Policy Briefs (Draft)

A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 1 І 14 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 101036838. D7.12 – Policy Briefs (Draft) March 2023 Authors: Alfonso Gallego Valadés (UVEG); Carlos Serra Castells (UVEG); Jorge Garcés Ferrer (UVEG) Ref. Ares(2023)2353857 - 31/03/2023 A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 2 І 14 Technical references Project Acronym Agro2Circular Project Title TERRITORIAL CIRCULAR SYSTEMIC SOLUTION FOR THE UPCYCLING OF RESIDUES FROM THE AGRIFOOD SECTOR Project Coordinator Fuensanta Monzó CETEC [email protected] Project Duration October 2021 – September 2024 (36 months) Deliverable No. D7.12. Policy Briefs (Draft) Dissemination level* PU Work Package WP7 - A2C systemic solution adoption, replication and scalability Task Sub-Task 7.5.4 - Governance dimension of the A2C systemic solution model & Task 7.7 - Validation of the A2C multidimensional model through cross-fertilization with other clusters Lead beneficiary 22 - UVEG Contributing beneficiary/ies Partner number (partner short name), Partner number (partner short name), Partner number (partner short name) Due date of deliverable 31 March 2023 Actual submission date 31 March 2023 * PU = Public PP = Restricted to other programme participants (including the Commission Services) RE = Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services) CO = Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services) Document history V Date Comments v0.1 03/03/2023 First draft of document v0.2 28/03/2023 Revised version based on the comments of Pedro LopezCETEC, Aran Blanco-Kveloce. Fuensanta MonzóCETEC v1.0 30/03/2023 First final version, approved by the WP leader and the project coordinator, (will be) submitted to EC. v1.1 First draft based upon first final version v2.0 Second final version, approved by the WP leader and the project coordinator, (will be) submitted to EC. A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 3 І 14 Document Distribution Log Version Date Distributed to v 0.1 03/03/2023 Peer reviewers v.0.2 28/03/2923 WP leader and coordinator Verification and approval Name Date Verification Final Draft by WP leader Kveloce 31/03/2023 Approval Final Deliverable by coordinator Fuensanta Monzó 31/03/2023 Disclaimer and acknowledgement This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036838 Disclaimer This document reflects only the views of the author(s) the European Research Executive Agency (REA) is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Whilst efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of this document, the A2C consortium shall not be liable for any errors or omissions, however caused. A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 4 І 14 Table of contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................. 5 1.1. Why this report? .................................................................................................. 5 1.2. To whom is this report addressed? ................................................................... 5 1.3. How to use this report?....................................................................................... 6 2. Methodology and planned workflow ............................................ 7 3. References ................................................................................ 14 A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 5 І 14 1. Introduction 1.1. Why this report? The Circular Economy (CE) concept is at the core of policies aimed at achieving sustainability in European countries. CE essentially means an economy “where the value of products, materials and resources is maintained (…) for as long as possible and the generation of waste is minimised” in order to “develop a sustainable, low carbon, resource efficient and competitive economy” [1]. In the framework of the project ‘TERRITORIAL CIRCULAR SYSTEMIC SOLUTION FOR THE UPCYCLING OF RESIDUES FROM THE AGRIFOOD SECTOR’ — ‘Agro2Circular’, funded by the Horizon 2020 (H2020) programme (Grant Agreement number: 101036838), these policy briefs aim to synthesise the available evidence on policy initiatives, guidelines and recommendations to foster the replicability and scalability of the A2C model. This Deliverable D7.12. Policy Briefs is led by Polibienestar and supported by the other partners that constitute the Agro2Circular (A2C) consortium. The Deliverable is also related to Tasks 7.5.4 (led by UVEG) and 7.7 (led by KVC), which aim, respectively, to analyse key factors on the governance dimension of the A2C systemic solution model and to validate the A2C multidimensional model by cross-fertilisation with other clusters. 1.2. To whom is this report addressed? This report is addressed to the wide range of stakeholders involved in CE and waste management processes, both at regional and European level. Stakeholders are those entities or individuals who have an interest or influence on the topic addressed in the report, and include: ● Managers and other decision-makers in companies and organisations in the food and agricultural sector. This report is of interest to those producers and organisations that generate agricultural food waste, as it will provide evidence on the attitude of different actors towards food waste and on the acceptance of upcycled organic products by the end-user - including consumers. ● Managers and other decision-makers in companies and organisations in the plastic sector: For similar reasons as above, the report is also relevant for companies and organisations producing post-industrial multilayer plastic packaging and agricultural multilayer films, as well as those using recycled and biobased biodegradable plastic and packaging. ● Institutions, governmental organisations and policy-makers: The report will provide evidence on the most effective policies in promoting the adoption of circular solutions by companies and other stakeholders, as well as on changing the behaviour of different actors towards waste. In addition, it will explore the various barriers and facilitators of circular initiatives at various levels, as well as their governance mechanisms. The information contained in the report can be useful to inform decision-making and policy formulation in this area. A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 6 І 14 ● Researchers and academics: The report may be of interest to researchers and academics working in the field of CE and waste management, as it will provide upto-date and relevant information on the main actors involved in the upcycling of agricultural food waste, post-industrial packaging multilayer plastics and agricultural multilayer films, as well as key insights on circular governance. ● Citizens and consumers: Finally, the report may also be of interest to citizens and consumers, as it can provide information on how waste can be managed more effectively and sustainably. It can also inform consumers about the efforts of industry and policy-makers to move towards a more CE. In summary, this report is of interest to a wide range of stakeholders involved in the CE and waste management, from companies and organisations in the food and packaging sector to government institutions, researchers and citizens. The information contained in the report can be useful to inform decision-making and policy formulation, and can help move towards a more sustainable and circular EU. 1.3. How to use this report? This report constitutes a draft of the final version of the Deliverable 7.12 Policy Briefs and can be interpreted as (1) a provisional table of contents of on three issues related to the broad involvement of the whole spectrum of stakeholders in the implementation of systemic circular solutions based on upcycling: 1) actor's behaviour towards waste, 2) the promotion of the implementation of circular solutions, and 3) end-user acceptance of the end product. All these issues will be addressed from a multi-sectoral perspective, covering the main niches on which A2C focuses. Finally, different cases of circular initiatives at European level will be analysed in order to identify facilitators and barriers to CE governance. A typology of circular economy projects will be developed based on the sectoral scope, the management approach, the roles of the different actors, the geographical setting, the technological involvement required or the functional connectivity between stakeholders, among others. The ultimate purpose of this whole process is to provide a series of policy briefs aiming to (1) broaden and intensify multi-stakeholder involvement in the proposed A2C solution; (2) provide clues for the integration of small-scale sectoral initiatives and systemic circular solutions into comprehensive CE models. The policy briefs will be the tangible output of the work reflected in the rest of the final document (D.7.14), and will consist of a set of sheets addressing the problems analysed in the section 6 reviewing the evidence base, by sector. Each sheet will include the key highlights from evidence, and a set of brief stakeholderspecific recommendations. A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 7 І 14 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 101036838. 2. Methodology and planned workflow Table 1 presents the contents to be included in the final version of the Deliverable, together with a description and the methodologies to be implemented. Table 1. Contents of the final version of the Deliverable Sectio n Subsection Title Content Methodology 3 Beyond the CE concept: theoretical framework and perspectives As stated above, CE is currently defined as an economy “where the value of products, materials and resources is maintained (…) for as long as possible and the generation of waste is minimised” in order to “develop a sustainable, low carbon, resource efficient and competitive economy” [1]. However, the first time the term CE appeared formally was in Pearce and Turner [2], outlining a relationship between the economy and the environment and defining a principle in which "everything is an input to everything else". Theoretical perspectives and insights on CE have since varied widely, although they have preserved this conceptual core. This section aims to review definitions and approaches to the CE concept, focusing on its key structural elements, such as the intervention framework [3] or processes [4]. Narrative review 4 The CE Background 1 Context The concept of CE is becoming popular in Europe in a context where the need to optimise efficiency in the production and consumption of increasingly scarce resources is key to ensure future social, economic and environmental sustainability. In 2020, Desk research A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 8 І 14 Sectio n Subsection Title Content Methodology the total waste generated in the EU amounted to 2 151 million tonnes, which means 4 808 kg of waste per inhabitant [5]. This sub-section will explore in depth the socio-political, environmental and economic issues at the European level that justify the political and societal concern for the adoption of circular solutions. 2 The A2C systemic solution This sub-section will contain a synthesis of the main features of the circular systemic solution proposed by the A2C project. 3 Integrating the systemic solution into broader CE models: theoretical approaches It is worth noting that the main purpose of any CE project is to achieve zero waste, insofar as waste per se turns inefficient the production process. Waste reduction strategies require multistakeholder engagement along the entire supply chain, from producers to end-users through intermediaries. The upcycling of waste is therefore a subsidiary objective in the face of possible gaps between supply and demand, or between demand and actual consumption. However, it is highly relevant to have a wellestablished roadmap for the situation in which the waste is de facto produced, in order to minimise negative social, economic and environmental impacts. In the A2C systemic solution, the role of primary producers, industry and even retailers is well defined. However, a large part of the waste is produced by households. This solution could be well integrated into any comprehensive local/regional CE model, as it involves highly cross-cutting and prevalent aspects of household consumption patterns, such as food waste and postindustrial food multi-layer packaging. This section will discuss the various challenges and opportunities facing the integration of this Narrative review A2C – Deliverable D7.12V1.0 9 І 14 Sectio n Subsection Title Content Methodology systemic solution into a broader CE model framework, as well as the need for multi-stakeholder engagement 5 Policy and regulatory framework This section will serve three purposes. On the one hand, it will review the main cross-sectoral strategies and plans on CE at European, national and regional level. Secondly, it will provide an overview of the main sectoral regulations (agri-food, plastics) on waste management, as well as fiscal policies discouraging the generation of non-recyclable or non-reusable waste. Finally, it will focus specifically on upcycling regulations as well as related policies. Relevant aspects from D8.8 – Standardisation landscape and applicable standards, such as certifications, labelling and traceability will also be presented. The section will look cross-sectionally at recent changes and the way in which different actors have been involved in policy-making processes. Desk research / direct stakeholder consultation 6 Evidence base 1 Actor’s behaviour towards waste Most studies on waste and consumer (or end-user) behaviour focus on the analysis of interventions aimed at reducing waste, rather than studying the mechanisms that lead consumers (or endusers) to participate in waste recovery. Indeed, reducing waste is the first step towards the sustainability of the agri-food system. It is well known that the production of food for human consumption that does not fulfil this purpose not only generates negative social, economic and environmental impacts, but also turns the production process itself inefficient. However, quite often there is Narrative review / surveys (if necessary)/Cas e study