CIRCULÉIRE participated in Circular Economy Bill Discussion in Oireachtas

The Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action resume pre-legislative scrutiny General Scheme of Circular Economy Bill

The Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action met on Thursday, 21 October, in Committee Room 2 of Leinster House to resume pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Circular Economy Bill. They heard from Dr. Geraldine Brennan, CIRCULÉIRE lead and Head of Circular Economy at Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR).

“The Government’s ambition to transition to a circular economy and ambition to become a leader in Europe by 2030 is matched by the willingness of industry to engage in the transformation journey. Our members in CIRCULÉIRE welcome the development of a supportive and enabling environment to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Ireland”, highlighted Dr. Geraldine Brennan during the session.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Leddin said: “This is our third meeting as part of our pre-legislative scrutiny of the Circular Economy Bill 2021, which proposes the necessary legislative basis for the transition an alternative to the existing economic model of production and consumption, which is economically and environmentally unsustainable.

The Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

Watch the Committee proceedings.

Below are an overview of key points made by Dr Geraldine Brennan, on behalf of CIRCULÉIRE Industry Members to the Oireachtas committee.

• CIRCULÉIRE’s members welcome the placing of the Circular Economy Strategy on a statutory footing through the Circular Economy Bill and the evolution of the Environment Fund into a Circular Economy Fund.
• The Government’s ambition to transition to a circular economy and ambition to become a leader in Europe by 2030 is matched by the willingness of industry to engage in the transformation journey – illustrated by CIRCULÉIRE’s network of cross-sectoral manufacturing companies and second-life enablers (EPR Schemes; material re-processors, reverse logistics and solution providers) including micro-enterprise, SMEs and MNCs alike.
• CIRCULÉIRE’s members welcome the development of a supportive and enabling environment to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Ireland which includes:
  • More “hands-on” regulatory approach with flexibility for research, development and piloting within existing regulatory frameworks.
  • Greater regulatory certainty via clearer regulatory frameworks (citing the success of EPR Schemes for WEEE as replicable for other sectors).
  • Supports to create marketplaces for circular products and services.
  • Embedding circular economy criteria into existing public funding calls and developing capital expenditure funds for strategic infrastructure.
  • Members welcomed more forums for ongoing dialogue between public bodies, the third sector, industry, and citizens.

About CIRCULÉIRE

CIRCULÉIRE is a public-private partnership co-created by Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) and three strategic partners: the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and EIT Climate-KIC. Together with industry partners CIRCULÉIRE aims to assist manufacturers and their supply chains to switch from linear to circular business models.

Read more about CIRCULÉIRE here.