Petcore Europe Newsletter March 2019

Petcore Europe Newsletter March 2019

Follow the latest news of Petcore Europe. This is the first newsletter of 2019 featuring updates of our Petcore Europe Conference 2019, Round Table Discussions in the European Parliament and much more.

Petcore Europe Conference 2019 - a sold out success

More than 280 industry experts gathered on 6 and 7 February 2019 for the Petcore Europe Conference 2019 - “EU Plastics Strategy 2.0 - Taking the PET industry to the next step”. From PET resin producers, masterbatch producers, packaging designers and manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, label producers to major brand owners, EPR schemes, waste management organisations, recyclers, waste sorting and recycling machinery manufacturers - the entire value chain was represented. Additionally, speakers and participants from the European Commission (DG GROW), the European Parlimanet as well as ICIS shared their thoughts on the PET market and the plastics industry in the European Circular Economy.

Petcore Europe reinforces itself - already 14 new members in 2019

On 5 March 2019, we announced twelve new Petcore Europe members: Bandera, IFPEN, Point Plastic, AFA Dispensing, Remondis PET Recycling, CUMAPOL, RETAL Industries, PepsiCo, Mitsubishi Polyester Films, Suntory, Digimarc and Finat. In the meantime, two further companies joined our association: Gneuss and Loop Industries. Petcore Europe now counts 71 members and represents the PET value chain more than ever.

PET in the circular economy - member states collection to meet EU industrial recycling capacity | European Parliament Round Tables

Since 1993, the entire PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) value chain has been ready to industrially recycle PET, to an extent that the PET recycling companies have always been in overcapacity in the EU. Ambitious recycling targets have been set by the EU Plastics Strategy; to make sure that the collection and sorting will meet the recycling capacities, Petcore Europe organised two round table discussion in the European Parliament (19 February | 20 March). A report of the first event was already in the Parliament Magazine. The second one will follow in April.

Circular Plastics Alliance - Petcore Europe joins workshops

As previously reported, the Circular Plastics Alliance held its kick-off meeting on 5 February in Brussels. Petcore Europe was invited as a major Industry Trade Association and President Stephen Short provided a representation. The Alliance is composed by 30 business associations representing the whole value-chain of plastics, the purpose of which is to send a strong message from the industry to turn plastics circular. In the specific, the Alliance aims at the EU target of 10 million tons recycled plastics sold and integrated in new products on the EU market by 2025.
 
Petcore Europe President Stephen Short, Executive Director Christian Crépet and PET Monomer Recycling SIG Chair Wim Hoenderdaal (see new Industry Group below) join(ed) all workshops:
 
March: Collection and sorting of plastic waste (Stephen Short & Christian Crépet)
March: R&D and investments, including chemical recycling (Wim Hoenderdaal)
April: Recycled plastic content in products (Stephen Short, Christian Crépet & Wim Hoenderdaal)
April: Product design for recycling  - recyclability (Stephen Short & Christian Crépet)
April: Monitoring  - tracking the volumes of recycled plastics sold vs. pledged (Christian Crépet) 

Board of Directors elected
During the Petcore Europe General Assembly on 6 February and via an EGM voting the following Petcore Europe Board of Directors was confirmed.
For the PET resin producers association:
Stephen Short (Indorama) representing CPME – President
Santiago Rotstein (Plastiverd) representing CPME
Paola Arlotti (Equipolymers) representing CPME
For the PET converter associations:
Raphael Jaumotte (Plastipak) representing EuPC – Treasurer
Marc De Voogd (Alpla) representing Forum PET Europe
Nicolas Lorenz (Paccor) representing Forum PET Europe
For the PET recyclers association:
Casper van den Dungen (Poly Recycling) representing PRE – Vice President
Herbert Snell (MultiPet) representing PRE
For the member companies:
Pascal Chapon – Danone
Christoph Wöss – Erema
Carsten Heldmann – Klöckner Pentaplast
Zach Crawford – PolyOne / ColorMatrix
Gian de Belder – P&G
Christine Leveque – Suez
Honorary founding member:
Marcel de Botton – Logoplaste

PET Monomer Recycling Special Industry Group Kick-off Meeting

To achieve the vision of a circular economy for PET, innovation and revolutionary technology is needed. Chemical or "Monomer" recycling has the potential to make PET even more circular by addressing some current inherent limitations of mechanical recycling due to mixing, contamination and degradation of the polymers. In order to make the most out of the different chemical recycling procedures, Petcore Europe launched an Industry Group for Monomer Recycling of PET. Petcore Europe Executive Director Christian Crépet and Industry Group Chairman Wim Hoenderdaal (Indorama) welcomed the major players Carbios, Cumapol, Dupont Teijin Films, Equipolymers, Garbo, Gr3n, IFPEN, Ioniqa and RITTEC to a kick-off meeting in Paris CDG on 19 March 2019.

Thermoforms WG reinforced

In order to reinforce the PET tray business, Petcore Europe implemented a new organisational structure of the Thermoforms Working Group. Now three co-chairs will lead the group: Ana Fernandez (KP), Paolo Glerean (Aliplast) and Nicolas Lorenz (Paccor). In the next meeting on 30 April, among other things, Tray To Tray Recycling, Digital Watermarks for PET trays and De-lamination technologies will be on the agenda.

Recyclability of household and personal care PET bottles -
Perforated Sleeves Approved by EPBP 

Petcore Europe's ODR Working Group has been working on increased recyclability of sleeved PET bottles as the use of sleeves can cause problems in sorting of PET bottles via Near Infrared (NIR) and optical detectors used in waste plastic packaging sorting and recovery plants. In order to not lose the valuable material and include it in the right sorting stream, the group under the lead of Chair Gian De Belder, P&G, came up with a solution: perforated sleeves - which can be removed by the consumers. Read more >>

Adoption of the SUP Directive by the European Parliament

In the afternoon of 27 March, the European Parliament voted for the provisional agreement on the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUP) with a large majority of MEPs (560) in favour, only 35 were not in favour and 28 abstentions. After the trilogue compromise from last December and the approval of the Member States’ Permanent Representatives (COREPER) on 18 January and the Members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee on 22 January, this means that there is now a formal agreement. A final approval by Member States’ Ministers is still needed, it will most likely follow on 15 April at the AGRI-FOOD Council meeting. This will then be followed by the publication of the texts in the Official Journal of the Union. The Member States will then have two years to transpose the legislation into their national law. Petcore Europe will continue to engage with the EU institutions to help clarify all aspects of the Directive.

News from our members

Earlier in March Sukano launched a novel masterbatch that allows bottle makers and brand owners to run conveyor belts and robots at maximized speed, increasing productivity and yields. Thanks to the mobility aid additive masterbatch, problems like release, scuffing, and sticking can be avoided. Read more >>
 
In early January DuPont Teijin Films launched its new Mylar® Harvest Fresh rPET range of heat sealable polyester films with up to 50 percent post-consumer recycled rPET content. Read more >>
 
If you are Petcore Europe member and you have news you would like to share with the PET industry please let us know  via management@petcore-europe.org.

Upcoming meetings
April 2019: Thermoforms WG Meeting 
May 2019: ODR WG Webinar 
June 2019: Technical Committee Meeting
June 2019: Board of Directors Meeting (for BoD only)
November 2019: Technical Committee Meeting
November 2019: Board of Directors Meeting (for BoD only)
 