A lack of clarity in legal requirements is holding back the circular economy
The circular economy is still often held back by a lack of clarity regarding the application of existing regulations. This is shown in a report compiled by ecos in Basel and Rytec in Münsingen (Canton of Bern) for the Zurich Department of Construction. Furthermore, there is a lack of incentives for repair or reuse.
The circular economy is still being held back by a number of obstacles. A report compiled by Basel-based ecos and Münsingen-based Rytec for the Building Department of the Canton of Zurich has identified 71 such barriers. Of these, 28 stem from legal requirements, whilst 43 arise only during the actual implementation of regulatory provisions. Often, they only emerge during the implementation of regulations.
The construction and real estate sectors, with their high level of regulation, are particularly affected by regulatory barriers. Here, sustainability criteria are often not sufficiently binding or are given insufficient weight. Particularly when it comes to reuse, the scope for deviating from standards is not yet being utilised. Processes are still geared towards the linear rather than the circular economy.
In retail and logistics, the infrastructure for returning used goods and incentives for developing the necessary logistics are often still lacking. Private collection initiatives are held back by unclear scope for implementation. The circular economy in commerce and industry suffers, among other things, from a lack of incentives for repairs and reuse.
The report divides the barriers into four categories. The first three include those whose removal would have a significant impact. They are ranked according to the canton’s ability to influence them. The fourth category comprises measures with low impact and limited scope for influence.
In the next steps, the canton intends to focus on the two categories of barriers whose removal would have a significant impact and over which the canton has considerable influence. This concerns 33 barriers. The barriers of least relevance will not be pursued further.
The report is based on a survey of 122 people and workshops involving a total of 80 participants.