Resource depletion, increasing global temperatures and oceans brimming with plastic waste – these global challenges, more urgent than ever, serve as constant reminders of the need to solve our world’s sustainability problem.
Greening the economy and creating market incentives for more sustainable growth and waste reduction are crucial for turning these challenges into opportunities. On the European level, the EU has set the framework through policies such as emission targets, the Emission Trading System, the Circular Economy Package and the newly adopted Plastics Strategy. Yet, the changes needed require broad efforts at all levels of society, and time is short. This debate considered the urgent need for action, and how different sectors can work together to achieve a sustainable future – how can liberals lead the way in setting the sustainability agenda, and what are the key steps for the next EU legislative cycle? How do we incentivise the investments and new business models needed? And how can the private sector be involved, and what is the business case for taking the lead in sustainability?