| Dokumendiregister | Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium |
| Viit | 6-2/1063-1 |
| Registreeritud | 16.04.2024 |
| Sünkroonitud | 17.04.2024 |
| Liik | Sissetulev kiri |
| Funktsioon | 6 Rahvusvahelise koostöö korraldamine |
| Sari | 6-2 Rahvusvahelise koostöö korraldamise kirjavahetus |
| Toimik | 6-2/2024 |
| Juurdepääsupiirang | Avalik |
| Juurdepääsupiirang | |
| Adressaat | European Environmental Bureau |
| Saabumis/saatmisviis | European Environmental Bureau |
| Vastutaja | Ahti Kuningas (Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium, Kantsleri valdkond) |
| Originaal | Ava uues aknas |
Tähelepanu! Tegemist on välisvõrgust saabunud kirjaga. |
1
OPEN LETTER:
To:
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries
Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market
Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate
Willem van de Voorde, Belgian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the EU
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
Member State Ministers for environment, climate, energy and industry
Honourable European and national decision-makers,
We, the undersigned NGOs, academics, think tanks, trade unions, and industries call for an EU legislation on Sustainable Resource Management. This collective endorsement reflects a shared commitment to address the core challenges driving global crises and to champion an EU that thrives within planetary boundaries.
The EU’s outsized impact on climate, nature, and people:
Resource extraction and processing are the catalysts behind the most pressing challenges of our time, including global warming, biodiversity loss, water stress, pollution, and social injustices. We cannot address these challenges unless the EU, a major consumer using between 70% and 97% of the ‘safe operating space’ available for the whole world in terms of impacts from resource use, aligns with planetary boundaries and reduces its outsized impact on the environment and people. While the EU has introduced new measures and targets on climate and biodiversity, there is a crucial gap in current European legislation on resource consumption, underscoring the need for a new law with science-based and binding resource reduction targets.
Our proposal for a legislative framework:
We are calling for an EU Directive that will set binding EU material footprint reduction targets to 5 tonnes per capita by 2050 in line with the best available research on sustainable consumption levels, with incremental targets to monitor and ensure progress.
The Directive will steer the EU and its Member States to develop implementation strategies, emphasising reductions in high-consumption sectors like transport, construction, and digital industries, and to develop sector-specific roadmaps with binding sub-targets. This approach can support a just transition, in line with ILO guidelines, while respecting workers’ rights. The Directive will also ensure the EU’s strategic autonomy and reduce supply chain vulnerabilities.
To respect people’s rights and ensure social justice, the Directive will push for the redistribution of resources and the redressal of inequality in Europe through measures such as redistributive taxes and social programmes.
To bolster scientific guidance, the Directive will establish an EU Scientific Advisory Board on Sustainable Resource Management. Additionally, it needs to include a commitment to global engagement, aligning with the UN International Resources Panel towards a Global Resource Treaty to create a pathway towards equitable use of resources globally.
Yes to an EU legislation on Sustainable Resource Management
Brussels,
16 April 2024
2
Benefits for everyone:
1. Addressing the ecological crises: Reducing material extraction and use is crucial to mitigating environmental harm and thus essential for achieving decarbonisation and biodiversity goals.
2. Transitioning to a true circular economy: Circularity is impossible without a holistic shift towards strategies that reduce production and consumption, such as sufficiency, repair and reuse.
3. Achieving strategic autonomy: Reducing dependence on external sources will foster strategic autonomy, enhancing resilience in case of shocks and conflicts.
4. Fostering global peace & security: Mitigating risk factors linked to resource exploitation such as violence, poverty, and poor governance, will promote global peace and security.
5. Delivering resource justice: Reducing resource consumption in Europe will enable lower-income countries to exercise their right to thrive and meet their own needs through a fairer global distribution of natural resources.
6. Respecting human & workers’ rights: The initiative will bolster broader efforts to ensure respect for human and workers’ rights, particularly in EU value chains.
7. Towards societal wellbeing & equity: Reducing resource consumption is pivotal for transitioning to a future-proof economic model that prioritises the wellbeing of people and the planet.
The time is now
Acknowledging the existing political will within the European Commission, European Parliament, and among EU Member States such as Austria, Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands, this collective endorsement seeks to channel and amplify citizen support, as surveys and popular manifestos underscore a rising number of Europeans advocating for a more resource-conscious society.
Now is the time for EU legislation on Sustainable Resource Management. We call for a rapid and well-prepared shift towards a fair, autonomous, resilient, and sustainable EU economy within planetary boundaries.
Signed,
3
Co-signatories:
1. 11.11.11
2. ACDESPE
3. ACR+
4. Aliança Social-democrata
5. Amigos de la Tierra
6. Amis de la Terre France
7. Association For Promotion Sustainable Development
8. Bond Beter Leefmilieu
9. Break Free From Plastic (Europe)
10. Broederlijk Delen
11. CANOPEA
12. Caritas Europa
13. CATAPA
14. CEE Bankwatch Network
15. Centrum pasivního domu, z.s.
16. Clean Air Action Group
17. ClientEarth
18. Commown
19. Community Resources Network Ireland
20. CricE Malta
21. Danish Society for Nature Conservation
22. Deutsche Umwelthilfe
23. DKA Austria
24. Društvo Ekologi brez meja
25. ECOCITY
26. EcoCore
27. ECOLISE
28. Eco-union
29. Ecologistas en Acción
30. Economy for the Common Good
31. En Mode Climat
32. Environmental Engineering
30. Ethikis - Label LONGTIME®
31. European Anti-Poverty Network
32. European Health Futures Forum
33. Fair Trade Advocacy Office
34. Fairphone
35. Feasta: the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability
36. Federación de Consumidores y Usuarios CECU
37. Feedback EU
38. Fern
39. Focus Association for Sustainable Development
40. France Nature Environnement
41. Friends of the Earth Croatia
42. Friends of the Earth Cyprus
43. Friends of the Earth Malta
44. FSU
45. Fundación Renovables
46. Germanwatch e.V.
47. Global2000
48. GreenFormation
49. Greenpeace
50. Grootouders voor het Klimaat Belgium
51. HOP // Halte à l'Obsolescence Programmée
52. Humusz Szövetség
53. iFixit GmbH
54. INCIEN - Institute of Circular Economy
55. Institute for Circular Economy
56. Institute for Political Ecology
57. Jane Goodall Institute
58. KYKLOS
4
61. Kyoto Club
62. Les Amis de la Terre Belgique
63. Make Mothers Matter
64. Milieudefensie
65. More Than Enough
66. Mouvement Impact France
67. NaZemi
68. New European Reuse Alliance
69. NEW STANDARD.S
70. NOAH - Friends of the Earth Denmark
71. ÖKOBÜRO - Alliance of the Environmental Movement
72. Oxfam
73. Polish Foundation for Energy Efficiency
74. Polish Zero Waste Association
75. PowerShift
76. Protect Our Winters Europe
77. ReGeneration 2030
78. Reloop
79. Repair Cafe
80. Repair Together asbl
81. Repair&Share
82. Repairably
83. Rethink Plastic Alliance
84. Retorna
85. Right to Repair Europe
86. Safe Food Advocacy Europe
87. Scientist Rebellion Netherlands
88. Simavi
89. Sociedade Ecológica Estudantil da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa
90. SOLIDAR
91. Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
90. United Kingdom Without Incineration Network
91. UNSW Sydney
92. Veblen Institute for Economic Reforms
93. VOICE
94. VšĮ "Žiedinė ekonomika"
95. Wellbeing Economy Alliance
96. World Fund
97. World Organization of the Scout Movement
98. Youth and Environment Europe
99. ZERO - Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System
100. Zero Waste Austria
101. Zero Waste Kiel e.V.
102. Zero Waste North West
Academics:
103. Eloi Laurent Senior Economist Sciences Po, Standford University
104. Else Skjold Associate Professor Royal Danish Academy
105. Jessika Luth Richter Researcher IIIEE, Lund University
106. Prof. Dr. Andreas Braun Human-Environment Interaction University of Kassel
107. Prof. Dr. Stefan Bringezu Director at the Center for Environmental Systems Research
108. Stefan Giljum Associate Professor Vienna University of Economics and Business
109. Stephan Lutter Senior Researcher Vienna University of Economics and Business
110. Prof. Thomas Wiedmann Professor of Sustainability Research University of New South Wales
To: Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
Virginijus SinkeviÄŤius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries
Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market
Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate
Willem van de Voorde, Belgian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the EU
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
Member State Ministers for environment, climate, energy and industry
Your Excellency,
On behalf of Patrick ten Brink please find attached an open letter titled "Yes to an EU Legislation on Sustainable Resource Management," endorsed by more than 100 organisations spanning civil society, industry, trade unions, as well as experts from academia.
This initiative highlights the critical need for demand-side solutions to address our triple planetary crisis, protect workers rights and achieve strategic autonomy. It is a call to action to uphold our shared responsibility towards environmental stewardship, economic resilience, and societal wellbeing.
Given the urgency of this matter, we kindly request a response regarding your stance on this initiative. Your feedback will greatly assist us in our ongoing efforts to advance sustainable resource management practices within the EU.
Thank you for your consideration. We remain at your disposal to discuss this matter further.
Yours sincerely,
Alina Lukianova
Secretary
European Environmental Bureau
Rue des Deux Eglises 14-16, B-1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 289 10 90
Email: alina.lukianova@eeb.org
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BCE identification number: 0415.814.848
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Our privacy policy can be found on our website
1
OPEN LETTER:
To:
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries
Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Internal Market
Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate
Willem van de Voorde, Belgian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the EU
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
Member State Ministers for environment, climate, energy and industry
Honourable European and national decision-makers,
We, the undersigned NGOs, academics, think tanks, trade unions, and industries call for an EU legislation on Sustainable Resource Management. This collective endorsement reflects a shared commitment to address the core challenges driving global crises and to champion an EU that thrives within planetary boundaries.
The EU’s outsized impact on climate, nature, and people:
Resource extraction and processing are the catalysts behind the most pressing challenges of our time, including global warming, biodiversity loss, water stress, pollution, and social injustices. We cannot address these challenges unless the EU, a major consumer using between 70% and 97% of the ‘safe operating space’ available for the whole world in terms of impacts from resource use, aligns with planetary boundaries and reduces its outsized impact on the environment and people. While the EU has introduced new measures and targets on climate and biodiversity, there is a crucial gap in current European legislation on resource consumption, underscoring the need for a new law with science-based and binding resource reduction targets.
Our proposal for a legislative framework:
We are calling for an EU Directive that will set binding EU material footprint reduction targets to 5 tonnes per capita by 2050 in line with the best available research on sustainable consumption levels, with incremental targets to monitor and ensure progress.
The Directive will steer the EU and its Member States to develop implementation strategies, emphasising reductions in high-consumption sectors like transport, construction, and digital industries, and to develop sector-specific roadmaps with binding sub-targets. This approach can support a just transition, in line with ILO guidelines, while respecting workers’ rights. The Directive will also ensure the EU’s strategic autonomy and reduce supply chain vulnerabilities.
To respect people’s rights and ensure social justice, the Directive will push for the redistribution of resources and the redressal of inequality in Europe through measures such as redistributive taxes and social programmes.
To bolster scientific guidance, the Directive will establish an EU Scientific Advisory Board on Sustainable Resource Management. Additionally, it needs to include a commitment to global engagement, aligning with the UN International Resources Panel towards a Global Resource Treaty to create a pathway towards equitable use of resources globally.
Yes to an EU legislation on Sustainable Resource Management
Brussels,
16 April 2024
2
Benefits for everyone:
1. Addressing the ecological crises: Reducing material extraction and use is crucial to mitigating environmental harm and thus essential for achieving decarbonisation and biodiversity goals.
2. Transitioning to a true circular economy: Circularity is impossible without a holistic shift towards strategies that reduce production and consumption, such as sufficiency, repair and reuse.
3. Achieving strategic autonomy: Reducing dependence on external sources will foster strategic autonomy, enhancing resilience in case of shocks and conflicts.
4. Fostering global peace & security: Mitigating risk factors linked to resource exploitation such as violence, poverty, and poor governance, will promote global peace and security.
5. Delivering resource justice: Reducing resource consumption in Europe will enable lower-income countries to exercise their right to thrive and meet their own needs through a fairer global distribution of natural resources.
6. Respecting human & workers’ rights: The initiative will bolster broader efforts to ensure respect for human and workers’ rights, particularly in EU value chains.
7. Towards societal wellbeing & equity: Reducing resource consumption is pivotal for transitioning to a future-proof economic model that prioritises the wellbeing of people and the planet.
The time is now
Acknowledging the existing political will within the European Commission, European Parliament, and among EU Member States such as Austria, Belgium, Finland and the Netherlands, this collective endorsement seeks to channel and amplify citizen support, as surveys and popular manifestos underscore a rising number of Europeans advocating for a more resource-conscious society.
Now is the time for EU legislation on Sustainable Resource Management. We call for a rapid and well-prepared shift towards a fair, autonomous, resilient, and sustainable EU economy within planetary boundaries.
Signed,
3
Co-signatories:
1. 11.11.11
2. ACDESPE
3. ACR+
4. Aliança Social-democrata
5. Amigos de la Tierra
6. Amis de la Terre France
7. Association For Promotion Sustainable Development
8. Bond Beter Leefmilieu
9. Break Free From Plastic (Europe)
10. Broederlijk Delen
11. CANOPEA
12. Caritas Europa
13. CATAPA
14. CEE Bankwatch Network
15. Centrum pasivního domu, z.s.
16. Clean Air Action Group
17. ClientEarth
18. Commown
19. Community Resources Network Ireland
20. CricE Malta
21. Danish Society for Nature Conservation
22. Deutsche Umwelthilfe
23. DKA Austria
24. Društvo Ekologi brez meja
25. ECOCITY
26. EcoCore
27. ECOLISE
28. Eco-union
29. Ecologistas en Acción
30. Economy for the Common Good
31. En Mode Climat
32. Environmental Engineering
30. Ethikis - Label LONGTIME®
31. European Anti-Poverty Network
32. European Health Futures Forum
33. Fair Trade Advocacy Office
34. Fairphone
35. Feasta: the Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability
36. Federación de Consumidores y Usuarios CECU
37. Feedback EU
38. Fern
39. Focus Association for Sustainable Development
40. France Nature Environnement
41. Friends of the Earth Croatia
42. Friends of the Earth Cyprus
43. Friends of the Earth Malta
44. FSU
45. Fundación Renovables
46. Germanwatch e.V.
47. Global2000
48. GreenFormation
49. Greenpeace
50. Grootouders voor het Klimaat Belgium
51. HOP // Halte à l'Obsolescence Programmée
52. Humusz Szövetség
53. iFixit GmbH
54. INCIEN - Institute of Circular Economy
55. Institute for Circular Economy
56. Institute for Political Ecology
57. Jane Goodall Institute
58. KYKLOS
4
61. Kyoto Club
62. Les Amis de la Terre Belgique
63. Make Mothers Matter
64. Milieudefensie
65. More Than Enough
66. Mouvement Impact France
67. NaZemi
68. New European Reuse Alliance
69. NEW STANDARD.S
70. NOAH - Friends of the Earth Denmark
71. ÖKOBÜRO - Alliance of the Environmental Movement
72. Oxfam
73. Polish Foundation for Energy Efficiency
74. Polish Zero Waste Association
75. PowerShift
76. Protect Our Winters Europe
77. ReGeneration 2030
78. Reloop
79. Repair Cafe
80. Repair Together asbl
81. Repair&Share
82. Repairably
83. Rethink Plastic Alliance
84. Retorna
85. Right to Repair Europe
86. Safe Food Advocacy Europe
87. Scientist Rebellion Netherlands
88. Simavi
89. Sociedade Ecológica Estudantil da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa
90. SOLIDAR
91. Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
90. United Kingdom Without Incineration Network
91. UNSW Sydney
92. Veblen Institute for Economic Reforms
93. VOICE
94. VšĮ "Žiedinė ekonomika"
95. Wellbeing Economy Alliance
96. World Fund
97. World Organization of the Scout Movement
98. Youth and Environment Europe
99. ZERO - Association for the Sustainability of the Earth System
100. Zero Waste Austria
101. Zero Waste Kiel e.V.
102. Zero Waste North West
Academics:
103. Eloi Laurent Senior Economist Sciences Po, Standford University
104. Else Skjold Associate Professor Royal Danish Academy
105. Jessika Luth Richter Researcher IIIEE, Lund University
106. Prof. Dr. Andreas Braun Human-Environment Interaction University of Kassel
107. Prof. Dr. Stefan Bringezu Director at the Center for Environmental Systems Research
108. Stefan Giljum Associate Professor Vienna University of Economics and Business
109. Stephan Lutter Senior Researcher Vienna University of Economics and Business
110. Prof. Thomas Wiedmann Professor of Sustainability Research University of New South Wales