Elaine Campling, Chair of ESMA’s Health, Safety and Environmental Protection Committee, outlines the European Union’s Clean Industrial Deal and the impact it will have on the printing industry
“Remanufacturing is the process of returning a used product to at least its original performance with a warranty that is equivalent to or better than that of the newly manufactured product. From a customer viewpoint, the remanufactured product can be considered the same as a new product.” (Source – www.remanufacturing.eu/about-remanufacturing.php)
According to data released by the European Commission, the European remanufacturing market is projected to grow to €100 billion by 2030. As a result, 500,000 jobs will be created.
CLEAN INDUSTRIAL DEAL
The Clean Industrial Deal, recently presented by the Commission, aims to mobilise over €100 billion to support clean manufacturing made in the European Union (EU). The Deal outlines plans for decarbonisation. This is seen to be critical in lowering energy prices, as well as creating jobs and driving growth.
PRIMARY FOCUS
According to the European Commission, the primary focus of the Clean Industrial Deal is energy-intensive industries and clean technology. Energy-intensive industries such as steel, metals and chemicals “urgently need support to decarbonise, switch to clean energy and tackle high costs, unfair global competition and complex regulations.”
The clean-technology sector is necessary for industrial transformation, circularity and decarbonisation. In addition, circularity from waste reduction, recycling, reuse and sustainable production is critical to achieving a green transition.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DEAL
Affordable energy – The Commission refers to the adopted Affordable Energy Action Plan. The focus of this includes accelerating the roll-out of clean energy, pushing forward with electrification. Additionally, more efficient energy use and the cutting of dependence on imported fossil fuels. (Source – www.energy.ed.europa.eu/strategy/affordable-energy_en
Boosting demand for clean products – The Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act is in progress. It aims to increase demand for EU-made ‘clean products’. This can be achieved by introducing sustainability, resilience and made-in-Europe criteria in public and private procurements.
The Commission also reports that the Public Procurement Framework will be reviewed in 2026. This will introduce sustainability, resilience and European preference criteria in public procurement for strategic sectors.
Financing the Green Transition – The Clean Industrial Deal is expected to generate more than €100 billion to support EU-made clean manufacturing. Measures include adopting a new Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework to accelerate approval of state aid. This adoption will enable manufacturing “to roll out renewable energy, decarbonise industry and ensure sufficient manufacturing capacity of clean tech.”
Circularity and access to materials – The EU is heavily dependent on imports of critical raw materials from third countries. Supply chains are considered vulnerable due to a growing global demand in the shift towards a digital and green economy.
“Lithium, cobalt and nickel are used to produce batteries. Gallium is used in solar panels. Raw boron is used in wind technologies. Titanium and tungsten are used in the space and defence sectors.”
The European Raw Materials Act was introduced in 2024 (Regulation EU 2024/1252). Its purpose is to ensure the secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials for European industries. Another objective is to significantly lower dependency on imports from single country suppliers.
FURTHER MEASURES
Further measures are planned by the Commission with the Clean Industrial Deal. These include setting up a mechanism enabling European companies to come together and aggregate their demand for critical raw materials. In addition, creating an EU Critical Raw Materials Centre to jointly purchase raw materials on behalf of interested companies. This will create economies of scale and offer more leverage to negotiate better prices and conditions.
Other facets of the Clean Industrial Deal include plans to ensure that the EU industry is economically secure and resilient through a range of trade defence and other measures. A Union of Skills is planned to support the transition to a low-carbon economy by focusing on the skills required to support clean technologies and digitalisation. Horizontal enablers, considered necessary for progression, include the cutting of red tape and improvement of the co-ordination of policies at EU and national levels.
CONCLUSION
The print industry is focused on meeting challenges presented by the green transition. Sustainable printing has gained momentum, based on the use of eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient processes and responsible practices that minimise waste and pollution.
Products are being designed to reduce environmental impacts across life cycles. Manufacturers are often able to incorporate components and materials into new products. In some cases, flowing from recycling programmes. Repairability and recyclability of equipment and components is a critical element of the green transition. These aspects are being embraced by the print industry. The industry is undoubtedly going to play an important role in the green transition, through innovation, circularity and resilience.
