BRIEFING - TAKE ACTION NOW: REDUCE RESOURCE USE FOR A FAIRER,

The Conclusions of climate neutrality, the EU Environmental Council meeting on 17 June 2024 acknowledged that the EU’s consumption level social justice and a is unsustainable and urged the European Commis- sion to assess the establishment of an EU long-term resilient economy objective for sustainable resource use as well as an overarching legal framework. [...] Such a framework can build on the experiences of EU Member States that have already adopted resource reduction This briefing was prepared by the Sufficiency targets, such as Austria, Belgium, Finland, Spain, Coalition and the Resource Use Reduction and the Netherlands. [...] EU – Seas towards a circular economy”) in 2015, which stated: At Risk – Zero Waste Europe “Emphasises that addressing resource scar- city requires reducing the extraction and use of resources and an absolute decoupling of growth from the use of natural resources.” [...] Endnotes “There is an urgent need for an overall reduction 1 According to the Global Resources Outlook, resource extrac- in resou. [...] 2 The material footprint, or raw material consumption, is an As a follow-up on this report, the new indicator that assesses the amount of raw materials extracted from nature, both inside and outside the EU, to manufacture or European Parliament now has the histo- provide the goods and services consumed by EU citizens. [...] ric opportunity to adopt a legislative 3 According to the EEA, it is unlikely that the EU will significant- ly reduce the per capita consumption in the coming decade as initiative report (INL) on a Resource- there has been no progress so far, while projections show an wise Europe to call on the European increase in the future demand for materials.