Follow the latest news of Petcore Europe. This is the fourth quarterly newsletter of 2019 featuring messages from our President and Executive Director as well as updates about the approval of the new European Commission, an update on the PET Monomer Recycling SIG, a review of the ODR Working Group Meeting, the announcement of the new SIG for PET white light barrier applications and much more.

Message from Stephen Short, President of Petcore Europe

It has almost been one year since I was elected as President of Petcore Europe. It feels much longer I can tell you, as this year has been a pivotal year for the plastics industry in Europe.

The end of one European Parliament, the election of another, and top that with BREXIT we see the political stage is ready for action, as politicians make populism and the public agenda top priority.

The outgoing European Parliament claimed in their top 20 achievements, #4 & #5 was the work on the Circular Economy and the Single Use Plastics Directive. Plastics became the focus of attention on a turnaround for industry and consumption businesses. The incoming Parliament has already made top of the agenda Climate Change and the implementation of the “Green Deal” Protocol.

I am pleased to say that Petcore Europe has emerged as an energized and respected Trade Organisation in Europe in 2019. This was reflected when Petcore Europe was invited in May to represent the plastics industry at the G7 Summit in Metz France, focus on climate change.

To give more details, I do encourage you to read Christian Crepet’s summary of activities in this our final Newsletter of not only the year, but the decade, to pick up all our activities in 2019.

2020; the cliché “20/20 vision” means having clarity of vision …. clearly this will be required next year as we progress with work on circularity and the transformation of the plastics industry.

PET has by its nature the perfect solutions for the circular business model with many recycle processes ensuring waste polyester should have value and return to the” circle of life”. However, if we do not exhibit the solutions, the alternative is not acceptable. It is Petcore Europe’s vision to facilitate this with all levels of the value chain joining in aligned mission to deliver on the solutions of circularity.

I invite engagement from you all to drive the attributes for PET forward and ensure we deliver on sustainability and climate change controls.

I look forward also to seeing many at our Petcore Europe Conference in February when I hope we exhibit the many programs of our work in this very important mission.

At this time, it remains for me and the Management Team at Petcore Europe to wish you and your loved ones, colleagues and associates a most enjoyable and relaxing festive season and the very best for the coming decade that approaches.

Stephen A Short,

President Petcore Europe

Message from Christian Crépet, Executive Director of Petcore Europe

The past two years, thanks to your attendance and active participation of many of you, Petcore Europe has made vast progresses. Our first objective was to become financially more sound and it was definitely achieved this year thanks to the 31 new members. We are now 88! It is also due to our conference, which, for the first time ever, accounted up to almost 300 PET stakeholders. The first day is dedicated to the producers, converters and recyclers short and mid-term strategy. The second day focuses on recycling challenges, their solutions and game changers thanks to the label, glue and compound manufacturers as well as the EPRs.

Our second objective, as Petcore Europe had no advocacy policy, was to become known by Brussel Institutions such as mainly DG Environment and DG Grow. We not only participate for DG ENVI in the elaboration of the Recycling Essential Requirements of Packaging, but are also actively engaged in the by DG Grow initiated CPA (Circular Plastics Alliance). In addition, in June we were invited to represent the PET industry in front of the plenary ministers assembly of the G7 and then later this year, we were asked to travel to China for an EU/China major recycling event. We also have widened our network of associations. We are in regular contact with, besides our association board members, Plastics Europe, PCEP ( PO circular economy platform), SCS (Styrenics Circular Solutions), Edana (the voice of non-woven), Plastiwin, Plarebel , UNESDA (carbonated soft drinks association), Europen … and EFBW (The European Federation of Bottled Waters) which has become a close partner. Furthermore, we have enlarged our Board to the PET industries, brand-owners represented by Danone and Procter&Gamble, and waste management firms by Suez.

To always add to our credibility for the “outside world” our third objective was to reinforce our Technical Committee and Working Groups. Thanks to our Chairs, instead of 10 to 15 participants in the past, we are now always more than 50 attendees with additional participants via teleconference. Also, we have created more WGs and SIGs (Special Industry Groups): The Plastic Aerosol Recycling SIG, which is about to succeed after a long and difficult course, the PET Recycling SIG counting 8 start-ups and more members, the SIG for PET white light barrier applications, which’s goal is to evaluate the dairy sector potential in order to convince the EPR’s to create new sorting fractions. Last but not least, a big effort was dedicated to the Thermoforms Recycling WG where it was very important to align the Trays and Pots converters on the EU strategy. It was achieved in December, where the first essential guidelines were accepted and a Technical WG for Tray & Pots should be created beginning next year.

Now that the past has been quickly resumed, for 2020 not only must we continue to fortify our organisation but it is time to pass to our fourth objective which is, by a long shot, our biggest and most difficult upcoming challenge: “Business as usual”, speaking only to ourselves has proven to be insufficient. We are under permanent attack from NGOs, the press and, worst, our children. Therefore, we now must scale up and envisage audacious and different communication programs where the policy makers and why not also the public will be better informed on PET circularity! We have just created our latest working group for the occasion (Communications Taskforce) and our first meeting will occur on January 21st.

As PET is the most recyclable of all plastics and the best packaging for the reduction of carbon footprint, our goal will be to prove and show that PET is and will continue to play a big part of the packaging entire circular solution!

Christian Crépet,

Executive Director Petcore Europe

Petcore Europe's new office

On the 16th of December Petcore Europe officially changed its Headquarters address. We said goodbye to our former office space in Avenue de Corthenbergh 71, and relocated to The Nestwork, Avenue de Broqueville 12, 1150 Brussels.

Our new phone number is: +32 (0) 2 315 24 88.

Should you have any questions regarding the move, do not hesitate to contact us.

New European Commission Approved

On the 27th of November, the European Parliament voted the new Commission team, presided by Ursula von der Leyen (Germany) into office.

The new Commission will come forward with a work plan for 2020 in January. The first policy proposals should be expect within the first 100 days.

The European Green Deal was presented by Ursula von der Leyen and is meant to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use.

Of the 27 new Commissioners, 12 are women, making this the most gender-balanced European Commission to date.

Structure

President:

Ursula von der Leyen 

Vice-presidents:

Frans Timmermans (Executive Vice-president) - European Green Deal

Margrethe Vestager (Executive Vice-president) - Europe Fit for Digital Age

Valdis Dombrovskis (Executive Vice-president) - An Economy that Works for People

Joseph Borrell (High Representative) - A Stronger Europe in the World 

Maroš Šefčovič -  Inter institutional Relations and Foresight

Věra Jourová - Values and Transparency

Dubravka Šuica - Democrazy and Demography

Margaritis Schinas - Promoting the European Way of Life

To read more about the new European Commission and the new Commissioners, visit here.

PET Monomer Recycling SIG – way forward

Launched in July 2019, the Petcore Europe Special Industry Group "PET Monomer Recycling" aims to establish a strong and sustainable value chain in the development of re-using the monomers from PET waste. After several meetings of the Core Activity Committee, we are happy to announce the first PET Monomer Recycling Forum, which will take place in mid-April in Brussels (date to be confirmed). The Forum conference will be open to Petcore Europe members interested in the developments of PET Monomer Recycling and invited key stakeholders. In early January we will share further details and the draft agenda of the meeting. 

To find out more about the Special Industry Group, visit www.petmonomerrecycling.org, where you can get the latest updates from the Core Activity Committee members, which are engaged in development and/or commercial operation of new technologies to process plastic PET waste into monomer constituents.

ODR WG Meeting in Emmen, The Netherlands

On the 4th and 5th of December, Petcore Europe organized a meeting for the ODR (Opaque and Difficult to Recycle) Working Group in Emmen, the Netherlands.

Around 50 participants gathered for a meeting focused mainly on updates from the Task Force leaders. The quantification of opaque white PET bottles in Europe, challenges for sorting and recycling, end applications of ODR material like compounds in the automotive industry, as well as the ongoing developments of bottle2fibre recycling protocols were only a few of the discussed topics.

On the agenda was also a presentation from the Soprema Group on their developments regarding chemical recycling of ODR PET material for the construction sector and an update from Holy Grail 2.0 highlighting their developments and achievements.

During the afternoon, the participants visited the EMMTEC industry Center, where they toured the Morssinkhof and Cumapol facilities and additionally the CuRe labs, where a fully circular polyester chain is being created.

To read more about this meeting and about the ODR Working Group, visit our website.

PET Tray Design for Recycling Workshop - Thermoforms WG

On 12 December, Petcore Europe invited the members of its PET Thermoforms Recycling Working Group to an important PET Tray Design for Recycling Workshop. After introducing the main challenges and opportunities, more than 40 participants discussed the proposed "design for recycling guidelines for clear transparent PET thermoformed trays to be recycled even in food applications".

Now that the major PET tray converters are aligned on an EU-wide strategy, Petcore Europe will publish the finalized guidelines and recycling protocol at the beginning of 2020. A Technical Working Group for tray & pots will support its implementation and recyclability testing.

Launch of new Special Industry Group (SIG) 

for PET white light barrier applications

Petcore Europe is pleased to announce the launch of a new Special Industry Group (SIG) for PET white light barrier applications.

Currently, in some countries we notice a switch from HDPE to PET packaging for dairy products. There is a potential for other markets to follow. This potential switch from HDPE and also PS to PET could justify separate recycling streams. The Circular Plastics Alliance and Essential Requirements of Packaging require full recyclability, deadlines are tight and it is time to move as soon as possible in the right direction to prove a concept of circularity.

As a result of this Petcore Europe's plan is to launch the SIG to convince EPRs as well as European and National Policymakers by developing technical guidelines to ensure recyclability, business models and closed stream proposals.

If you are interested in active participation in the new SIG please contact us via management@petcore-europe.org. A kick-off meeting  will take place early next year.

Petcore Europe Conference 2020 - few weeks to go   

Don't forget to register

We are pleased to invite you to the Petcore Europe annual conference in Brussels from 5-6 February 2020 in the Crowne Plaza Brussels - Le Palace. Building on the success of 2019, with more than 275 visitors, we are happy to invite you to our 2020 conference over two days in a spacious venue in the heart of Brussels. The first day is dedicated to the perspectives and strategy of the PET value chain and industry challenges followed by a networking drink and dinner. The second day focuses on PET in the circular economy as well as trends and solutions in collection, sorting & recycling including sustainability issues.

Don't miss your opportunity to network and gain an insight into the latest developments of our industry. We're only a few weeks away, to find out more and register to the event please visit our website.

Petcore Europe reinforces itself with 31 new members joining in 2019

In 2019, we welcomed 31 new Petcore Europe members: Bandera, IFPEN, Point Plastic, AFA Dispensing, Remondis PET Recycling, CUMAPOL, RETAL Industries, PepsiCo, Mitsubishi Polyester Films, Suntory, Digimarc, Finat, Gneuss, Loop Industries, Bruno Folcieri, Guillin, SRF Limited, Multi-Color Corporation, Covinil, Rittec, Axens, Polyplex, TPL, Ioniqa, Garbo, Sirap, Evonik, SIBUR, Uhde Inventa Fischer, AMAPLAST, Plastienvase SL. Petcore Europe now counts 88 members and represents the PET value chain more than ever.

News from our members

Upcoming meetings

• 4th of February 2020: Technical Committee Meeting 
• 5th of February 2020: General Assembly 
• 5th and 6th of February 2020: Petcore Europe Conference 2020 - "Circularity and Innovation - Shaping the future of PET"

All meetings and the conference take place in: Crowne Plaza Brussels,
Rue Gineste 3, 1210 Brussels.