Future

The European Commission itself states on the follow-up to the Circular Economy Action Plan that if the European Union wants to maintain its leadership role in the design and production of circular products and services, circularity must become the backbone of the industrial strategy. For example, circularity must be introduced in new areas and sectors, life cycle assessments of products must become the norm and the framework for eco-design must be broadened as much as possible (European Commission, 2019). Eco-design looks at the whole life cycle of a product or process and addresses the highest environmental impacts first.