Publication details
Beyond the Bin: The EU’s Journey Toward a Circular Economy
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2026 |
| Type | Chapter in a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | This chapter examines the EU's legislative journey from conventional waste management toward a circular economy. Tracing five decades of EU waste law, it assesses post-Green Deal instruments across three categories: laws explicitly labelled as circular economy measures, laws embedding circular economy principles (including the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and the Right to Repair Directive), and laws indirectly affecting the transition. Three cross-cutting issues are analysed: the fragmented legal basis split between Articles 114 and 192 TFEU, the extraterritorial effects of EU circularity rules on third countries, and whether circularity warrants recognition as a standalone principle of EU environmental law. The chapter concludes that the EU's approach remains sectoral and fragmented, and that the forthcoming Circular Economy Act (expected 2026) will be decisive in establishing binding circularity targets for 2030 and 2050 |