European need for a shared vision
Unlike in the recycling industry, cross-sectoral activities to facilitate knowledge transfer and promote the remanufacturing industry have been neglected in Europe over recent years. Major industrial competitors, like the US and China, possess a strategy for remanufacturing within their industrial landscape. European remanufacturing could lose its competitiveness. Hence, there is a real need for a European-level solution to encourage remanufacturing throughout Europe.
ERN funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, surveyed the level of remanufacturing activity by sector across the EU It generated a number of high impact actions which could boost remanufacturing, for practitioners, policy-makers and researchers. Follow-ons to ERN should address the research pillar, support for the remanufacturing industry; and the policy and strategy needs of business through sector-focussed representation
Manufacturing industry
Manufacturing industry is the largest employment sector and the biggest contributor to the GDP of industrialized nations (34 million people contributing about 14.5% of the total GDP in EU-27 countries) and so can be considered an important driver of their well-being and prosperity. It is also a major consumer of material and energy as well as a significant source of waste (about 14% of the 2,652 million tonnes of waste generated in EU-27 countries in 2008). This impact can be reduced and mitigated by employing Circular Economy principles, high amongst which is the practice of remanufacturing. Remanufacturing has proven benefits in material, emissions and financial terms but its scope requires expansion in existing and new product areas.
Conseil Européen de Remanufacture
(European Remanufacturing council, CER)
The council is the focal point for remanufacturing dialogue in Europe, representing the industry to policy makers at scale. The CER provides opportunities to influence policy by communicating the cross-sector issues and challenges to be tackled and advocating for the support needed to promote the growth of remanufacturing.
The Commission has welcomed the work being done on a Remanufacturing Council. There is a clear need to reap the potential of remanufacturing in support of the circular economy.
Conseil Européen de RemanufactureHorizon 2020 Framework
ERN was established under the Horizon 2020 Framework by the European Commission with grant agreement number 645984. Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe’s global competitiveness.