EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP)

Over the past decade, the focus on environmental issues has grown exponentially, resulting in various global commitments and initiatives aimed at transforming current institutional, economic, and financial models.

The EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) is reshaping the way businesses produce, consume, manage resources. As a core pillar of the European Green Deal, it sets ambitious targets to reduce waste, increase recycling, and promote sustainable production.

For businesses, compliance is just one side of the coin—this plan also presents strategic opportunities for cost savings, innovation, and sustainability leadership. This training will equip you with the knowledge and tools to turn regulatory requirements into a competitive advantage.

By the end of this training, participants will:

• understand the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and its key objectives;
• learn regulatory requirements and affected industries;
• identify business challenges and compliance obligations;
• explore opportunities for circular business models sustainability leadership;
• gain insights into the future impact of CEAP on supply chains and product design.

• Introduction to the EU Circular Economy Action Plan
  • What is CEAP, and why is it critical for the EU’s Green Transition?
  • Link between CEAP and the European Green Deal
  • How CEAP fits with other EU regulations (DPP, CSRD, ESPR, Waste Framework Directive)
  • Key milestones and timeline for implementation
• Key regulatory pillars of the CEAP
  • Sustainable product design - Ecodesign and digital product passports
  • Waste prevention and recycling targets - Stricter rules for producers
  • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes
  • New rules for high-impact industries:
    • Electronics and ICT: right to repair, modular design
    • Textiles: sustainability labeling, end-of-life collection
    • Batteries and vehicles: resource efficiency and recycling mandates
    • Plastics and packaging: restrictions, reuse systems, bans on single-use plastics
• Compliance challenges and business impact
  • Supply chain adaptation: new obligations for suppliers and manufacturers
  • Data collection and reporting: sustainability, lifecycle analysis and transparency
  • Design and innovation hurdles: making products repairable and recyclable
  • Regulatory risks and enforcement: fines, market and restrictions, reputational risks
• Opportunities: business strategies for circularity
  • How to integrate circularity into business models
  • Innovative approaches: leasing, product-as-a-service, refurbishment markets
  • Financial incentives and green funding for circular business transformation
  • Competitive advantages: cost savings, sustainability bring, investor confidence
• Next steps for businesses
  • Regulatory readiness: key steps to prepare for CEAP requirements
  • Internal and external engagement: cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder alignment
  • Best practices: case studies of successful circular business models

This training is coordinated by Michael Horvath, Frédéric Vonner and Julien Jacqué, Partners at PwC Luxembourg.

Michael has acquired a strong financial and regulatory audit as well as advisory background and significant experience leading projects in the asset management sphere.

In the recent past, Michael has been particularly involved in various regulatory projects related to the implementation of the EU regulatory framework for sustainable finance (i.e. SFDR, taxonomy regulation, CSRD) at entity and product level. Michael is involved in various other regulatory projects for clients, from DORA, AML/CFT regulation over CSSF circular 18/698 to MICA.

From daily operations to regulatory compliance, Frédéric, Partner, has been helping local and global asset managers, fund service providers and banks for more than 20 years to successfully run their businesses.

His areas of focus are: UCITS, AIFMD and GDPR regulations, private equity and real estate, organisation setup and review, project management.

Frédéric is also engaged in sustainability and sustainable finance matters, delivering assignments ranging from strategy and regulatory compliance to practical implementation. He is an experienced trainer and course designer /facilitator for soft skills and technical trainings.

Julien is the EMEA Sustainability in Finance Transformation Leader at PwC and is actively engaged in PwC EMEA’s CSRD Centre of Excellence. With over 12 years of consulting experience, he currently oversees PwC LU’s Sustainability Reporting and Transformation services.

Julien holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Corporate Finance and has provided extensive support to clients in the implementation of data and technology solutions. Over the past few years, he has assisted both financial and corporate clients in their sustainability journey, spanning strategy, transformation, and reporting. Julien possesses both theoretical knowledge and practical expertise in ESG regulations such as CSRD, EU Taxonomy, EU ETS, and CBAM.