Ahead of the inaugural Strategic Dialogue on Steel and the upcoming Steel and Metals Action Plan, EuRIC, the voice of Europe’s recyclers has published a Circular Economy Action Plan for Recycled Metals to steer discussions on the future of the steel industry through the lens of decarbonisation and circularity.

The action plan highlights major roadblocks holding back Europe’s metals recycling sector: stagnating domestic demand for recycled metals, biased methodologies for defining green products, less focus on recyclers in key policies like the Clean Industrial Deal, and the lack of recyclers’ representation in EPR scheme governance. These barriers stifle investments and limit Europe’s ability to generate its own resources at a time when the EU27 remain trapped in reliance on third-country supplies.  

To turn challenges into opportunities, EuRIC’s action plan calls for addressing domestic demand through mandatory recycled content targets and preserving open and free trade as a necessary counter-outlet, while practically and effectively acknowledging recycling as the strategic industry it is. It urges policymakers to fully embed circular economy principles into existing and upcoming EU legislation and establish an ad hoc forum to facilitate dialogue across the metals value chain. 

“Before looking abroad for primary raw materials, Europe must first support its own industry – the recycling one – that produces high-quality, low-carbon resources that could be a game-changer for the EU’s environmental, economic, and strategic objectives. Yet, recycled materials often remain overlooked by European manufacturers and the recycling industry remains  insufficiently supported by EU policymakers. That’s why EuRIC’s Circular Economy Action Plan for Recycled Metals lays out six concrete measures to serve as a policy roadmap to change this and shape a circular and competitive future for the EU steel industry,” said Julia Ettinger, EuRIC’s Secretary General.

As the EU seeks to chart a way forward for the future of the metals industry and build resilience across supply chains, EU recyclers remain a key partner in delivering a circular, competitive, and self-sufficient Europe. We urge EU policymakers to take swift action and work closely with the recycling sector to turn policy ambitions into tangible results.