Coalition Backed Municipal Waste Inclusion in EU ETS
Cement Europe joined a group of organizations to push for waste incineration to be covered by the EU Emissions Trading System.
Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Electric Vehicles
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Cement Europe has joined a coalition of businesses and environmental groups to advocate for the inclusion of municipal waste incineration in the EU Emissions Trading System. The group submitted a joint letter to the European Parliament and Council to support the European Commission's proposal.
Why it matters
The coalition aims to strengthen the economic case for recycling by applying a consistent carbon-price signal across waste management options. This shift is intended to discourage the destruction of recyclable materials and support circular economy solutions.
The coalition, which includes organizations such as Plastics Europe and Zero Waste Europe, signed the letter to formalize their stance on the European Commission's proposal. The measure seeks to regulate waste incineration within the current EU carbon pricing framework.
The players
Cement Europe
Cement Europe is a coalition member and advocate for applying consistent carbon pricing across European waste-management options.
Carbon Market Watch
Carbon Market Watch is a signatory of the joint letter advocating for the inclusion of waste incineration in the EU emissions scheme.
Plastics Europe
Plastics Europe is an industry organization supporting the coalition proposal to strengthen the economic case for recycling.
European Environmental Bureau
The European Environmental Bureau is a coalition participant focused on policy shifts to encourage circular solutions.
Zero Waste Europe
Zero Waste Europe is an advocacy group that signed the letter to discourage the destruction of recyclable materials via incineration.
The details
The coalition argues that consistent carbon pricing will make recycling and reuse more economically attractive than incineration. By incorporating waste-management emissions into the broader European emissions trading framework, the group seeks to drive structural change in resource recovery.
Timeline
29 September 2026: The coalition signed a joint letter addressed to European officials.
Roadmap
This proposal marks a strategic attempt to integrate waste management into the EU Emissions Trading System, which currently targets heavy industrial emitters. This shift reflects a broader industry trajectory toward standardizing carbon costs to incentivize circularity over traditional disposal.
This policy change could influence the future cost and availability of recycled materials used in various manufacturing sectors, including automotive production. Buyers might eventually see price adjustments for products as companies pivot toward more sustainable, circular manufacturing inputs.
The takeaway
The move underscores a growing effort to ensure that carbon costs are accurately reflected in waste disposal to foster greener industrial practices. Readers can observe how these policy developments impact the availability of recycled materials in the products they purchase.
Further reading
Learn more about sustainable policy shifts in the Electric Vehicles section.
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Should waste incineration be included in the European carbon emissions trading system?
