National strategies - Poland
According to the EU Environment Council Conclusion of June 2016, the regulations on the circular economy should be continued at the national level. In the case of Poland, a programme is developed in the form of a road map that supports the implementation of circular economy. Currently a draft of the programme is available.
"Road map - Transformation towards a circular economy" sets the directions for the transformation of the Polish economy from linear to circular model. The currently available draft has identified four Polish priorities.
Key priorities for building a circular economy in Poland.
1. innovation, strengthening cooperation between the industry and the science sector, and, as a result, implementing innovative solutions in the economy
2. creating a European market for secondary raw materials, where their flow would be facilitated
3. ensuring high quality of secondary raw materials, resulting from sustainable production and consumption
4. service sector development
In order to implement the mentioned priorities in the road map project, actions in the following areas have been distinguished:
Emphasis is given to potential to reduce waste generation in production activities and their optimal management in other production processes in order to increase the profitability of production in Poland and reduce its negative impact on the environment. In order to meet this potential, the following sub-areas and specific activities within them are highlighted:
- Wastes from mining, processing industry and energy
- Extended producer responsibility
- Environmental life cycle assessment
Activities mentioned in this area consists of measures to increase consumer awareness and reduce information asymmetry between market players (ensuring the availability of repair and spare parts information, better enforcement of guarantees, elimination of false claims about environmental impact, or determination of maximum shelf-life product without harm to the consumer and the environment). High emphasis is put on education in the scope of sustainable consumption conducted at all stages of education as well as proper management of municipal waste. Featured sub-areas are:
- Municipal waste,
- Food waste,
- Education
The development of the bioeconomy should result in limiting the negative impact of economic activities (conducted in accordance with the current model) on the natural environment. It also contributes to the creation of new jobs, in rural areas in particular. The identified sub-areas of activities are:
- Key activities in the area of creating conditions for the development of the bioeconomy
- Activities in the area of building local value chains and raw material base
- Activities in the area of energy
- Activities in the field of industry
The strategy raises the issue of cooperation, not only between consumers and producers, but also among producers between themselves and between entrepreneurs, scientists and the public sector. This cooperation is a key element of circular business models. There is a great potential for cooperation between all stakeholders, which, for example, may include: co-sharing of products, research results, technologies and raw materials. As a consequence of this cooperation, the productivity of resources increases significantly. This area draws attention to the entities of the social economy as a source of new solutions in the field of business models. These entities provide services tailored to the needs of the community, raise its awareness and reduce social exclusion.