Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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11. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the provisions he intends to promote to facilitate the circular economy and the reuse and repair of household items; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49134/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to supporting the Circular Economy by embedding circularity across all stages of products’ lifecycles, from design, to production, to consumption.

The upcoming EU Circular Economy Act, due for adoption in 2026, aims to establish a Single Market for secondary raw materials, increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials and stimulate demand for these materials in the EU. It will contribute to the ambition set out in the Competitiveness Compass and the Clean Industrial Deal to make the EU the world leader on the circular economy by 2030 and to double the EU circularity rate.

My Department is responsible for the implementation of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation which is the cornerstone of the Commission’s approach to more environmentally sustainable and circular products. It ensures that household items are built to last, can be repaired and recycled, placing circularity and sustainability at the heart of product design.

My Department is also currently working on the transposition of the Right to Repair Directive, which will come into force in July 2026. It will introduce measures directly targeted at consumers, ensuring they will be able to access affordable, transparent and convenient repair options for their household items.

Additionally, through the Green Transition Directive, which will be transposed by March 2026 and will enter into force in September 2026, my Department will assist in tackling practices like greenwashing, the premature obsolescence of goods, and ensuring that consumers can trust sustainability claims.

It is important to note this is a whole of government matter. I welcome the second Circular Economy Strategy, which was recently launched. The objectives of this strategy are to increase material circularity, decouple economic growth from resource use, foster innovation, competitiveness and job creation.

The combination of all these measures underpins and supports a sustainable product policy framework and allows consumers to make informed choices that promote reuse, repair and the wider circular economy.