Follow the latest news from Petcore Europe. This is the second newsletter of 2022 featuring messages from our President and Executive Director, updates on the activities of our Working Groups, the latest on our Communications Campaign 2022 and social media, details on EU Policy and Regulatory Developments and many other interesting insights.

 A Message from the President of Petcore Europe

Why did more than 300 executives in the PET value chain decide to spend two full days in a conference room in Brussels to discusscircularity and innovation along the PET value chain?

Because all of us realise that the future of our business is no longer impacted only by the standards of the past - i.e. supply / demand, innovation, emerging applications, - but also by the evolution of the various directives presently under evaluation from the EU Commission and the European Parliament.

Below is a list of all the Directives that could impact the way the PET business value chain will be impacted. The next few months are going to be extremely busy as these Directives will need to pass the Parliament check in order to be approved before the end of the legislature and the 2024 European elections. 

This has required  a rapid change of focus for Petcore over the next few months. While the work done by the various Working Groups will be our founding pillars, we need to improve Communication of the results achieved and evaluate the option to Advocate our positions, wherever it makes sense and whenever we have a sound common position. In order to achieve these results, we need to strengthen our internal Communication to speed up the way that Petcore reaches consensus on the various topics evaluated by the Working Groups.

I want to reiterate my appreciation to the Petcore staff that organised the event and to those of you who were present and contributed to its success. Based on all the contributions and suggestions that we are receiving, we are already starting to plan the next event in February 2023 which will mark Petcore’s 30th anniversary.

Stay tuned, stay safe!

Antonello Ciotti,

President of Petcore Europe

A Message from Petcore Europe's Executive Director

Dear Members,

First, we wish to thank the members and speakers who attended the conference. We are also grateful to Julie and Maria for improving its organisation over the years for achieving, this time, our most professional convention ever. We gathered some 300 souls which is a fantastic figure considering the rampant Covid and the other conferences taking place at the same time in Brussels where we counted at least six. It is in order to avoid this situation that we shall look ahead to the 2023 conference next February which will be “the season opening”.

As usual, I always have a word about strategy and how PETCORE EUROPE is adapting to the needs of the EU circularity matters. As for this past year, we have been so intensively bombarded with new regulations, we shall continue to reinforce our regulatory affairs activity by employing Uetliberg Partners that we will couple with the well-established public affairs firm Cattaneo Zanetto & Co.

As for our communication activity: internally Maria will continue to update. Externally we will continue through various channels and firms such as Fleisman Hillard. Our goal being to demonstrate that just as there are many different types of metals, it is the same with plastics where PET is the plastic that has the highest value! The best materials for hygiene and CO2, easy to collect, to recycle mechanically and chemically.

Thanking you all again for your unwavering support!

Christian-Yves Crépet,

Executive Director of Petcore Europe

RecycleTheOne  - communications campaign gathers pace! 

Petcore’s campaign to promote greater collection and recycling of PET packaging continues to make headway.

Building on the foundations laid in 2021, the campaign looks to drive traffic to the Home (recycletheone.com) website and targets consumers in France, Germany and the UK as well as Brussels-based decision makers. Several social media campaigns have been run across channels including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

We have seen a rise in impact and website visits of over 50% compared with previous campaigns thanks to better targeting and have been pleased with the level of engagement with posts. A Google Adwords campaign has also served to attract the attention of people searching the web for information on PET recycling.

Media, social media and promotions in Brussels focus the Petcore message around the upcoming regulatory agenda including the Circular Economy Package II and its Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.

In the next phase the campaign will feature infographic segments explaining ‘How to Recycle’ across the different markets and also video clips showing the journey of PET bottles and trays as they are collected, sent to a recycling plant, and recycled into new packaging.

As a part of the communications campaign 2022, Petcore Europe was proud to be a sponsor at the Parliament Magazine ‘MEP of the Year Awards’ on the 29th June, sponsoring the award for Best MEP Assistant of the Year.

Communications Committee chair, Sebastian Lemp of Alpla, presented the award to Monika Sikora, assistant to Polish S&D MEP Robert Biedroń.

In handing over the award he reminded the audience of some 300 invited guests that PET packaging is 100% recyclable and encouraged everyone to sort their PET bottles and trays for collection and recycling to ensure that nothing goes to landfill.

Petcore’s sponsorship of the award underlines its support for the work of the European Parliament and drives home its mess age on circularity.

Regulatory Updates

• The EC has published its Commission Staff Working Document on the ‘Evaluation of the legislation on food contact materials (FCMs) – Regulation (EC) N0 1934/2004’. The purpose of the evaluation exercise, that started in 2017, was to assess whether the current EU legislative framework for FCMs is still fit for purpose and delivers as expected. The evaluation concludes that the FCM Regulation functions, to a certain extent, as expected and partly fulfils its objectives, in particular for plastic FCMs for which specific EU rules apply. With regards to plastics, the approach of the Union list of authorised substances is considered generally effective at ensuring the safety of starting substances and additives. However, the approach is weakened because new scientific knowledge is not reflected in a timely manner in the authorisations. Furthermore, stakeholders expressed the opinion that, to provide more effective protection of public health, the Union list for plastics should also include the substances currently covered by derogations, such as polymer production aids, aids to polymerisation, colorants and solvents. Overall, the main deficiencies in the current legislation relate to the lack of specific rules for FCMs besides plastic, the challenges in enforcement and in demonstrating compliance, the lack of prioritisation of the most hazardous substances, the unavailability of information in the supply chain and inadequate support to SMEs. The revision of the EU legislation on FCMs, announced in the Farm-to-Fork strategy and foreseen for mid 2023, will amongst others be based on the findings of the above evaluation exercise. 

•  The draft of the regulation on recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foods, and intended to repeal Regulation (EC) No 282/2008 obtained the favourable vote of the members of the standing Committee -PAFF -Novel Food & Toxicological safety- with the exception of France, Italy and Estonia who abstained. This regulation proposal has now entered the last adoption step: scrutiny by the EU Council and the EU Parliament as required under the regulatory Procedure with Scrutiny. Without any objection from those institutions by 12 August, this new regulation is expected to be published and to enter into force in October 2022.

• Actions arising from the SUP: The European Commission has proposed to combine under one single implementing decision the two pending Implementing decisions laying down the methodology for the calculation and verification of the recycling content targets -in PET bottles by 2025 and in SUP beverage bottles by 2030- and the format in which the Member States are to report these data on recycled content each year. A draft of the proposed implementing decision has been shared with the Member States during the meeting on 27 June. Besides the introduction of new definitions related to recycled plastic and post-consumer waste, the text provides the methodology for the determination, calculation, verification, auditing and reporting of the weight and proportion of recycled plastic in SUP beverage bottles. Important to highlight that EC only recognises Segregation and Controlled blending as admissible chain of custody models and postpones the decision on Mass balance until further notice.

• Amendment to the Packaging and Packaging Waste directive. The Commission’s Regulatory Scrutiny Board has provided a negative opinion to the PPWD Impact Assessment study submitted by the Commission which has until end of July to complete the missing data and make a re-submission. The new regulatory proposal that the European Commission intends to make a regulation (and no longer a directive) is therefore, not expected before autumn 2022 assuming a positive opinion by the scrutiny board in the second round. 

 Updates on Working Groups & Recyclability Evaluation Platforms 

THERMOFORMS WG updates: 

1. Recast of EC 282/2008 contains a specific chapter for functional barrier.
2. The firms using functional barrier will have to go through a consortium/association to submit relevant information to the EFSA.
3. Timeline is very short: 9 months.
4. Petcore Europe and PETSHEET have decided to partner to support their members and the wider industry and build a ‘consortium’.
5. Cooperation agreement is currently being finaliased, interested companies should get in touch to know more.

PET DEPOLYMERISATION WG: the October webinar will focus on the place of Depolymerisation recycling of PET within the value chain and its impact on yield, LCA and Circularity. Also, an update of the members on their individual progresses.   

Task forces news.

A. Food safety of depolymerisation recycling (NIAS):

1) Data shows no concern.

2) Data collection on NIAS will be needed as per Recast of EC282/2008 and the task force will pursue the work with the aim to have labs and recommendations for data collection within the Novel Technology Frame.

B. BHET EFSA registration & 282/2008 recast and EC10/2011:

1) Cooperation agreement to build the needed dossier for EFSA and ECHA is in the signature round between the participants.

2) A third party has been appointed to start working on the dossiers.

3) Data collection among the members is starting.

LCA WG: a successful LCA webinar was set up at the end of April. The presenters were from different areas: university scientist, specialist in LCA, equipment manufacturer, producer of preforms and bottles. Thus, the webinar covered all facets for an LCA analysis starting from the very generic and ending presenting data for a specific market. The LCA WG presentation during Petcore’s Europe annual conference was well received by all participants and triggered strong interest. The importance of working on comparative data when reviewing end-to-end LCAs was evident. Petcore’s technical team is developing a plan for supporting members with the right data for comparing PET with other materials. Details will be shared in due course.

LABELS WG updates:

1. A lot of progress has been made on the collaborative work with EPBP in regard to the design guidelines and the test protocol for glues.
2. The exchange between the experts of the label industry and the experts of EPBP have generated some new ways to approach adhesives for labels that may help reduce the number of glues polluting PET flakes AND water.
3. Work is also ongoing on developing a new approach towards full body sleeves sorting. Sleeves manufacturers working in close collaboration with sorting machine suppliers are striving to determine the most influencing factors to improve the sorting of sleeved bottles in the right fraction and minimise losses

PING/GENI WG: GENI will enter the data collection period within the next quarter. Labelling and NIAS is progressing in partnership with Finat. The next meeting will be the opportunity to share information between participants.

REUSE WG: The Reuse State of Play 2022 document has been successfully finalised. Two versions have been developed: A. the detailed one covering the areas, listed below: 1) What is PET and why does it matter? 2) When does reuse become pertinent in addition to recycling? 3) Best practice examples of reusable PET packaging. 4) DRS: an effective collection tool for single-use and refillable PET bottles. 5) Considerations regarding the environmental footprint of PET packaging solutions. B. The one pager version. In this version we have summarised the work that has been presented in the full version, providing readers with a quick and easy understanding of PET reuse solutions and its contributions to the circular economy alongside PET recyclable solutions. A successful webinar was delivered in May. The keynote speakers were covering the full spectrum of the PET value chain, including: the EU Commission, Environmental Organisations & NGOs, Industry, Collections Schemes, Petcore Working Group, Supply Chain. With all these activities, led by Petcore Europe and the Reuse Working Group, the REUSE concept is widely communicated as another pillar (together with REDUCE and RECYCLE) supporting the Climate neutrality by 2050.

OPAQUE & FUNCTIONAL WG: final version of the Opaque Bottles Design Guidelines has been submitted to EPBP for validation. Preparation of the webinar on sorting during Q3 - 2022 is progressing and will also focus on collection with the EPR representatives from different countries.

TCEP WG: driving Force of TCEP is to promote the circularity in the PET tray value chain, providing to industry design guidelines and package - technology assessments. Objective: the mission of the platform is to give support to the value chain of thermoformed PET trays to improve recyclability of thermoforms and to strive for circularity. The Platform consists of technical experts in the field of PET thermoforms design, production and recycling, whose only objective is the evaluation of existing technologies and innovation and providing an independent and confidential assessment of their impact on the PET recycling processes across Europe. The work in the Tray Circularity evaluation platform is moving forward and the platform is receiving applications. Up until now we have received the first ever test results and the Technical Committee has started evaluating them and  also working on the thresholds in the testing protocols. The need for Quick Tests has also been discussed and concluded in the Technical Committee. The need and functionality of the platform was presented in an open webinar back in May and the materialsand Q&A document shared with all participants. The main next step for the platform is to build more interaction with the value chain, thereby attracting more applications for evaluation.

Petcore Europe has already created a new BOPET WG:

1. The BOPET WG has held its first meeting on June 13th
2. The first tasks will be to build a test bed for monolayer pet with monolayer BOPET lidding film to showcase the industry that this can be a pertinent solution towards replacing multilayer structures.

The EPBP vision is to drive and promote circularity in the PET bottle value chain, providing to industry design guidelines and package–technology assessments. Objective: the European PET Bottle Platform is a voluntary industry initiative that provides PET bottle design guidelines for recycling, evaluates PET bottle packaging solutions & technologies and facilitates understanding of the effects of new PET bottle innovations on recycling processes. This initiative fully supports a circular economy for the European PET value chain. EPBP assessments are performed ensuring strict business confidential information protection and the opinions are fully recognised by decision makers that source PET bottle packaging solutions. The Agreement between EPBP and RecyClass is in action since February. The Agreement defines the principles and operating framework, based on the following pillars: 

1. Working Together.
2. Respect.
3. Transparency.

The new operating model:

1. For the ongoing testing (existing protocols) RecyClass will be using EPBP protocols.
2. The responsibility for developing/updating the protocols remains with EPBP.
3. The implementation of existing and validated protocols is with RecyClass.
4. For all endorsements under the new model, we are going to have a joint communication.

EPBP Priorities for the next months:

1. Finalise applications that are with EPBP before the new operating model.
2. Update the test protocol and the quick tests.
3. Work on Design Guidelines for Circularity.
4. Finalise the Design Guidelines for Opaque bottles.

Petcore Europe Welcomes New Members 

So far in 2022, from March to July, Petcore Europe has welcomed 2 New Members: GreenTech & Formas Pack. Petcore Europe now counts 127 Members and represents the PET value chain more than ever.

Updates on Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn & YouTube.

News related to past and present webinars and conferences for members and all stakeholders interested in PET value chain developments.

Updates on Petcore Europe's Website

News from Our Members and Allies! 

 PET EUROPE is born

The Commission of PET manufacturers Europe has changed its name to PET EUROPE Producers’ Association

“The rebranding is the most visible sign of our development and growth. As a trade association, PET EUROPE addresses the issues impacting our industry, raising them with EU institutions and international organisations. PET EUROPE is an active member of PETCORE EUROPE’.

PET EUROPE members are working to deliver a circular economy for PET. Design for recycling, higher recycling rates, more and better quality recyclates are the ways to achieve this. PET EUROPE is fully committed to further consultation on how they can help deliver closed loop recycling. Find out more in PET EUROPE’s Policy Paper on fiscal measures and plastic packaging waste. 

If you are interested to learn more, then check the Press Release for more information and also please contact Nadja Weiss, Secretary General nadja.weiss@pet-europe.org for more details.

On 1 July Royal Hordijk opened the doors of a new branch in Germany: Hordijk Verpackungen GmbH in Heusenstamm.

 The new branch is the result of the demerger of cooperation organisation Miko-Hordijk GmbH. Hordijk also sets ambitious goals in Germany.

In Germany, Hordijk had been running a sales organisation together with Miko-Pac from Belgium for 15 years: Miko-Hordijk GmbH. With the establishment of Hordijk Verpackungen GmbH, Hordijk is responding to a growing market for plastic packaging from our eastern neighbours. "Especially in the field of PET, in which Hordijk is market leader in the Netherlands, we see plenty of opportunities in Germany," says Markus Ziechner, country manager of Hordijk Verpackungen.

Interested to learn more? please check the Press Release for more information.

Eastman - exclusive negotiation with site in Normandy for molecular recycling facility in France.

Eastman has entered an exclusive negotiation with Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine as the preferred location for the molecular recycling facility it plans to build in France. 

This is an important step towards a significant milestone in the company’s plan to invest up to $1 billion and to build the world’s largest material to material molecular recycling plant in France - a facility that will recycle approximately 160,000 tonnes of hard-to-recycle polyester waste annually. To learn more, please read the full press release. 

First-to-market’ mono-material PET blister lid unveiled by Huhtamaki

Congratulations to Huhtamaki on a tremendous job! Huhtamaki has recently announced the launch of Push Tab, a first-to-market, aluminium-free, mono-material PET blister lid for the global healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.  Tobias Fackler, senior manager of the healthcare business unit at Huhtamaki Flexible Packaging, commented: “The pharmaceutical industry is proactively searching for sustainable packaging solutions that enable recyclability. Since blister packaging traditionally contains multiple materials, it is difficult to recycle them in a single recycling stream. Push Tab blister lid solves this problem because it is made of mono PET”. To learn more, please read the full press release.  If you are keen to read the full report, please follow the link.

Petcore Europe Annual Conference 2022 

Petcore Europe was pleased to accommodate more than 300 experts from across the PET value chain at its hybrid event of the year – Annual Conference 2022, that was held in Brussels over 2 full days in June.

High attendance, great interest from media (11 media partners & supporters), more than 30 keynote speakers, 9 sponsors: all this clearly indicated that the Petcore Europe PET Conference 2022 was seen as a valued event and we expect an even a better attendance and enjoyment of the comradery of networking in 2023. New dates for the Petcore Europe Conference 2023, that will mark the 30th anniversary of the association, will be announced shortly.

The first day of the conference was focused on Perspectives, Strategy and Legislative Challenges for the PET value chain. Among 30 keynote speakers, we had a pleasure to host the representatives from the EU Parliament – MEP Maria Spyraki & the policy officer at the European Commission - Laure Baillargeon. The second day was dedicated to trends in PET Collection, Sorting, Recycling and Circularity with updates on the activities of Petcore Europe working groups’ by the members & allies of the association..

Given the fact that 97% of all PET products in the world end up in packaging, of which 70% end up in bottles and 20% in trays, much of the discussion during the conference was focused on the circularity of bottles & trays.

Looking back at over recent years, Petcore Europe acknowledges that the PET value chain has made significant progress, with essential steps being taken to better enable PET packaging circularity in Europe, but there is still room for further improvement. That can be achieved thanks to awareness campaigns, legislation, adoption of newer technologies, product design, and data collection leading to data-driven and science-based decisions.Last but not least, all members of the PET value chain and EU policy makers should work hand-in-hand towards a mutual goal: climate neutrality by 2050! 

Media Coverage - Petcore Europe activities

Petcore Europe is always interested to collaborate with the media in order to expand its outreach and deliver its message more widely. Recently, we have had the pleasure of collaborating with a number of media channels on key  topics:

•  Rabobank
• The Parliament Magazine 

Upcoming Events and Meetings

21 April 2022 – LCA Webinar

27 April 2022 – NIAS Webinar (Restricted to Members only)

5 May 2022 – TCEP Webinar

25 May 2022 – Reuse Webinar

14 June 2022 – Board Meeting 

14-15 June 2022 – Annual Conference 2022

27 June 2022 – RecoTrace Webinar (Restricted to Members only)

22 September 2022 – Labels Webinar

11 October 2022 – Depolymerisation Webinar

17 November 2022 – Thermoforms Recycling Webinar

22 November 2022 – Board Meeting