EU circular-economy policy has been “more ambitious and progressive” than that produced by the UK since Brexit, according to a report.
The study, by think tank the Institute for European Environmental Policy UK (IEEP) and economic coalition Aldersgate Group, warned of “legislative divergence opening up gaps on various fronts” over the last five years.
The study said the EU had introduced a “wide-ranging package of legal and policy measures” that had started to put its vision of a circular economy into practice.
Meanwhile efforts to boost resource-efficiency in the UK had “struggled to gain momentum” and “suffered from fits and starts” warned the report.
It called for ministers to “clearly set out” how their vision for a circular economy would be embedded in policy.
The UK Government should also identify where divergence from EU rules “negatively impacts businesses” trading across borders – and “ensure those challenges are resolved”.
Membership of the European Environment Agency should also be considered, according to the study.
“Without a clear, stable and joined-up policy environment, businesses cannot plan effectively or scale up investment with confidence,” said Aldersgate executive director Rachel Solomon Williams and IEEP executive director Ben Reynolds in a joint foreword to the report.
A government spokesperson said the UK was “committed to creating a roadmap to a zero-waste economy”.
They added: “We are working to implement a range of reforms, including the deposit return scheme and extended producer responsibility for packaging, to end our throwaway society and will publish our Circular Economy Strategy later this year.”
