An urgent need for reform
The unsustainable use of EU natural resources, in particular the degradation and pollution of soils, is a major driver of the climate and biodiversity crises. It has already cost thousands of lives and billions of euro.
Droughts, wildfires, water scarcity and flood risks are rapidly increasing, and are already tragically affecting three quarters of European countries.
Loss of yields due to degraded environment, pollution, droughts, heatwaves, floods and new pests come at a cost to farmers and fishers. But they are also costly for citizens as they increase food prices.
The European Commission is proposing measures whose long-term economic, social, health and environmental benefits will ensure the sustainable use of the EU’s natural resources
Soil is a crucial, living natural resource, essential for the environment, economy and society. It is a non-renewable natural resource, where hundreds of thousands of species interact and work together. Soils deliver a wealth of ecosystem services on which we depend to prevent disasters, mitigate climate change and ensure food security.
With the proposed soil monitoring law, the Commission wants to put the EU on a pathway to healthy soils by 2050, by gathering data on soil health and making it available to farmers and other soil managers. The proposal:
- provides a clear common definition of soil health
- puts in place a solid and coherent monitoring framework
- will make sustainable soil management the norm
- requires Member States to identify and investigate potentially contaminated sites and address unacceptable risks for human health and the environment
Better data on soils can:
- support innovation, technological and organisational solutions in farming practices
- improve the understanding of trends on droughts, water retention and erosion, to strengthen disaster prevention and management
- provide new business, innovation and job opportunities for farmers and land managers
New technologies can help boost resilience for both agriculture and forested land and protect harvests from the effects of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. New Genomic Techniques (NGT) are innovative tools that help increase the sustainability and resilience of our food system.
They allow us to develop improved plant varieties that are climate resilient, pest resistant, that require less fertilisers and pesticides and can ensure higher yields. This helps to cut the use and risk of chemical pesticides in half, and reduce the EUs dependency on agricultural imports.
What are New Genomic Techniques?
NGTs are techniques that can help breed new plant varieties faster, and with higher precision than classical breeding techniques, such as seed selection or cross-breeding. NGTs can produce a wide diversity of plant products. These plants may have only small changes that might also occur in nature or through classic breeding or they may have more complex modifications.
With the new rules the European Commission wants to ensure a high level of protection of health and the environment, to contribute to sustainability in a wide range of plant species, and to create opportunities for research and innovation.
The proposal:
- establishes two categories of plants obtained by NGTs – plants comparable to naturally occurring variations and plants with more complex modifications
- provides incentives to steer development of plants in support of sustainability goals
- ensures transparency about all NGT plants on the EU market (for example, through labelling of seeds)
- makes provision for robust monitoring of economic, environmental and social impacts of NGT products
Improving plant and forest reproductive material
The European seed sector is the largest exporter in the global seed market.
Plant reproductive material is used for the reproduction of other plants (seeds, cuttings, roots and tubers etc.). Forest reproductive material on the other hand refers to seeds, plants and parts of tree species that are used to create forests and plant trees. It is important that the legislation is up to speed with the evolution of science.
With the proposed regulation, the Commission wants to increase the diversity and quality of seeds, cuttings, and other plant reproductive material. This will guarantee stable yields and seeds adapted to the pressures of climate change, preserve genetic diversity of cultivated crops and contribute to ensuring food security.
With regards to forest reproductive materials, the new rules will help ensure that the right tree is planted in the right place, so that forests are better adapted to climate change.
Reducing food and textile waste
Reducing food and textile waste can contribute to a more efficient use of natural resources and further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from these sectors.
Tackling food waste
The EU and its Member States are committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to halve per capita global food waste at retail and consumer level by 2030. To accelerate the EU's progress, the Commission proposes that, by 2030, Member States reduce food waste:
- by 10%, in processing and manufacturing
- by 30% (per capita) in retail, restaurants food services and households
Tackling food waste saves food for human consumption, helps businesses and consumers to save money, and lowers the environmental impact of food production and consumption.
Sustainable and circular textiles
European consumption of textiles has the fourth highest impact on the environment and climate change, after food, housing and mobility. It is also one of the top three pressures on water and land use, and the top five in terms of raw material use and greenhouse gas emissions in the EU.
To tackle textile waste, the Commission proposes rules to make producers responsible for the full lifecycle of textile products and to support the sustainable management of textile waste across the EU:
- introducing mandatory and harmonised Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles in all EU Member States, with producers covering the costs of management of textile waste
- making it easier for Member States to implement the requirement to collect textiles separately from 2025
- promoting research and development into innovative technologies for circularity of the textiles sector addressing the issue of illegal exports of textile waste to countries ill-equipped to manage it
Increasing the availability of used textiles is expected to create local jobs and save money for consumers in the EU and beyond, while alleviating the impacts of textile production on natural resources.