Circles of life

The EU-funded CirclesOfLife project develops the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index and the Ship Lifecycle Passport, empowering stakeholders across the full supply chain to monitor, assess, and enhance their environmental footprint.

Magda Kopczynska has been Director General for the European Commission’s department for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) since August 2023. We’ve interviewed her on the importance of this project and the shipbuilding industry for the future of Europe.

Before becoming the Director General of MOVE, Magda Kopczynska was Director for Waterborne within DG MOVE and before that Director Innovative and Sustainable Transport. She’s clearly committed to a achieving a sustainable and prosperous shipping industry in Europe.

Magda Kopczynska, European Commission Director General for Mobility and Transport

What would be the pathway for making European shipbuilding resilient, sustainable and competitive in the future? And how do you envision the role of the European Commission in this?

“Shipbuilding and maritime manufacturing, including equipment suppliers, are vital to Europe’s prosperity, security, and strategic autonomy. Ensuring the sector’s global competitiveness and resilience is crucial, especially given evolving geopolitical realities.

A strong industrial and technological base is essential for driving the twin digital and green transition in waterborne transport and the blue economy, supporting regional growth and employment. To this end, the Commission, under the leadership of Commissioner Tzitzikostas, will present a new Industrial Maritime Strategy this year. As a flagship action under the Competitiveness Compass, it aims to foster innovation, decarbonisation, competitiveness, security, and reduced dependencies.

Aligned with the Clean Industrial Deal, the strategy will stimulate investment, support innovation, enhance skills, ensure fair global competition, and promote synergies between civilian and military capabilities. Success hinges on industry-wide collaboration across the entire waterborne value chain.

This strategy will also connect with key EU initiatives, including the Ocean Pact, Defence Industrial Strategy, Cable Security Action Plan, Sustainable Transport Investment Plan, and Port Strategy, reinforcing shipbuilding’s strategic role in Europe’s industrial policy.”

How can shipbuilding learn from other sectors regarding sustainability and circularity? And do you have concrete examples to illustrate this?

“Shipbuilders and equipment manufacturers are key to delivering sustainable solutions for waterborne transport. Circular design —reusing and recycling materials throughout a ship’s lifecycle—can reduce environmental impact, enhance efficiency, and offer a competitive edge.

The railway industry offers valuable insights. Many rail companies achieve high recycling rates by recovering materials from infrastructure maintenance and vehicle decommissioning. Train fleets are regularly modernised to extend lifespan—akin to retrofitting in shipping. When decommissioned, up to 97% of materials (mostly steel, copper, and aluminum) are recycled, often locally—unlike ship recycling, which is frequently outsourced.

Applying these principles to shipbuilding can drive sustainability while strengthening Europe’s industrial base.”

What do you expect from the CirclesOfLife project, in terms of the progress the EU will make in the field of sustainability?

“The CirclesOfLife project, alongside ECOSHIPYARD (another research and innovation project promoting sustainable shipbuilding practices and material circularity in the European Union), is a major step toward sustainable and circular shipbuilding.

It focuses on integrating circularity by design, greening shipyards, reducing emissions, and improving environmental reporting.

Bringing together fifteen partners—shipbuilders like Damen, research institutes, suppliers, and NGOs from six countries—the project demonstrates the power of collaboration in tackling industry-wide sustainability challenges.

Innovative tools such as the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index and Ship Lifecycle Passport will help stakeholders assess and enhance their environmental impact, fostering greater transparency and accountability. CirclesOfLife sets a strong precedent for the maritime sector’s transition to circularity.”

What impact do you expect on shipbuilding from the Clean Industrial Deal and the Ships Recycling Regulation and how could these initiatives strengthen the CirclesOfLife project?

“The Clean Industrial Deal places circularity at its core. Given the maritime sector’s resource challenges, adopting a circular economy approach is key to enhancing competitiveness and reducing reliance on third-country raw materials. This framework directly supports CirclesOfLife in advancing sustainable shipbuilding.

While the Ship Recycling Regulation mainly governs end-of-life practices, requiring vessels calling at EU ports to maintain hazardous material inventories, its impact on shipbuilding is indirect. However, initiatives like CirclesOfLife —with measures such as the Ship Lifecycle Passport—can reinforce the sector’s commitment to circularity and sustainability, complementing these regulations.”

Towards a fully climate neutral industry

Shipyards are increasingly required to assess their environmental impact in a transparent and comprehensive manner. While existing standards address the operational footprint of ships, the non-operational impact associated with shipyard processes, materials, and components remains largely unaddressed. This lack of assessment frameworks makes it difficult to determine conclusively whether it is preferable to construct a highly efficient and low-emission vessel, despite its complexity and associated production impact, or to prioritise reducing production impact at the expense of long-term operational sustainability.

Jorinus Kalis, Damen RD&I and Project Coordinator CirclesOfLife

The EU-funded CirclesOfLife project aims to fill this gap by creating a methodology and framework for assessing the environmental performance of European shipyards. Damen has been instrumental in uniting the consortium and establishing a coherent strategy to tackle these challenges and transform them into opportunities for both the company and its clients.

The project aims to create a shipyard environmental performance index (SEPI) methodology and a Ship Circular Material Passport that builds on SEPI and the contributions of our supply network, which will be tested in day-to-day operations spanning from newbuilding projects to recycling yards. Independent NGOs, Green Marine Europe and ShipBreaking Platform are actively supporting the project’s clear pathway towards market introduction and societal impact. The ultimate objective is to establish a standard that allows stakeholders to effectively compare the environmental footprint of ships and shipyards. Additionally, it will provide shipyards with a clear insight and a decision framework for implementing measures and technologies to reduce their environmental impact most effectively.

Damen has been involved in the drafting of the call text, via the Waterborne platform, and has taken the lead in the formation of a project consortium and proposal. As a coordinator we’re closely involved in the execution of the project that has now been underway for over a year and has resulted in a wide network, far beyond the original consortium, of maritime industry partners that are highly interested in the findings of the project. This is because it promises a well-defined process for measuring their environmental impact and support in strategizing towards the European ambitions of a fully climate neutral industry and corresponding reporting obligations. The project highlights how collaboration can turn guidelines and regulations into industry specific opportunities. Inspired by numerous European initiatives, standards, and projects addressing similar topics in other industries, we are eager to share our insights and findings with colleagues across different sectors.