Ireland Launches ‘Accelerating Action’ Strategy to Drive Circular Economy Transition

Dublin: The government has unveiled a new national circular economy strategy, Accelerating Action, marking a significant step towards reducing waste and lowering carbon emissions. The strategy was launched by Climate and Environment Minister Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State for the Circular Economy Alan Dillon.

Minister O’Brien emphasised that every tonne of material recycled represents avoided carbon emissions, highlighting the environmental and climate benefits of a circular economy model.

Ambitious Circularity Targets

The strategy sets a goal of increasing Ireland’s circular material use rate by two percentage points annually, reaching 12% by 2030. To achieve this, local authorities will receive funding to establish reuse, repair and recycling hubs nationwide.

Six priority sectors have been identified:

• Manufacturing
• Bioeconomy
• Retail
• Packaging
• Textiles
• Electronics

National Pilot Repair Voucher Scheme

A key initiative under the strategy is the National Pilot Repair Voucher Scheme, which will encourage consumers to repair faulty electronic devices and appliances rather than replace them.

The scheme aims to:

• Reduce repair costs
• Extend product lifespans
• Cut waste and emissions

Running until 2028, the initiative will be supported by the Circular Economy Fund and is designed to strengthen Ireland’s repair and remanufacturing sector.

EU Repair Directive and Digital Product Passport

The strategy also commits to transposing the EU Repair Directive into Irish law, enabling further expansion of repair and remanufacturing industries.

In addition, a Digital Product Passport will be introduced to provide consumers with clear information on a product’s sustainability, circularity and regulatory compliance. Initially, the passport will apply to textiles, furniture, tyres and mattresses.

Construction and Manufacturing Roadmaps

A circularity roadmap for the construction sector will be published this year, alongside a proposed sectoral partnership between government and industry to accelerate circular practices in manufacturing and building.

Food Waste and Bioeconomy Measures

The Food Waste Prevention Strategy aims to cut food waste by 50% by 2030. A new National Bioeconomy Strategy and updated Food Waste Prevention Guidelines will also be introduced to promote sustainable biomass use.

Retail food services will be required to offer reusable container options from next year, while additional supports for repair, reuse and waste prevention will be rolled out.

Packaging and Textile Reforms

Ireland will implement the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, targeting:

• A 5% reduction in packaging waste by 2030
• A 90% collection rate for plastic bottles by 2029

Separate nationwide textile collection is also planned by 2030 under the forthcoming National Policy and Guidelines on Circular Textiles.

Irish Samachar English News

Kindly click to join WhatsApp group chat to get important news and breaking news from Irish Samachar