Targets, which can help guide a long-term climate path and translate policies into actions, are important for combating climate change. More than it, the interconnection between specific targets and regulations is also crucial because the former show the direction and the latter follow that direction. Target setting has also become a regulatory instrument observed in waste laws to reduce landfills and increase circularity. However, in practice, different countries approach target setting differently. In the context of end-of-life (EoL) wind turbine blades (WTB) related waste laws and policies, countries like Spain set more general targets for waste weight reduction, while in Finland, the waste targets relevant to EoL WTBs are mentioned in policies referring to construction and demolition waste. Among many European countries, France took a unique target-setting approach by issuing Ministerial Orders specifically
addressing the targets needed to be achieved in terms of Eol WTB recycling. However, a comparative analysis of different approaches to setting targets and their effectiveness in improving circularity is missing.

To mend this gap, this paper will illustrate the role of target setting in EoL WTB related waste laws by using different EU countries as examples. It will discuss the advantages and limitations of the targets in promoting circularity in the wind sector. By doing so, it aims to bring a discussion on the effectiveness of target setting in waste law and circularity, which has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature.

Find the full publication here: Target Setting in Waste Law: An Example of End-of-Life Wind Turbine Blades