Waste-to-energy is crucial to the Clean Industrial Deal – ESWET

According to ESWET, waste-to-energy (WtE) plays a crucial role in producing affordable, reliable energy, a core pillar of the Clean Industrial Deal.

By converting non-recyclable waste into stable, locally produced energy, WtE reduces dependence on fossil fuels and supports industrial electrification and district heating.

This aligns with the EU Commission’s Action Plan for Affordable Energy, which seeks to lower energy costs and break free from fossil fuel volatility.

WtE also advances the Clean Industrial Deal’s goal to strengthen Europe’s leadership in the circular economy by increasing secondary raw material use and reducing landfill reliance.

WtE achieves this by treating residual, non-recyclable waste, and by recovering materials such as metals, and minerals, as well as valuable energy in the form of electricity, heat, steam, renewable, and low-carbon fuels.

In doing so, WtE diverts this non-recyclable waste from landfills, in line with the waste hierarchy and the upcoming Circular Economy Act.

In addition, WtE promotes the Clean Industrial Deal’s goal of enhancing decarbonization, thanks to the integration of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies in WtE plants.

By capturing fossil and biogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions with CCUS, the WtE sector further accelerates emissions reduction and removal, supporting the upcoming Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act.

This effort aligns with the Clean Industrial Deal, which emphasizes the importance of CleanTech manufacturing in Europe.

ESWET members already provide state-of-the-art solutions that boost Europe’s industrial competitiveness while fostering decarbonization. However, to realize the full potential of WtE, ESWET calls on EU policymakers to:

• Recognize WtE as a strategic sector in Europe’s industrial decarbonization strategy;
• Ensure fair treatment of WtE in the EU Taxonomy and Emissions Trading System (ETS);
• Establish harmonized End-of-Waste criteria for recovered materials;
• Facilitate CCUS investments for WtE with financial incentives and regulatory clarity, and
• Promote WtE’s role in district heating, as part of Europe’s energy resilience.

ESWET says that it “remains committed to working with the EU institutions, EU member states, and industry stakeholders to ensure WtE’s essential role in Europe’s sustainable industrial transition.”

Waste-to-Energy is a proven solution for energy security, circularity, competitiveness, and industrial decarbonization. We urge policymakers to fully integrate WtE in Europe’s clean industrial future, said Patrick Clerens, Secretary-General of ESWET.