As Europe accelerates toward its 2050 maritime decarbonisation targets, a critical blind spot is emerging: emissions and resource use from shipyards and materials are becoming increasingly significant. While current EU policies focus on operational emissions from ships, the broader maritime manufacturing ecosystem – spanning shipbuilding, maintenance, retrofitting, and a vast supply chain – faces mounting pressure to reduce its environmental footprint. With over 343,000 direct jobs and €114 billion in annual production value at stake, the sector’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness are at risk.
The Horizon Europe CirclesOfLife project (Grant No. 101138013) responds to this challenge by delivering actionable tools that embed circularity, enhance transparency, and align with evolving EU policy frameworks. Through innovations like the Ship Lifecycle Passport, Ship Circular Materials Passport, and the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI), CirclesOfLife empowers stakeholders to future-proof Europe’s maritime industry—ensuring it remains resilient, sustainable, and globally competitive.
Considering the relevancy of the alignment with evolving EU policy frameworks, the following writepaper has been written: CirclesOfLife Whitepaper – Green Shipping Industry Day
The whitepaper was shared with industry stakeholders and policy makers during the Green Shipping Industry Day.
Photo’s ©Sam Glazier.
