EU Circular Economy Bill Must Prioritize Workers and Safe Jobs

While the EU pushes the Circular Economy Act to boost resource efficiency, trade union representatives contend that the debate has ignored the workforce behind design, maintenance, collection and recycling. They call for the law to embed quality jobs, secure contracts, fair pay and robust social dialogue as explicit objectives, alongside material targets. Safety standards must be built into product design and enforced throughout the lifecycle, with full access to information on hazardous substances.

Funding, tax incentives and procurement should be conditional on compliance with labour, safety and fiscal rules, and waste export to jurisdictions lacking equivalent standards must be prohibited. The authors stress that without these safeguards, the circular economy could become a market of precarious work and environmental risk rather than a resilient, socially just system.