Potočnik urges Europe to target material demand, not recycling

Recycled materials supplied 12.2% of EU material use in 2024, up from 10.7% in 2010, yet the European Environment Agency says the bloc remains off track for its 2030 circular-material goals.

The EEA says the EU has set an ambition to double its circular material use rate by 2030, with a 24% target specified in the Clean Industrial Deal.

At the ISWA World Congress in London on 9 November 2026, Janez Potočnik argued that European policy should address total material demand rather than judge the transition through recycling rates alone. The congress runs from 9-11 November.

What must change in Europe’s targets?

Potočnik, the former European Commissioner for the Environment and co-chair of the International Resource Panel, told delegates that governments must set material-use targets and look beyond recycling to build more resilient circular economies.

He placed lower material demand at the centre of resource security, climate action and a fair transition. Policy should not focus first on securing new supplies of critical raw materials without examining how economies can meet people’s needs with fewer resources.

“Many examples of circular economy practice are encouraging, but to make circular economy a norm, we need a system change,” Potočnik said.

Takeaway: Recycling remains part of Europe’s circular-economy strategy, but Potočnik says it cannot replace a systemwide reduction in material demand.

Why is recycling not enough on its own?

The energy and digital transitions are increasing economies’ dependence on metals and minerals. Potočnik said this creates opportunities for circularity, but switching energy sources alone will not make economies less wasteful or more equitable.

Batteries illustrate his limit on recycling. Recycling the batteries available today cannot meet demand if substantially more batteries enter service in future. His conclusion was blunt: in a growing economy, recycling is necessary but cannot answer all demand, and it works better when material requirements and supply remain stable.

Potočnik called for more intensive use of products and a rethink of systems such as mobility and housing. Reducing the materials required to provide those services could limit future mining requirements.

“We don’t need cars, we need mobility. We don’t need light bulbs, we need light,” he said.

Takeaway: Where demand keeps expanding, Europe must reduce the materials needed for each service while recycling the materials already in use.

What should Europe measure instead?

Potočnik questioned whether Europe’s circular material use rate provides the right headline measure for the transition. He argued that it places too much emphasis on recycling and too little on reducing overall consumption, describing it as a downstream target.

He instead supported material-footprint targets covering the materials associated with consumption. Such targets would give businesses and policymakers a clearer direction for the transition.

The proposed change would also send a direct policy signal: the level of materials consumed in Europe is itself a problem, rather than merely a measure of how much waste the system handles at the end.

Takeaway: A circular-material rate shows how much recycled input enters the economy, but a material-footprint target would also show whether total demand is falling.

How does material demand affect resource security?

For Europe, Potočnik said, reducing material demand is a strategic response to reliance on imported resources and exposure to geopolitical disruption, not merely an environmental preference.

He distinguished between making an individual product more efficient and changing the system in which it operates. A more efficient car does not address the same problem as a mobility system that needs fewer cars.

The transition must also reflect unequal consumption. High-income countries, which hold substantial stocks of materials, need to reduce their footprints. Low-income countries still need greater resource use to meet essential needs and should incorporate circular approaches from the outset.

The International Resource Panel’s Global Resources Outlook 2024 found that high-income countries use six times more materials per person and generate 10 times the climate impacts of low-income countries.

Takeaway: Europe can reduce import risk more effectively by using fewer materials, but resource rules must also preserve access for countries with lower consumption.

What policies and data systems would support the shift?

Potočnik outlined four priorities:

• Set national material-use targets.
• Measure circularity more effectively.
• Create economic incentives that reward responsible resource use.
• Strengthen transparency and coordination.

He also highlighted a proposed global materials data hub designed to provide reliable information about material flows. Partners including UNEP, the International Chamber of Commerce and Mining 2030 are examining user needs and governance options, with an international materials agency among the possibilities.

The ICC separately confirmed that it and its partners are exploring a Global Materials Data Hub to consolidate open-access information about material flows and their impacts.

At the policy level, Potočnik argued that governments should stop rewarding extraction-based economic success and instead reward responsible, innovative ways of meeting human needs.

Takeaway: The next regulatory test is the forthcoming EU Circular Economy Act: the European Commission says the initiative will seek a single market for secondary raw materials, a larger supply of high-quality recycled materials and stronger demand, which will determine whether Potočnik’s call for material-use targets can become workable policy.