Secondary materials – such as recycled waste and industrial by-products – can and will increasingly replace virgin resources in a circular, resource-efficient, sustainable and future-proof EU economy.
For approval later in 2026, the EU Circular Economy Act has the potential to boost the EU economy, the material independence of its important supply chains, the decarbonisation of industrial products and the protection of natural resources through a functioning internal market for secondary raw materials.
“A real circular economy will give Europe a sustainable competitive advantage,” he said Anita Gianelli, Industry and process manager for Eurimathe representative association of all major European manufacturers of mineral wool insulation. “Europe is well placed to become a global leader in recycling and recycling, but much still needs to be done to address remaining barriers and ensure the right policy framework conditions. The Circular Economy proposal will therefore come at a key moment.”
“The removal of barriers – of an economic, regulatory and technical nature – to a real single European market for secondary raw materials should be the first step to enable increased recycling of construction products such as mineral wool insulation at scale”.
Accounting for more than 10% of the EU’s GDP and almost a third of industrial employment, the construction sector is vital for Europe. economistTO The Green Deal, THE Clean industrial arrangementand for the new ambitions of the circular economy.
As Eurima explains in a new position paperthe recovery of building materials from deconstruction and renovation is an essential first step to creating a strong European market for secondary raw materials. However, it remains a major challenge for stakeholders in the EU: including the construction sector.
Without a functioning domestic market for secondary raw materials, there is little incentive today to use these valuable resources. At the same time, the lack of data makes it very difficult to get a clear picture of the current situation we have across the EU.
In addition to high-quality data to access high-quality waste, Eurima members see a need to harmonize thinking at the interface of chemicals and waste policies within the single market, among other key EU initiatives. “That’s the missing link,” he said Silvia Herranz, Sustainability and Technical Manager at by Etex.
“Instead of allowing key EU legislative initiatives to work against each other, Europe should harmonize rules and stimulate investment, incorporating predictable market signals,” she continues.
Caterina Rocca, Rockwool Group Regulatory Affairs Director and Eurima Vice President agrees that “to fully enable a functioning European market for secondary materials, harmonized definitions are essential. Only with clear and consistent terminology can companies and policymakers harmonize efforts to close material loops and develop robust circular value chains. Circularity can only succeed if a coherent and consistent EU regulatory framework aligns with local ecosystems of coordination and cooperation”.
“It is undeniable that there is a need to harmonize work at local, regional, national and EU level. The EU must “support and promote” the development of a circular economy, including the exchange of knowledge between Member States and local authorities, according to Anita Gianelli. But at the same time “there must be room for tailored solutions adapted to the situation of each country and region, to choose the best measures”.
An important step is to make a clear distinction between recyclable waste and non-recyclable waste to ensure high quality and manageable sorting. Inspiration can be found in the ongoing work at Member State level.
Austria provides an existing example within a specific regulatory context. Hers waste classification system with granular code identifies waste such as mineral wool insulation by type and availability characteristics. This approach reflects national conditions and provides valuable lessons that can inform developments in other contexts as well.
Other pilot projects, such as the first local Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for construction products in France, provide additional context-specific knowledge – particularly on waste collection, sorting, cleaning and logistics. These initiatives are still in development and should be understood as exploratory rather than definitive models.
At regional level, Flanders is also moving towards more granular categories for the separation of construction and demolition waste with implementation expected from 2027 onwards.
Although these developments must be considered in their country-specific context, together they signal a broader move towards scaling up the material-specific management of construction and demolition waste.
A strong European market for secondary raw materials must be built on an updated mindset, supported by the use of targeted campaigns to increase public awareness and behaviour, alongside the necessary policies and industry developments.
This means removing regulatory barriers to recycling, while maintaining the high environmental and health standards for which Europe is famous.
For the mineral wool insulation sector, the unification of a coherent, cross-sectoral legal framework across the EU would increase recycling and develop robust markets for secondary raw material, in a truly circular economy.
Recycling has long been at the heart of best practice enabling industries like ours, but “facilitating and integrating circular economy practices as a fundamental building block of our business models and the EU economy has not been sufficiently at the heart of EU thinking for a long time. The EU Circular Economy Act will be a game changer, we hope…” as Anita puts it.
“It’s time to close the loop on a truly circular economy.”
