On 13 December, the Estonian Ministry of Climate organized a seminar on Estonia’s waste reform. The event brought together stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to discuss the reform and present initial feedback from the public consultation round.

The seminar was attended by the Minister of Infrastructure, Vladimir Svet, representatives of various municipalities, circular economy entrepreneurs and representatives of the Ministry of Climate. Our CEO, Kädi Ristkok, shared the cleantech sector’s perspective in a panel alongside Ilo Rannu from Neular and Hans Talgre from Weerec.

As global resource access becomes increasingly challenging, countries are actively seeking new ways to utilize their resources more efficiently. In this search for innovation, new economic opportunities arise for those who specialize in circular economy solutions.

Estonia has several companies that develop high-value products from secondary waste, many of which have growing demand on the global market. However, a key challenge remains: much of the material needed for their products is sourced from outside Estonia. Our ability to create value from secondary resources depends directly on having an efficient sorting system in place. There’s a need for improved waste sorting and better local access to good quality secondary materials that the reform could solve.

Estonia’s geopolitical position further points to the importance that the waste reform holds. By improving the efficiency of how we manage our resources, we can reduce our dependency on external suppliers, strengthening both our resource security and resilience. This increased self-sufficiency supports economic growth and provides a sense of stability in a time of conflict.

In November, we facilitated a meeting between cleantech companies and the Ministry of Climate to discuss the sector’s concerns and provide input on the waste reform. Since then, we’ve collected feedback from our members and submitted it to the ministry. We now await the ministry’s position, which will be shaped by the feedback received from all stakeholders involved.

Watch the recording of the seminar in Estonian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_tWCGTMDvI&t=1s

Read more about the waste reform in Estonian: https://kliimaministeerium.ee/jaatmereform