Open Access

Stephanie Harfensteller, Sarah Behnam, Vicky Panagiotopoulou, Geraldine Brennan, Julianne Hess

• The Shift: Move from "Waste Management" to "Value Lifecycle Management" through circular strategies which deliver strategic autonomy, resilience and competitiveness. The Goal: Establish Europe as the global leader in High-R Manufacturing by 2050. The EFFRA Circularity Working Group (WG) has developed a White Paper that positions circularity as a core driver of Europe’s industrial competitiveness, resilience, and net-zero ambitions. The document provides a critical assessment of the current state of European manufacturing, highlighting persistent linear practices, recycling-heavy but reuse- and remanufacturing light systems, fragmented reverse logistics, and R&I funding models that still prioritise vertical silos over systemic circular solutions. The WG sets out a clear vision for 2026–2034 and beyond, calling for a shift from circular pilots at the margins to advanced circular strategies as the default model for European manufacturing. Central to this vision are high-value “R strategies” (reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishment), OEM-led remanufacturing embedded in core business models, factories retooled for disassembly and reintegration, and operational digital product passports and data frameworks enabling high-value retention circularity through life-extension. Who is this brief for? This brief is intended for the key actors involved in shaping and implementing Europe’s industrial transformation. The White Paper provides concrete R&I and policy recommendations, including making FP10 a true circular economy agenda, linking funding to verified life extension and service revenues, deploying regional reverse-logistics hubs, developing EU-wide circularity indicators, and embedding circular skills and microcredentials across manufacturing. Overall, the work of the Circularity WG positions Europe to move from linear survival to circular competitiveness, establishing a single circular market which positions the EU industrial base to evolve into global leaders in advanced circular manufacturing.