portuguese industries have been conducted in close cooperation with stakeholders playing a key role in the selected material flows, with the involvement of almost 500 Portuguese stakeholders providing invaluable insights and inputs.

The project has also been working on the development of a governance model in close cooperation with the Government of Portugal, including strategy, action plans and monitoring systems, which will establish institutional and governance frameworks that ensure continuation of project efforts also after project closure.

The project enabled the Portuguese Ministry of Environment and the Portuguese Environment Agency as subordinated entity, to set up an efficient and improved secondary raw material management policy and to plan its implementation. This will enable Portugal to direct investments in promoting the waste hierarchy and to meet its targets and obligations under the waste directives and the circular economy package.

In particular, the project methodology and the institutional model pursue sustainability. The intense involvement of almost 500 stakeholders emphasises the government’s ambitions for continuing project efforts. The institutional model, developed as a means to achieve mainstreaming of key concepts in countries, has the clear goal to establish institutional and governance frameworks that ensure continuation of project efforts also after project closure.

It is expected that this project would give an important opportunity to Portugal to effectively address current problems, meet targets and plan action and investments in line with the new obligations arising from the circular economy package. At the same time, it will help Portugal’s removal from the European Commission list as a Member State at risk of not achieving its targets, and lagging behind the circular economy obligations and compliance with the EU environmental policies.

The project was developed in six phases, each supported by different measures:

  1. Assessment of the potential of by-products and secondary raw materials in the context of the national economy, by identifying the sectors, industries and associated by-products and secondary raw materials;
  2. Benchmarking of best practices from other MSs that can be implemented both at national and European level including expert visits and workshops (rearranged to online interviews and online workshops);
  3. Design and implementation of a governance model, strategy, options assessment and recommendations, involving the various competent authorities on waste, including control and inspection bodies, and industry and agriculture authorities;
  4. Identification of national and European legislative barriers at the level of the Waste Framework Directive and the Transboundary Movement of Waste Regulations, including proposals for revision leading to an efficient circular economy of resources and of legal framework;
  5. Identification of requirements and development/deployment of a platform to support by-products and secondary raw materials transactions, including registration, monitoring and enforcement issues, including interlinks with IT systems of the authorities involved, facilitators team and training:
  6. promoting the implementation of criteria for setting by-product status and end of waste status;
  7. ensuring the control, monitoring and traceability of origins and destinations, ensuring transparency, universality, timeliness and accuracy of information;
  8. ensuring the confidentiality of the information and accountability mechanisms for market participants;
  9. promoting industrial symbioses by encouraging the interaction between supply and demand of materials;
  10. setting up a facilitators team.
  11. Road map for implementation, including the change management goals, major steps and stakeholder consultation.
No results found.

Also interesting

See all articles