Commission flags fertilisers as a showcase for low-carbon and recycled nutrients reducing import dependencies, emissions and prices for farmers. CID may open door for actions on P-recycling, P4, bioeconomy, investments.
The fertilisers industry is flagged as an illustration of the potential of the CID, with low-carbon and recycled nutrient fertilisers (page 16).
The European Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal (CID) aims to make decarbonisation a driver for economic growth, quality jobs and business resilience, by removing dependency on energy prices and imported resources, and in parallel circularity, to maximise resource use and reduce import dependencies, making the EU more competitive and resilient. Sectorial plans will be developed for automotive, steel and metals, chemicals (adoption late 2025), transport and the bioeconomy. Significant funds will be mobilised for investments in clean transition, decarbonisation and circularity.
Specific policies announced include:
- Introducing sustainability, resilience and ‘made in Europe’ criteria in Public Procurement (see also: “ESPP input submitted: Evaluation of public procurement directives” in ESPP eNews n°95),
- Trans-Regional Circularity Hubs
- Possible company joint purchasing for Critical Raw Materials (phosphates, P4), in an EU Critical Raw Materials Centre,
- Incentivise diversion from landfill to recycling and more effective separative collection,
- Work with Member States to green tax systems,
- Facilitate trade and investment partnerships (ESPP comment: could be relevant for phosphate and phosphorus chemicals?),
- Support investments in green energies, electricity grid and storage
The CID includes (page 14) indications concerning the Circular Economy Act planned for 2026. This will aim to:
- “enable the free movement of circular products, secondary raw materials and waste, foster a higher supply of high quality recyclates and stimulate demand for secondary materials and circular products while bringing down feedstock costs”,
- “harmonise “end of waste” criteria to facilitate the transition from waste to valuable secondary raw materials”,
- “simplify, digitalise and expand in a targeted manner extended producer responsibility”
- “boost demand through criteria for public procurement”
- “mandate the use of new raw material sources like recycled and bio-based materials to substitute, for example, virgin fossil materials in plastics”.
European Commission “Clean Industrial Deal. A plan for EU competitiveness and decarbonisation”, 26th February 2025 https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/clean-industrial-deal_en