LIFE

LIFE ENVIRONMENT |
LIFE and the circular economy
Projects focusing on upcycling account for more
than half of the budget that LIFE projects have
spent on helping to create markets for secondary
raw materials (i.e. €40 million of a total of
€62 million). These upcycling projects have applied
technologies to produce commercially-viable secondary
raw materials, allowing manufacturers to
substitute virgin materials without having a negative
effect on end-product quality. LIFE projects
have addressed the issues of whether upcycled
materials are safe and available in sufficient quantities,
in particular with regard to the glass, ceramic
and copper industries.
The LIFE programme has raised awareness of waste prevention, changing the behaviour
of millions of EU citizens
Waste crime is another area where LIFE is making
a contribution already and has the potential to
do more. Two current projects (see pp.61-62) are
identifying the drivers and enablers of waste crime
at all levels. This will enable them to build specific
interventions such as using electronic tracking
devices and remote sensing technologies to map
and detect waste crime, looking at how regulators
can use horizon scanning and predictive analysis to
better prepare for likely threats.
LIFE could also make a greater contribution in the
treatment of hazardous waste. More funding is
needed to develop processes that remove hazardous
substances from material loops and prevent
contamination accumulating during recycling, thus
reducing the quality of recycled materials. Where
waste cannot be prevented, reused or recycled, it
can be burned to produce energy. LIFE can continue
to demonstrate new waste to energy solutions as
an alternative to landfill.
Market for secondary raw materials
There have been 20 LIFE projects relating to the
creation of markets for secondary raw materials.
These have a total budget of €64 million with an
EU contribution of approximately €25 million.
Photo: LIFE12 INF/BE/000459
The LIFE programme has been instrumental in
showing how a dynamic market for secondary raw
materials can be established and stimulated. It
has done so by showing, for some industrial sectors,
how a consistent supply of quality materials
is possible and how the use of non-toxic material
cycles and better tracking of chemicals of concern
in products will facilitate recycling and improve
the uptake of secondary raw materials. Projects
have developed ways of matching waste materials
from one industry or enterprise with the raw
material needs of other companies; they have
identified complete supply chains for waste in
municipal collection and separation streams; and
they have shown the value of voluntary agreements
and fiscal incentives and awareness-raising
campaigns.
More future funding could be invested in projects
that facilitate the circulation of secondary raw
materials and which enable the public and private
sector to work together to create local economies
based on short value chains.
Recycled nutrients present in organic waste material
can be returned to soil as fertiliser. LIFE
projects are providing concrete examples of applications
of organic wastes to agricultural soils,
helping in the development of markets for these
nutrients, addressing barriers such as varying rules
on use, environmental standards and qualities in
different Member States.
LIFE has also helped industries reuse water, generating
cost savings and improving firms’ competitiveness.
In agriculture, techniques for reusing water
for irrigation have been applied and validated.
These will help to tackle climate change and water
scarcity in Mediterranean countries, as well as having
economic benefits.
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