Natural Resources & Waste

Our Work

EU policies are increasingly focusing on minimising natural resource use and maximising resource efficiency. At the same time, policies and legislation to address waste remain important to ensure excellent management of waste in the EU Member States. IEEP works extensively on both natural resources and on product and waste policies. Our work consists of analysing existing policies, reviewing legislation and developing new measures.

IEEP’s work on resources includes research on natural resource use, resource efficiency, sustainable consumption and production, product policy and the circular economy. Our work on waste includes reviewing and proposing improvements to existing EU policy and law and Member State measures. The work ranges from large-scale research projects to detailed analysis of specific aspects of legislation.

Regarding work in this area, please contact Emma Watkins.

Latest in Natural Resources & Waste

  • How can Planetary Boundaries guide environmental policy in Europe and globally?

    Planetary Boundaries are a scientific approach to exploring critical thresholds to resource use. How can this concept become relevant for policymakers?

  • New open access book on marine litter

    A new book, 'Marine Anthropogenic Litter', has been published comprising 16 chapters on various aspects of the complex issue of litter in the world’s oceans. Researchers from IEEP contributed a chapter on the economics of marine litter. The whole book is free to view online.

  • The Manual: Chapter 7 - Resource use

    This is a chapter of IEEP’s Manual of European Environmental Policy. This is a chapter of IEEP’s Manual of European Environmental Policy. This chapter illustrates the variety of EU laws, policies and guidance documents that have been adopted to improve the efficiency of our use of natural resources and to reduce environmental impacts throughout a product's life cycle.

  • Priorities and policy options to support the circular economy

    New report by PSI, IEEP, BIO and Ecologic provides an initial scoping assessment of priorities and policy options to support the transition to a circular economy in the EU.

  • Policy mixes addressing natural resources: learning from real world experiences

    This report synthesizes the assessment of policy-mixes in different sectors. It identifes the factors characterising effective policy-mixes and some of the most frequent shortcomings in policy-mix design.

  • On the path to a circular economy

    Read the lastest edition of our newsletter for our views on the circular economy package and much more.

  • Incorporating biodiversity and ecosystem service values into national strategies and action plans

    This guidance document has been prepared to support practitioners of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans to update their plans to incorporate biodiversity and ecosystem service values. Six in depth country case studies provide common lessons of good practice.

  • What do we mean by Green Economy?

    What is the Green Economy? What policy actions can contribute to achieving it? And how have EU-funded research projects supported these actions?

  • Green Economy in the European Union

    Elements of the green economy concept are relatively well integrated in EU strategic documents - but the focus is on achieving green/sustainable growth, rather than achieving a ‘green economy’.

  • An all-consuming responsibility

    This short paper highlights the challenges that the EU faces in delivering a resource efficient society and argues that achieving this would require action across a range of policy areas.