Follow the latest news from Petcore Europe. This is the fourth newsletter of 2021 featuring messages from our President and Executive Director, updates on activities by our Working Groups, our Communications Campaign, Social Media, Policy and Regulatory Developments at EU, information about our internal structure and many other interesting insights.

Message from the Petcore Europe's President

Besides the aspect of the pandemic, the end of the year has the typical signs of Christmas…we know it will happen every year, however it always comes as a rush at the end! 2021 appears to be a typical rush at the end. Apart from the very difficult re-emergence of the virus variant, the draft of the EU Commission recast of the “inclusion of recycled plastics in food contact materials” under 282/2008 has come right at year end and gives little time for the public consultation. Add to this the emergence of Micro Plastics becoming another “hot potato” for the Plastics (PET) Industry, our operational activities are busier than ever.

Details of activities are below. I wish to however request we continue to require our members to be engaged in our working groups and motivated to make the difference. We are not seeing smooth waters for some time, but continue to sail into the wind and get to our destination.

2022 has already been worked upon, and you will already be aware we are working on a busy year ahead and have had to build our budget accordingly. For this we have had to increase the membership fee for which we appreciate the acceptance from you all and understanding of the investment.

So it remains for me to say, when we finally do get the respite over the festive season, I wish you all personally a relaxing time, a time of enjoyment away from the frontline, and that we look towards a year of achievement in 2022 as we hold a full program of activities.

Merry Christmas and Health and Prosperity to you all for 2022!

Stephen Short, President of Petcore Europe

Message from the Petcore Europe's Executive Director

Dear Members,

First of all, I would like to thank all our members who are attending our working groups, making PETCORE Europe stronger every year. This knowledge which is provided by all the expert of the supply chain is essential to reinforce our technical answers to all stakeholders and EU policy officers whom we must help the best we can by providing the right answer to their interrogations and questions.

The main objective of this message before we enter in 2022 is about the upcoming revolution in the EU legislation. The Commission, the Parliament and the EU Council are more than ever determined to achieve their CIRCULARITY target by way of regulation when needed.

It will require an in-depth knowledge of the Policies that shapes the landscape in which PETCORE Europe is operating together with a broad experience in analysing regulatory proposals and anticipating their potential impact on PET industry at large. As we have been growing very quickly it has been a weakness until today.

We have chosen UetlibergPartners which is amongst the most experienced firm in Brussels. Leonor Garcia and Susanne de Cort, of whom you have known for a long time, are both scientific and regulatory experts who will be assisting us with the help of associated experts depending on the need. All the different issues we shall be working on are in annex of this message.

Now, of course we hope to continue to grow, we are today 117 members of which 9 new members joined this year. We will, as we always did, continue to adapt and develop the Working Groups to the necessity of the growing concerned, our latest one established being the Regulatory Affairs Committee. We will concentrate on the CIRCULARITY of TRAY sector and the new PET FILM POUCHES. We also plan to elaborate a yearly report on PET where we will resume the activity of our Working Group’s and put them in perspective with the future.

It would be terrible to conclude without a last thanks to express our gratitude to all of you who have participated in our 2021 COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN, a lot of work has been achieved this year and if you look at our website … you will see presentations for social media, translated from English to German and French for public communication of what is high quality and represents the work achieved. We express thanks for those members/companies who have already pledged continued support for the 2022 campaign. Already 250 k EURO has been raised for this work.

And how could I forget the fantastic work of our PETCORE TEAM who wishes you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Christian Crépet, Executive Director of Petcore Europe

Communications Campaign Updates

Communications Campaign 

 Since the beginning of 2020 we have been facilitating the work related to our Communications Campaign to promote the circularity and the benefits of PET, and also to defend and to uphold the reputation of PET in Europe. In order to provide only credible and targeted information we utilised the skills of two consultancy companies, Fehr Advice and Fleishman Hillard that examined the consumers’ and policymakers’ attitude towards PET and provided comprehensive strategic & communication advices to commence the first phases of the Campaign. 

Initially the Communications Campaign was independently run by a core group of our members, who donated directly to the operational budget. Thanks to this contribution we managed to achieve the tremendous progress this year: 1) a dedicated website was developed and maintained 2) a social media campaign targeting Brussels, France & Germany with already more than 850 000 impressions was successfully launched 3) a thorough and practical infographic was designed, dispelling myths and misunderstands concerning PET 4) a policy-ready manifesto was released, publicly enhancing the reputation of PET 5) an online roundtable with MEP's - Maria Spyraki and Jutta Paulus was conducted with a big success and much more!

The results of the Campaign have been subsequently reported to the general membership of PETCORE during two webinars, run in September and October 2021. The document ‘PET Campaign What We Have Achieved’ is available on request for those who would like to have a look at all the major achievements being done so far.

We truly believe that our Communications Campaign must continue to ensure that this tremendous foundation does not fade away and the investment that has been done is not wasted. Therefore, we approach all the members of PETCORE to again volunteer to sponsor the Communications Campaign 2022 facilitated by PETCORE to go on with this work in upcoming year! We also would like to express our gratitude to all the members who have already signed the letter of intent. Hopefully already very soon we will be able to communicate our further steps and to continue our important mission, namely, defending and upholding the reputation of PET in Europe!

Regulatory Updates

Petcore Europe has been actively involved in the following regulatory updates in 2021 :

1 WASTE:

• Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC). In particular the review of the essential requirements for packaging and packaging waste. Mandatory requirements on recycled plastic content and plastic waste reduction measures*.
•  Waste reduction targets and measures on prevention.
•  Waste shipment regulation (EC 1013/2006).

2 Development of end-of-waste and by-product criteria.

3 Implementing acts from SUP (EU 2019/904)*.

4 CHEMICALS SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY.

•   Revision of Regulation EC 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging*.
•   Endocrine disrupters*.
•   REACH.
•   Nano.

5 Restriction on Microplastics*.

6 Measures to reduce the release of microplastics in the environment*.

7 Policy framework for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics*.

8 Food Contact:

•   Recast of Recycled plastics EC 282/2008 regulation*.
•   Revision of the Framework reg EC 1935/2004 (within Farm2Fork).
•   Amendments to regulation on plastics EC 10/2011.

9 SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT POLICY INITIATIVE*

 Updates on Working Groups

 THERMOFORMS WG: Treme ndous amount of work was performed by the thermoforms WG in order to present the evolution of the thermoforms recycling capabilities, technologies, projects in Europe. This shows a high degree of involvement of the industry, willing to reach circularity of thermoforms. The Tray evaluations platform has started to evaluate innovations that applicants (manufacturers, brand owners) have voluntarily submitted. Development of the design guidelines for multilayer and colored thermoforms started in December 2021.

PET DEPOLYMERISATION WG: The last quarter finished with the publication of the draft regulation that recasts EC282/2008 and shows the direction that DG Santé wants to pick for the depolymerization recycling industry. Whilst the depolymerization to PTA and MEG is excluded from the regulation, from the readings made until now, the other technologies seem to be included. The depolymerisation WG is studying the draft with the support of the PETCORE Europe Regulatory Affairs Committee that has been recently created.

A milestone was achieved in the release of the Position Paper on Depolymerisation of PET to have a “tool in the box” to discuss the concept with interested parties. This will be available also through our website.

The activity of LCA WG is very much linked to the Reuse WG. Both Groups are working in parallel. Data have been collected from the market. These data are under review by the Task Force. The target is to provide a first aggregated data set by the end of the year and a deeper data analysis for the PETCORE Europe Annual Conference.

LABELS WG: Activities related to liner (support of PSL labels) recycling have seen big progress with the identification of potential recyclers able to deal with this material. This WG has conducted a successful webinar in October 2021 with more than 500 participants. Next activities on glues will start in 2022.

PING/GENI: the General NIAS project has been presented to a first pool of possible stakeholders. This project aims to identify and track NIAS in the value chain, also to perform risk assessments and to define practices in order to reduce and to control NIAS. Summary of the feedback is expected to be delivered in January 2022. Next step will be to work on the project charter, then to finalize agreement with stakeholders and to establish partnership with a third party that will support this WG with data collection and risk assessments.

REUSE WG has successfully held its 5th meeting and we now can foresee the value this group is going to bring: clarity on the definition of reuse and what reuse can bring to our industry, when is it pertinent? The Position Paper related to LCA is drafted and it is in the final review prior to be sent to the Board. The Reuse WG is working in close collaboration with the LCA WG to make sure that data regarding environmental impacts are well understood and relevant.

OPAQUE & FUNCTIONAL WG: data gathering of sources and outlets for opaque white materials have been kept and the databank shows a positive interest from the industry. Next step is the organization of a full-scale trial.

Do not hesitate to contact argiris.dabanlis@petcore-europe.org and raphael.jaumotte@petcore-europe.org should you have any additional questions regarding the activities of our WGs.  

Petcore Europe Welcomes New Members 

So far in 2021, from September to December, Petcore Europe has welcomed 2 New Members: Novelplast Teoranta and Toyota Tsusho. Petcore Europe now counts 117 Members and represents the PET value chain more than ever.

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

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

Updates on Petcore Europe's Website

News from Our Members and Allies! 

OMYALOOP – Contribution to a Circular Economy 

We are happy to announce that our member - Omya International AG has recently launched a new product from the family of Calcium Carbonate, Omyaloop, dedicated to the transformation of the Polymers Industry towards a Circular Economy.

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

A holistic insight from Nutroma, shifting from glass to rRET packaging

Why does Nutroma choose rPET?

rPET is not just any plastic. It is made from 100% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable afterwards *. And also, because it is much lighter in weight than glass, it takes less energy to produce, transport and recycle it. As a result, it produces less CO2 emissions than single-use glass bottles. Fantastic, isn't it? If you are keen to read the full article, please follow the link.

Petcore Europe is Expanding - Meet Our New Hires! 

Dr. Leonor Garcia (Chemicals & Packaging Materials) – Sustainable transformations strategies. Leonor supports clients with scientific, regulatory and advocacy expertise. She helps companies in setting and progressing forward–looking sustainable goals on the use of chemicals and selection of packaging materials to make Green Deal ambitions a market reality. Leonor has gained over 30 years of industry working experience in R&D, Innovation, Manufacturing, and Regulatory and Public Affairs within the Petrochemicals, Chemicals Specialties and Food Industries.

Dr. Suzanne De Cort (Sustainable Food Packaging Solutions) – Compliance and Regulatory Affairs. Suzanne De Cort has gained over 20 years of experience in analytical, scientific, and regulatory affairs within a multinational food business operator. Specialised in sustainable food contact packaging, she developed a holistic view of European and national policies and provides clients with analytical, scientific, and regulatory support in the development and use of sustainable food packaging solutions, including the design of regulatory compliance processes and performing compliance assessments.

Petcore Europe Annual Conference 2022 

Don't miss the event of the year for the PET value chain: "Strategy and Trends for the Circular PET Economy"

Building upon the success of 2021 with more than 250 visitors, we are happy to remind you kindly that our Petcore Europe Annual Conference 2022 will be held over two days, from 2-3 February, at DoubleTree by Hilton Brussels City. 

The first day will focus on Perspectives, Strategy and Legislative Challenges for the PET value chain, while the second one will be dedicated to trends in PET Collection, Sorting, Recycling and Circularity. 

Don't miss your opportunity to network and gain an insight into the latest developments of our industry. Guarantee your place now! 

Prior to the Annual Conference 2022 our Annual General Assembly will be held from 09:00 to 10:30 AM CET on the 2nd of February 2022. Both, the AGM and the Annual Conference 2022, will be held in double tree by Hilton Brussels, but will also be available online. In case of any new COVID-19 measures both events will still take place and then become fully virtual. Please make sure your book your tickets which will be valid in both case scenario.

Due to the current COVID-19 precautious measures in Belgium, only the 1st 150 registered attendees would be available to participate in the Annual Conference 2022 physically. The same measures will be applied for the networking dinner, taking place on the 2nd of February 2022. 

Attendees will have to provide a CovidSafe certificates as well as wear a mask throughout the entire event. Petcore Europe will keep you updated on new measures that will be announced by the Belgian government in January 2022.  

We also would like to let you know that in case you will need to stay over a night in Brussels, then, DoubleTree by Hilton would gladly offer you a special group rate: 150€ per night including breakfast, free cancellation - 72 hours prior to your reservation. For more details, please follow the link.  

The Petcore Europe Conference will be sponsored by organisations and individual companies, thus we invite you to contact us should you wish to join this growing list. As a sponsor, your company's name and logo will be displayed on all our communication materials (including invitations, agendas, press releases and website) as well as promoted during the event. If you are interested to hear more about our sponsor package, please contact management@petcore-europe.org.

Then, if you are a media or a news agency you are more than welcome to become our media partner. Your organisation's name and logo will be displayed on all our communication materials (including agendas, press releases and websites) as well as promoted on social media during the event, you will also be granted one free access for the event. If you are interested to hear more about our media partnership package, please contact maria.trofimova@petcore-europe.org.

We are looking forward to meeting you in person after such a challenging period!

Media Coverage - Petcore Europe activities

Petcore Europe is always keen on collaborating with various media in order to expand its outreach and to deliver the initiatives. By doing so, we have recently had the pleasure to collaborate with a couple of media channels regarding essential topics:

• Recycling International
• Plastech
• PET Planet
• ICIS

Upcoming Events and Meetings

1 February 2022 – Technical Committee WG Meeting

2 February 2022 – Board Meeting 

2 February 2022 – General Assembly Meeting

2-3 February 2022 – Annual Conference 2022

22 March 2022 from 10:30 to 4:30 PM – Board Meeting 

14 June 2022 from 10:30 to 4:30 PM – Board Meeting 

22 November 2022 from 10:30 to 4:30 PM – Board Meeting 

PETCORE Europe wishes you a magical holiday season ahead and hopefully we see you soon, before too long!