Circular Economyand

Green Employment Initiative

Radosław OwczarzakPolicy Officer

Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

Towards a circular economy for Europe: policy context

•Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth

• Resource Efficiency Flagship Initiative• Mid-term review: pressure on resources and

environmental concerns identified as a long-term trend affecting growth

• Public consultation http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/public-consultation/index_en.htm

•7th Environment Action Programme • Thematic objective to turn the EU into a resource-

efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy

A New Commission: a new Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change

•Environment and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to reflect the twin logic of "Blue" and "Green" Growth •"[…] Protecting the environment and maintaining our competitiveness can go hand-in-hand, and environment policy also plays a key role in creating jobs and stimulating investment"•Contribute to projects coordinated by the Vice-Presidents for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness and for Energy Union

From a linear economy …

… to a circular economy

Circular Economy Package

Specific waste

challenges

Waste target review

Enabling Framework

Resource Efficiency

target

• Sustainable buildings COM

• Sustainable food

• Marine litter

• Legislative proposal

• Impact assessment

• Fitness check (packaging)

• Umbrella COM

• Green Employment Initiative

• Green Action Plan for SMEs

• Progress Report

• Analysis of an EU target for Resource Productivity

European Resource Efficiency Platform recommendations

An enabling framework•Design and innovationHorizon 2020: large scale innovation projects, skills development, market application and partnership; a coherent product policy, Eco-design; cascading use of biomass

•Unlocking investmentEnvironmental taxation, innovative financial instruments, accounting rules, fiduciary duties; resource stress tests, potential of the bonds market , GPP and European Funds

•Harnessing the role of business and consumersBuilding on the Environmental Footprint pilots, broad stakeholder cooperation under Horizon 2020, action on SMEs and green employment

• Towards a recycling society – waste as a resourceWaste targets review, phasing out landfilling of recyclable waste, work with Member States on implementation, extended producer responsibility, marine litter, food & construction waste

•A resource efficiency target

Circular Economyand

Green Employment Initiative

Context (1)

•The green transformation of the economy is driven by two forces:  

• a long-term global trend towards rising energy and raw material prices - growing dependence 55% 70% by 2030

• the climate and environmental policies

Context (2) – Policy initiatives

•Europe 2020: strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth•Employment Package (2012): Towards a job-rich recovery and SWD: Exploiting the employment potential of green growth•EMPL (2013): Promoting green jobs throughout the crisis: a handbook of best practices in Europe•2013 and 2014 Annual Growth Surveys - the need to develop strategic frameworks in which labour market and skills policies play an active role in supporting job creation

Facts and figures (1)(cautiousness)

•Environmental goods and services sector (EGSS) – 3 to 4.2m jobs between 2002 and 2011

•Employment creation potential: RES, energy efficiency, incl. construction, waste and water management, air quality, restoring and preserving biodiversity, developing green infrastructure…

•Investing in the resource productivity by 2030 could boost GDP by 1% and create more than 2 million jobs

Facts and figures (2)

Internal transformation and redefinition of jobs:

• sectors with a high share of emissions (energy generation, transport, agriculture, construction) - 13.3% of the EU workforce (ranging from 10.7% to 26.7%)

• Energy intensive industries (chemicals, steel etc.) – international competition and risk of carbon leakage

Objective

Putting forward targeted policy responses and framework conditions to ensure that the

employment and environmental agendas converge and to contribute to reaching the Europe 2020

objectives

Policy responses

•Bridging the skills gaps

•Anticipating change, securing transitions and promoting mobility

•Supporting job creation

•Increasing data quality

Bridging the skills gaps

•Identifying new skills requirements• Changes to educational and training curricula• Quality assurance

•Better forecasting skills needs• Partnerships of PES, VET, Social Partners, Business

TOOLS: Sector Skills Councils, Sector Skills Alliances, ESCO, EU Skills Panorama, Mutual Learning Programme, PES Network…

Anticipating change, securing transitions and promoting mobility

•Anticipating change and managing restructuring• EU QFR, Sectoral initiatives (CARS2020,

Construction2020, Steel, Defense…)• Anticipating and managing H&S risks

•Building capacity of PES

•Promoting mobility • Targeted mobility schemes, EURES, ESCO, EASQ

Supporting job creation

•20% of EU funding – ESF, ERDF, Horizon 2020, EAFRD, COSME, LIFE…•Shifting taxation from labour to environment, resource and energy use•Green public procurement•Promoting entrepreneurship

• Coordinated with ENTR – Green Action Plan for SMEs• Green social economy• Green micro-finance

Engaging key stakeholders and improving data quality

•Promoting engagement of the key stake holders,

incl. local and regional authorities, social

partners

•Increasing data quality and transparency

•Strengthening international cooperation, e.g.

Green Growth Knowledge Platform

Thank you for your attention!

Radosław OWCZARZAK European Commission

Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion+32-2-29-54934

radoslaw.owczarzak@ec.europa.eu

2030 – Waste Targets

PREVENTION

REUSE & RECYCLING(incl compost)

min 70%

INCINERATION

LANDFILL zero recyclables or biodegradable waste by 2025 (<25%)

phase out by 2030 (=<5%)

ECODESIGN

Packaging (80%)60% plastic (+review)80% wood90% metal glass paper Separate

Collection

Producer Responsibility

Food waste 30%

MUNICIPAL WASTE

Marine Litter30%

LandfillCharges

• 7th EAP: "A long-term and predictable policy framework … will

help to stimulate the level of investments and action needed

to fully develop markets for greener technologies and

promote sustainable business solutions. Resource efficiency

indicators and targets underpinned by robust data collection

would provide the necessary guidance ..."

• EREP, 2014: "secure at least a doubling of resource

productivity as compared with the pre-crisis trend …

equivalent to an increase of well over 30% by 2030"

Setting a resource efficiency target

A possible EU resource efficiency target

Improving resource efficiency by 30% can create 2 million jobs and boost GDP by 1% vs. business-as-usual (+15%) Potential gains for businesses of between 3 and 8% of turnover by using resources more efficiently

2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 20301.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

RP +30% (2014-2030)RP Baseline

Engagement of the Social Partners

• Inter-professional (integration of polices)

• Sectoral (skills and training, resource efficiency roadmaps)

• Enterprise and workplace (energy and resource efficiency initiatives)

• All levels: working conditions and OSH