“Why are we not taking more important and advanced steps towards implementing the circular economy? Maybe out of fear. It is one of the reasons identified by us. Ok, we’ve made the action plan, now what’s the next step?

If the fear comes from the authorities, it means that the first step must be taken by the private sector, which must come to the authorities and propose projects, in a public-private partnership. I really believe that these public-private partnerships can be implemented and can be implemented successfully.

We know that the private sector can move a little more freely, not being constrained by all kinds of procedures that we, in central or local public authorities, have to follow, and I encourage them to take this step,” Mihaela Frasineanu, State Counselor, Environment Protection, Prime Minister’s Chancellery said during Circular Economy Conference organized by Sustainability-Today and The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“The experience gained so far with the implementation of EPR schemes (Extended producer responsibility) for packaging, electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators, should be used for the other areas as well. For food and food products, for textiles, for automotive, for transport, etc.

The step must be taken by each of us who identify the opportunity for projects, the opportunity that must be taken to the level of the authorities and that must reach the level of the citizens.

I have identified one more challenge and I think this is related to the fact that not everyone understands that this concept of circular economy is a concept that we were born with, that the generations before us lived with and that can be very easily replicated in our everyday life. It’s not science fiction.

We are not talking about theories that cannot be put into practice. Absolutely everything that is mentioned in the strategy implementation plan regarding Romania’s circular economy can be put into practice. Let’s stop being afraid of the circular economy.

In Romania, at the national level, there is no education and awareness for the protection of resources, for the separation of waste, for the protection of the elements in the environment that surround us. Perhaps not everyone has yet realized the negative impact that all these actions or inactions have on our health. All the awareness and education campaigns did not have much impact.

Come with us with proposals for partnerships, with ideas for awareness and education projects and with target groups that we can involve in actions, in concrete projects.”