CirclesOfLife releases its whitepaper

As Europe accelerates its path towards maritime decarbonisation by 2050, emissions and resource use linked to shipyards and materials are becoming increasingly significant. While European policies still largely focus on ships’ operational emissions, the broader maritime industrial ecosystem — including shipbuilding, maintenance, retrofitting, dismantling and the supply chain — is under growing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint.

With more than 343,000 direct jobs and €114 billion in annual production value, this sector is strategic for Europe’s industrial autonomy and competitiveness. Its ability to adapt to environmental requirements directly conditions its resilience and its capacity to remain competitive at the global level.

The CirclesOfLife project, funded by Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement No. 101138013), provides a concrete response to these challenges. It develops operational tools designed to embed circularity, enhance transparency and support alignment with evolving European regulatory frameworks. These include the Ship Lifecycle Passport, the Ship Circular Materials Passport, and the Shipyard Environmental Performance Index (SEPI), all aimed at helping industry stakeholders anticipate regulatory developments and structure their environmental approaches.

In this context, and given the importance of alignment with European policies, the CirclesOfLife Whitepaper — to which Green Marine Europe actively contributed as a consortium member — was developed to present the project’s contributions and their articulation with European priorities for sustainable maritime transport.

The whitepaper was shared with industry stakeholders and public decision-makers during the Green Shipping Industry Day 2025, held in Brussels on 24 September 2025, thereby contributing to stakeholder dialogue on concrete levers for the environmental transition of the maritime sector.

Pictures : Sam Glazier