Europe has a resource problem:
A €29 billion raw materials trade deficit in 2023.
Nearly 100% of heavy rare-earth elements are imported from China.
Recycling rates for lithium and rare earths are below 1%.
The EU’s material footprint stands at roughly 14 tonnes per capita per year, well above what scientists consider sustainable within planetary boundaries.
The Circular Economy Act, due for adoption in 2026, is the Commission’s answer: a Single Market for secondary raw materials, harmonising rules across all 27 Member States. The EU circularity rate today sits at 12%. The target: 24% by 2030. Most importantly, unlike previous circular economy strategies, this one is framed as industrial competitiveness.
At the same time, the EU PPWR gets its first interpretive guidance. The Commission released a draft Notice clarifying key concepts, which applies from 12 August 2026.
What counts as “packaging”? Wider than you think - flower pots, adhesive foils, dust bags for shoes.
The Notice also confirms PFAS restrictions for food-contact packaging, clarifies producer vs. manufacturer responsibilities (especially around QR codes on reusable packaging), and pushes for consistent enforcement across Member States.
We covered PPWR, explained like I’m Five here. And if you’re wondering which PFAS ban applies to your case specifically, we mapped that too.
Meanwhile, China is also quietly moving. Its new Corporate Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS) look a bit leaner than the EU’s CSRD (post-Omnibus). It is built on ISSB foundations, so immediately relatable for global companies. We broke it down in our Toccographic: China’s Unified CSDS.
Further Reading⋅ Material Intelligence & More ⋅ 02.2026
(Global 🍌) - Banana Fibre, Explained like I’m Five
We have no clue why Banana Fibre is such a hot topic on Tocco.earth, but we follow this trend and wrote a summary.
(Global 🌏) - Tocco’s Picks Q1 2026: 9 Material Innovators
Salmon leather, grass acoustics, mycelium panels, our conversations with 9 Material Innovators.
(USA 🇺🇸) - How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet
Spoiler Alert: DuPont & PFAS. Don’t watch this Veritasium video when you’re eating, though.
(Global 🌏) - Who cares about Carbon Accounting? ExxonMobil
Financial Times made an investigation. Exxon’s interest in pushing emissions accounting down the value chain is predictable. But we probably need something else than better accounting.
(The Netherlands 🇳🇱) - Court Rules That Dutch Climate Policy Is Insufficient, Violates Human Rights Law
The Hague District Court found the Netherlands’ failure to protect Bonaire residents from climate change to be discriminatory.
(France 🇫🇷) - Recupere Metals Raises €5m
Recupere Metals has raised €5m to help build a sovereign copper supply for Europe.
(Canada🇨🇦 ) - Cyclic Materials Secures USD $75M
Cyclic Materials secured Series C funding to fast-track local and resilient rare earths supply at global scale.