Hans-Christian EBERL, Panagiotis BALABANISUNIT C.1 Circular Economy and Biobased Systems

DG Research and Innovation

Challenge "Climate action, Environment, Resource Efficiency and Natural Resources" – 2020 callsInfoday Brussels, 17 September 2019

Call “Greening the economy in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”

Connecting economic and environmental gains - the circular economy

• CE-SC5-24-2020: Improving the sorting, separation and recycling of composite and multi-layer materials

• CE-SC5-25-2020: Understanding the transition to a circular economy and its implications on the environment, economy and society

• CE-SC5-28-2020: Develop and pilot circular systems in plastics, textiles and furniture sectors

• CE-SC5-29-2020: A common European framework to harmonise procedures for plastics pollution monitoring and assessments

• CE-SC5-30-2020: Plastics in the environment: understanding the sources, transport, distribution and impacts of plastics pollution

Call “Competitive, Low Carbon and Circular Industries”

• CE-SC5-31-2020: Develop, implement and assess a circular economy oriented product information management system for complex products from cradle to cradle

Call “Building a low-carbon, climate resilient future: climate action in support of the Paris Agreement”

• LC-CLA-14-2020: Understanding climate-water-energy-food nexus and streamlining water-related policies

Policy context

• EU Circular Economy main page (Action Plan, implementation, etc.)https://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm

• EU Plastics Strategyhttps://ec.europa.eu/commission/news/eu-plastics-strategy-2018-nov-20_en

CE-SC5-24-2020: Improving the sorting, separation and recycling of composite and multi-layer materialsResearch and Innovation Action

Indicative budget: EUR 20 million; EUR 4-5 million per project

Challenge: Composite and multi-layer materials are increasingly used. This poses a challenge for sorting, separation, recycling, composting, or the reintroduction into manufacturing. A better understanding of these challenges should inform the design of composite and multi-layer materials.

Scope: Proposals are expected to develop new or improve existing innovative processes and assess the barriers for their implementation. They can deal with used products, production rejects or existing stocks. Aim to optimise value retention rather than downgrading. Provide recommendations for future design and product information requirements. Provide evidence of the potential market impact.

Supports European Plastics Strategy envisage joint activities

Two-stage; TRL 5-6

Expected impact:• increased yield and quality of sorting of products made of composite or multi-layer

materials

• increased recycling of raw materials from products made of composite or multi-layer materials, in terms of volume and/or quality

• reduced use of virgin raw materials

• increased knowledge on how to design for reuse and recycling (“circular design”) of products currently made of composite or multi-layer materials

• increased knowledge on the process environmental footprint, including the net effects on greenhouse gas emissions, of improved sorting, separation and recycling of composite and multi-layer materials

CE-SC5-25-2020: Understanding the transition to a circular economy and its implications on the environment, economy and societyResearch and Innovation Action

Indicative budget: EUR 10 million; EUR 3-4 million per project

Challenge: The transition to CE entails a systemic transformation of entire value chains. The understanding of this transition will be important for the development of CE approaches and targeted policy measures. Best practices will serve as an inspiration for projects and inform new and adapted policies and policy tools.

Scope: Assess current state of CE transition in relevant sectors and analyse possible transition scenarios. Sectors identified in CE Action Plan or others if justified according to environmental footprint etc. Social, economic and environmental aspects. Role of public awareness and acceptance and other social aspects; gender. Attention to the issue of hazardous materials in CE. Policy recommendations at local, national, European and global levels.

Supports European Plastics Strategy envisage joint activities

Two-stage

Expected impact:• more systemic policy decisions to further facilitate the transition to a safe,

environmentally friendly, efficient and effective circular economy in selected sectors

• efficient and effective use of both primary and secondary resources in Europe, reducing waste generation, negative health impacts, environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions

• new business opportunities for European industries and SMEs

• creating new tools and methodologies oriented to companies, to consider social, environmental and economic aspects when they design circular business models

• creating incentives and support the development of strategic governance mechanisms that enable the transition to a Circular Economy and contribute to the effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in Europe

• supporting the achievement of climate commitments and specific quantitative targets on resources efficiency, recycling rates or waste disposal quotas

CE-SC5-29-2020 A common European framework to harmonise procedures for plastics pollution monitoring and assessments

Specific Challenge: • Need to harmonise EU-wide methods for determining the composition and

occurrence of plastics in various relevant environmental compartments (e.g. marine waters, marine sediments, freshwater, soil, air).

Scope:

• Bring together the main national research groups dealing with the plastic pollution monitoring and assessment in different environmental matrices and develop a common European framework.

• Action to provide harmonised methods for sampling, monitoring, identification and analysis of plastics, proposals as a basis for international and European standards (ISO / CEN), recommendations for future relevant EU policy and legislation, increased knowledge on the occurrence of plastics in the environment, including guidance on data management.

• Ensure a critical mass of actors and increased synergies between all relevant research areas, industry, regulators, associations and relevant EU services and standardisation bodies.

CSA100%

Expected impact:

• Achieving the objectives of the EU Plastics Strategy, in particular with regard to the possibilities for future prioritisation of measures in Europe and to the possibilities of reviewing their effectiveness in terms of reducing emissions, and contributing to the implementation of Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda foreseen in that strategy;

• Fostering innovative policymaking through robust methodologies and uniformed tools and reduction of analytical uncertainties;

• Bringing the EU to the forefront of international discussion and collaboration in the field of plastic pollution monitoring and assessing through the know-how generated (planned publications and templates for standardisation procedures);

• Improving the economic viability of analytical instrument manufacturers; • Establishing a framework and foundation for the implementation of European and

global level monitoring programmes for nano-, micro- and macro-plastic

Total budget: 2.00 EUR Million

13 Feb 2020 (one stage topic)

CE-SC5-29-2020 A common European framework to harmonise procedures for plastics pollution monitoring and assessments

EUR 2 millions

CE-SC5-30-2020 Plastics in the environment: understanding the sources, transport, distribution and impacts of plastics pollution

Specific Challenge:

• Current understanding of the sources, transport mechanisms and impacts of plastic pollution is mainly focused on specific environmental compartment. To develop long-term mitigation solutions and help decision-makers in reducing exposures, a thorough understanding into and through the whole environment is needed, as well as, a wider effort bringing together experiences from different disciplines.

RIA100%

CE-SC5-30-2020 Plastics in the environment: understanding the sources, transport, distribution and impacts of plastics pollution Scope:

• Gain a better understanding on the sources, transport, distribution and impact of plastic pollution. Activities should include:

- Sources of plastic pollution to different environmental compartments;

- Transport and pathways of plastics into and through different environmental compartments;

- Occurrence and distribution of plastic across all environmental compartments;

- Accumulation, including in soil and the food chain;

- Degradation mechanisms for different plastic materials under range of environmentally conditions;

- Physical and chemical effects of plastic pollution on different biotic and abiotic environments.

• Proposals should address different ecosystems, geographical areas and spatial scales, including the main environmental media such as marine, surface and ground-water, soils, air and biota

• Cooperation with existing national and EU funded activities, such as the JPI Oceans initiative, is encouraged

• Applicants should plan the necessary budget to cover clustering activities with other plastic relevant projects selected under other Horizon 2020 topics

RIA100%

Expected impact:

• Achieving the objectives of the Plastics Strategy, in particular with regard to the possibilities for future prioritisation of measures in Europe;

• Providing a foundation for the development of mitigation solutions, based on improved and new knowledge on plastics pollution;

• Identifying promising intervention points and targeted actions for fighting plastics pollution, in line with of the CE Action Plan and Plastics Strategy;

• Establishing the EU as a scientific leader in the area of understanding and solving plastic pollution.

Total budget: 5.00 EUR Million

13 Feb 2020 (First Stage)

03 Sept 2020 (Second Stage)

CE-SC5-30-2020 Plastics in the environment: understanding the sources, transport, distribution and impacts of plastics pollution

EUR 5 millions

EU Plastics Strategy: Key priorities supported by R&I in Horizon 2020

• Improving recyclability of plastics (LEIT, SC2, SC5)

• Innovative sorting and recycling technologies (LEIT, SC5)

• Prevention and cleaning up of marine litter and plastic debris (SC2)

• Microplastics (SC1, SC2, SC5)

• Alternative, non-fossil feedstocks, including bio-waste (SC2)

• Chemicals of concern (SC1, SC5)

EU Plastics Strategy relevant topics in H2020 WP 2020 • SC1-BHC-36-2020: Micro- and nano-plastics in our environment: Understanding exposures and impacts on human health

• SFS-21-2020 - Emerging challenges for soil management (impact of micro plastic on soil properties and its ecosystem services function, use of plastics in agriculture, SC2)

• CE-BG-06-2019: Sustainable solutions for bio-based plastics on land and sea (SC2)

• BG-07-2019-2020: The Future of Seas and Oceans Flagship Initiative: [C] 2020 - Technologies for observations (SC2)

• CE-FNR-09-2020: Pilot action for the removal of marine plastics and litter (SC2)

• CE-SC5-24-2020: Improving the sorting, separation and recycling of composite and multi-layer materials

• CE-SC5-25-2020: Understanding the transition to a circular economy and its implications on the environment, economy and society

• CE-SC5-28-2020: Develop and pilot circular systems in plastics, textiles and furniture sectors

• CE-SC5-29-2020: A common European framework to harmonise procedures for plastics pollution monitoring and assessments

• CE-SC5-30-2020: Plastics in the environment: understanding the sources, transport and distribution of plastics pollution

• CE-BIOTEC-09-2020: Upcycling bio plastics of food and drinks packaging (LEIT)

Some recent EC work in support to EU Plastics Strategy• A work initiated by the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors An Initial Statement “Scientific Perspective on Microplastic Pollution and its Impact” and a series of recommendations in the

form of a Scientific Opinion “Environmental and Health Risks of Microplastic Pollution” haven been published in 2019 (https://ec.europa.eu/research/sam/index.cfm?pg=pollution)

• A report entitled “Insights from research and innovation to inform policy and funding decisions”, providing recommendations for sectoral policymaking and insights for strategic programming from a research and innovation perspective with a view to inform policymakers, ranging from EU institutions to local authorities, researchers, innovators and other interested stakeholders.

CE-SC5-28-2020: Develop and pilot circular systems in plastics, textiles and furniture sectorsInnovation Action

Indicative budget: EUR 15 million; EUR 7-8 million per project

Challenge: CE innovation often takes place in silos. Improvements in one domain can weaken value retention elsewhere in the value chain. Systemic innovation should create value for the whole system. There is a need for designing and piloting circular systems, including business models, products and materials, covering the entire value chain.

Scope: Develop and pilot systemic CE innovations in specified sectors, taking into account value retention throughout life cycle. Bring together actors from across value chain. Business models, products, materials, industrial symbiosis. Apply life cycle perspective and quantify targeted market and environmental and societal benefits. Data and information exchange. Avoid silos to understand better mutual dependencies of actors.

Supports European Plastics Strategy envisage joint activities

Two-stage; TRL 6-7

Expected impact:• effective use of both primary and secondary resources in Europe, reducing waste

generation, environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, through innovative systems

• first-hand insights on how to develop and support systemic innovation towards a circular economy, starting from selected sectors

• evidence to inform more systemic policy decisions to further facilitate the transition to an effective circular economy in selected sectors

• systemic knowledge of product service systems and circular design management systems, to facilitate their systematic application

• new business opportunities for European industries and SMEs

• the achievement of climate commitments and specific quantitative targets on resources efficiency, recycling rates or waste disposal quota and gather more information on related greenhouse gas emissions

• long-term value creation and positive impacts on the environment, health and quality of life of users

CE-SC5-31-2020: Develop, implement and assess a circular economy oriented product information management system for complex products from cradle to cradleInnovation Action

Indicative budget: EUR 15 million; EUR 7-8 million per project

Challenge:

Reliable information about the components and materials is needed to achieve value retention in products. The overall environmental and social performance of products along the life cycle is related to composition and design. Resource efficiency benchmarks also require data. Existing practices do not cover critical information needs with regard to circularity or the overall life cycle performance. There is a need for designing and piloting an information system that is linked to the whole material and value flows in an ideally circular system. The flexibility should allow actors to use the data for compliancerequirements. The concept, the data flow and the specific needs of each actor should be studied in a pilot.

Scope:

Bring together all relevant actors along product related value chains, including civil society, repair businesses etc. Selected products should have a major environmental impact, a high potential for circularity, a complex supply chain, and should be linked to critical resource issues. The gained knowledge should be easily transferable to less complex sectors and business models.

Information flows designed with a view to increase circularity, traceability and environmental footprint. Take into account diverse information needs throughout and beyond product life cycle. Open solutions are encouraged. Ambition to grant open access to the underlying architecture while addressing data protection, user privacy and liability.

Quantify potential for transferring solution. Life cycle perspective for environmental, social and economic assessment, quantify environmental benefits with PEF method.

Belongs to cross-cutting call “Competitive, Low Carbon and Circular Industries” envisage clustering and cooperation

Two-stage; TRL 5-7

Expected impact:• the development of new businesses related to the transition to a circular economy, and

related value-adding consulting services• effective use of both primary and secondary resources in Europe, strengthening

geopolitical resource independency, facilitating the market for secondary raw materials, closing material cycles, and reducing waste generation, environmental pollution and greenhouse gas emissions

• achieving the targets of the EIP on Raw Materials, particularly in terms of feeding secondary raw materials knowledge into the EC Raw Materials Information System (RMIS)

• better insights into the material composition of products and the amount of secondary raw materials in circulation, increasing circularity of relevant material streams, and strengthening the use of PEF as the standard means for the assessment of the material efficiency and overall environmental performance of products

• streamlined social life cycle assessment ensuring comparability and validity, allowing to critically review green claim and enabling consumers to take environmentally informed purchasing decisions, as well as allowing product designers and developers to take environmentally informed design decisions at an early stage

• better insights on how to transfer successful information management approaches to other businesses and sectors

LC-CLA-14-2020 Understanding climate-water-energy-food nexus and streamlining water-related policies

Specific Challenge:

• Increasing demands for water, energy, food in the context of climate change, demographic changes, economic development and international trade, creates conflicts in water allocation between these sectors. Therefore there is a need to better align water-related or water-dependent policies looking in a systemic way from the natural climate-water-energy-food nexus perspective at various geographical scales, and taking into account economic, political and societal aspects

RIA100%

LC-CLA-14-2020 Understanding climate-water-energy-food nexus and streamlining water-related policiesScope:

• Develop and test innovative solutions, improved operations and integrated management and planning for achieving water, energy and food security and safety within the planetary boundaries and resolve conflicts between upstream and downstream water users and citizens

• Proposals should identify, develop, demonstrate and test innovative, multi-beneficial solutions, develop new integrated policies, governance mechanisms, learning and communication tools, and consider a wide range of sustainability criteria

• Mechanisms and tools, such as, innovative monitoring schemes, demand forecasting, socio-economic assessments, scenario planning, behavioural change, etc; that support common evidence, build and enhance trust between the different stakeholders should be also addressed

• Climate impacts on integrated water management should be also addressed in case studies over different geographical regions and challenges

• Participation of a broad range of different stakeholders is expected.• International cooperation is encouraged

RIA100%

TRL5

Expected impact:

• More accurate evaluations of future demands for water, energy, food and related infrastructures

• Enhance sharing knowledge and best practices in climate-water-energy-food nexus assessment and management and help create critical mass on capacity to innovate;

• Improve integrated water resources management and increase resilience to climate change• Help linking EU water policy objectives with the sustainable objectives of greening the CAP

and energy efficiency policy objectives and assess the impacts of EU regulatory framework (e.g. Renewable Energy Directive) on a sustainable water-energy-food nexus

• Reduce institutional fragmentation, reduce the water risks for the energy sector, and optimisemarket and trade solutions across the nexus;

• Strengthen EU role in international water issues, and become a leading actor on water diplomacy

Total budget: 13.00 EUR Million

13 Feb 2020 (First Stage)

03 Sept 2020 (Second Stage)

LC-CLA-14-2020 Understanding climate-water-energy-food nexus and streamlining water-related policies

EUR 4-5millions

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