As a member of the platform, Copa and Cogeca strongly believe that this could help in raising awareness of the importance of the circular economy, sharing knowledge and for proposing concrete ideas on how to implement and benefit from the circular economy. The agriculture and forestry sectors are already actively contributing to the circular and bioeconomy in the EU, through for example the sustainable production and use of residues, co- and by- products. But more research, innovation, knowledge transfer and investments are needed to maximise our potential.
Copa and Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said “We believe that fostering circular approaches could bring significant benefits to enhance the sustainability of our sectors from an economic, environment and social point of view and contribute to rural development. The circular economy provides new business opportunities especially for rural areas. The platform is a great tool to exchange knowledge and foster dialogue between various stakeholders working on the circular economy in the EU, National and regional level. In addition, the platform provides the opportunity to look at challenges to advance the circular economy in the EU, promote concrete measures and look how to ensure more policy coherence and synergies on this issue, he said.
