04 September 2025:
An expert group has urged the European Commission to cut Europe’s resource use and introduce binding demand reduction targets to secure the bloc’s future prosperity and resilience.
In its response to the Commission’s public consultation on the Circular Economy Act, the Taskforce on Materials and Consumption are calling for the Commission to adopt a demand-focused approach to the management of critical resources. At a time of growing geopolitical and economic pressures, the group argues that cutting demand for natural resources is essential not only to meet climate and nature goals, but also to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and security.
The briefing, titled Securing Europe’s Future through a Just & Competitive Circular Economy, sets out three key recommendations for the Circular Economy Act:
- Establish material footprint targets: Set EU-wide material footprint reduction targets by 2028 to ensure resource use stays within planetary boundaries.
- Prioritise resource efficiency of key provisioning systems: Shift from recycling and product-based strategies to investment in the transformation of housing, food, mobility and energy systems – responsible for an estimated 90% of global material use.
- Champion international governance for resource use: To address rising geopolitical tensions and growing global uncertainty, the EU should champion a fair, transparent, and rules-based global governance framework for resource use, ensuring a just transition globally.
While recognising existing EU efforts, the Taskforce warns that without ambitious policies that fundamentally reset the priorities and direction of the economy, the EU risks missing its climate targets and forfeiting opportunities for innovation, competitiveness, and social equity.
“Current EU policy has laid important groundwork, but it remains fragmented and overly focused on recycling and waste management. Without addressing material demand and system-level drivers of resource use, the transformation to a truly regenerative circular economy will remain incomplete,” said taskforce co-chair Anders Wijkman, Honorary President of The Club of Rome.
The experts highlight that material extraction and processing are responsible for over 90% of land-related biodiversity loss and more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions. Europe – which currently imports more than twice the weight of materials than it exports – has a strategic interest in reducing its resource dependency while ensuring its economic model is compatible with climate goals.
“We have now had over 10 years of lessons about what does not work regarding the circular economy as it is currently being implemented. The upcoming Circular Economy Act is an opportunity to get it right, and for the EU to pioneer a truly innovative approach to resource management,” said co-chair Lewis Akenji, executive director of the Hot or Cool Institute. “By embedding material footprint targets and a justice-based approach to resource governance in its strategy, Europe can set a global precedent for how to achieve prosperity and citizen wellbeing within planetary boundaries.”
Download the submission here.
