This joint statement was submitted on 8 June 2026 to Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera, Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, and Commissioner Jessika Roswall. Co-signed by the Climate Leadership Coalition (CLC) and companies representing over 40% of Finland’s municipal waste incineration capacity, the letter advocates for the full, harmonized inclusion of municipal waste incineration (Waste-to-Energy) in the EU Emissions Trading System.
Statement to support the full inclusion of municipal waste incineration in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS)
Subject: EU ETS System – update of benchmarks for the period 2026-2030 and the need for a coordinated approach
Dear Executive Vice-President Ribera,
Dear Commissioner Hoekstra,
Dear Commissioner Roswall,
The undersigned companies, representing more than 40 % of municipal waste incineration capacity of Finland together with climate-business network Climate Leadership Coalition (CLC), advocate for the full inclusion of municipal waste incineration (Waste-to-Energy, WtE) in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). Incorporating WtE into the ETS will establish a clear financial incentive for operators to reduce emissions from residual waste treatment and to invest in Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) technologies.
By increasing the operational costs of WtE through carbon pricing, the ETS will also make recycling a more attractive and competitive option, thereby supporting recyclers and reinforcing the EU waste hierarchy, which places recycling above energy recovery. This approach ensures that incineration is reserved exclusively for non-recyclable waste streams, maximising both environmental and economic benefits.
Also complementary measures are needed to reach the recycling targets. EU waste policy should continue to take ambitious measures to improve separate collections, placing the main responsibility of reaching the recycling target to upstream to the waste producers.
It is paramount that all Member States include waste incineration in the EU ETS in a harmonised manner. A fragmented approach — including through opt-out provisions — would risk distorting Europe-wide waste markets, creating competitive imbalances that undermine the integrity of both the single market and the environmental objectives of the scheme.
Landfilling of municipal waste still remains a common practice in some Member States, even though it is the least preferred treatment method in the EU waste hierarchy. Effective policy measures should be targeted at landfilling to secure level-playing-field, if WtE is included in the ETS.
Mr. Juha Luomala
Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs
Vantaan Energia
Mr. Janne Koivisto
Group Director, Public Affairs
NG Nordic
Iida Miettinen
Circular Economy Project Associate
Climate Leadership Coalition
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