Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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An effective transition to a circular economy in Ireland will transform the way materials and resources are consumed, and how the products that households and businesses use are designed and marketed. It will also prevent waste generation, reduce consumption, and extend the productive life of goods. Delivering a circular economy will ensure a focus and increased consumer awareness on the broader impacts of consumption patterns beyond waste generation, and enable more sustainable consumer choices.

The Government’s Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, published in 2020, reconfirms the link between the circular economy and climate action and mandates a whole-of-government approach to ensure a successful transition to a circular economy. The Whole-of-Government Circular Economy Strategy 2022-2023, published in December 2021, sets out an overall policy approach to achieving a circular economy, including the development of a circular economy for consumer goods. The next iteration of the strategy is currently being developed by my Department and will set out targets for, inter alia, reductions in material resource consumption across a range of sectors including the retail and packaging sectors. These national policy developments are in line with policy developments at EU level, including the European Green Deal and the New Circular Economy Action Plan, which commit to sustainable consumption and transferring the EU into a circular economy.