On the 6th of March 2025 the 26th Annual Irish Waste Management Association’s Conference 'Breaking down the Barriers to the Circular Economy' was held in the Aviva Stadium. Key speakers at the conference included Minister Alan Dillion of the Department of Environment, Climate, and Communications, Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea, and Zoe Kavanagh.
Alan Dillon TD, Minister of State for the Circular Economy, reflected on the urgency of stronger collaboration across government, industry and enforcement bodies to accelerate Ireland’s circular economy transition. Innovation, including new technologies adoption, policy alignment, and infrastructure development are needed to meet national and EU sustainability goals.
Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea Director in charge of Circular Economy, European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment referred to the geopolitical tensions impacting European supply chains and the need to address price imbalances between raw and secondary materials. To tackle these challenges, the EU is committed to scaling circular economy efforts, improving policy coherence, and addressing challenges like resource security and market imbalances. It encourages Irish stakeholders to engage in consultations to shape future regulations.
Zoe Kavanagh from Repak presented on the implications of the new Plastic & Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), a far-reaching regulation that will drive circular innovation in B2B and B2C packaging placed on the market. She also emphasised the importance for transparency in recycling outcomes to build public trust and highlighted the importance of educating businesses and consumers on proper waste sorting and recycling.
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