Petcore Europe Newsletter Q3 - 2019 |
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Follow the latest news of Petcore Europe. This is the third quarterly newsletter of 2019 featuring news about the Circular Plastics Alliance, the Single Use Plastics Directive, the Petcore Europe Conference 2020, our PET Monomer Recycling Special Industry Group, upcoming meetings and much more. |
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Petcore Europe - enhancing the circularity of PET |
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Dear Petcore Europe members and contacts, As already mentioned in our last newsletter, Petcore Europe has been reinforcing its membership, finance and working groups over the past three years. Since June 2018 we have strengthened our advocacy activities to increase our contacts with policy makers. Our round table discussions in the European Parliament, our involvement in the G7 as well as the Circular Plastics Alliance (see next news item) increased our contacts with policy makers. Over the past month, it became obvious that recycling is one of the most critical parts of the Circular Plastics Alliance and the Circular Economy, ensuring that resources are valued, not wasted or discarded to pollute our natural environment. Policy makers, NGOs and the general public alike have to be made aware that PET packaging has a big advantage, it can be easily recycled in multiple loops to go back to the same high quality products (mechanically and chemically via depolymerization). With the right design for recycling we have a fully circular material at our hands. The PET value chain, Petcore Europe, is committed to extend the example of carbonated soft drinks and bottled water - 100 % of these PET beverage bottles are 100 % recyclable. PET trays must be 100 % recyclable too. We will make sure to put the association's energy in activities, projects and our working groups to achieve a truly Circular Economy for all PET packaging. Yours sincerely, Christian Crépet, Petcore Europe Executive Director |
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Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA) - Petcore Europe signs Declaration On Friday, 20 September, Petcore Europe President Stephen Short among over 100 representatives from companies, business organisations and public authorities as well as standardisation bodies and research and technology organisations signed the Circular Plastics Alliance Declaration during a high-level event in the European Commission. The declaration describes the CPA's vision for more recycled plastics in Europe, as well as commitments to reach the EU target. Namely, that 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics find their way into products in the EU by 2025. The next agreed actions include: Design for recycling - Work plan to deliver on design for recycling guidelines and recyclability standards for all plastic products by 1/3/2020.
- Overview of the current status of the production of recycled plastics in the EU, identify untapped potential for more recycling and mapping of necessary investments in recycling facilities by 1/1/2021.
Collection and sorting of plastic waste - State-of-play on collected and sorted plastic waste in the EU by 1/6/2020.
- Mapping of the necessary investments in collection and sorting facilities and infrastructures by 1/1/2021.
Recycled content - Identify the legal, economic and technical requirements ensuring more uptake of recycled plastics and report on these with solutions by 1/1/2021.
R&D and investments incl. chemical recycling - Research and development agenda on circular plastics by 1/3/2020.
- Mapping of investments and funding needed in collection, sorting, recycling and converting of plastics by 1/1/2021.
Monitoring - Harmonised EU value chain voluntary system to monitor volumes of recycled plastics used in European products by 1/1/2021.
Petcore Europe was heavily involved in the preliminary work of the CPA and will remain a key player in the packaging related activities while working on a Circular Economy for PET. In the next months, the CPA will establish Working Groups, a Steering Committee and a General Assembly (taking place once per year) to deliver on the actions. Further information about the CPA, the list of signatories as well as a link to apply electronically to sign the declaration and join the alliance can be found on the European Commission website. |
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PET Monomer Recycling SIG launched |
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In July 2019, Petcore Europe officially launched its Special Industry Group “PET Monomer Recycling” which opens a completely new perspective on how to deal with the concerns about plastics and plastic waste. Bringing the PET bottles and food containers as well as polyester textiles back to its constituents, monomers or low molecular weight components that allow purification means in principle endless re-use of these PET building blocks. This will improve the circularity of PET. "PET Monomer Recycling has the potential to increase the quantity of available recycled PET and complement the existing mechanical recycling capacities", stresses Wim Hoenderdaal, Chairman of the new Petcore Europe Special Industry Group. Petcore Europe members will soon be informed how they can interact with and support the newly created group. To find out more about the Special Industry Group, visit petmonomerrecycling.org. |
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SUP Directive Consultations launched As previously announced, the European Commission will prepare clear Guidelines on the definitions of what is a single use plastic item. The main consultant in charge to develop these Guidelines is Ramboll Environment & Health, with support from Deloitte, Prognos, IEEP and Wood. To develop this guidelines, Ramboll launched a first stakeholder consultation on general and product specific definitions, explanations, criteria, and product markings earlier in September. Petcore Europe will provide input to the consultation in order to avoid a consumption reduction for recyclable PET food containers. A second stakeholder consultation on the topics of a separate collection target for plastic beverage bottles and formats for reporting of data and quality check reports, consumption reduction measurement methodology and reporting of data and quality check report formats, as well as guidelines on litter clean-up costs will follow later in October 2019. |
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Petcore Europe Conference 2020 - Draft programme available |
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We are pleased to announce the draft programme of 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. To find out more and register to the event please visit our website. |
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Petcore Europe reinforces itself with 30 new members joining in 2019 |
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In June 2019, we announced 19 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 and Covinil. In the meantime eleven more members joined: Rittec, Axens, Polyplex, TPL, Ioniqa, Garbo, Sirap, Evonik, SIBUR, Uhde Inventa Fischer and AMAPLAST. Petcore Europe now counts 87 members and represents the PET value chain more than ever. |
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Holy Grail 2.0 aims to speed up the transition to a circular economy for plastics, focusing on an important pillar of recycling, improved sorting of post-consumer packaging with the help of digital watermarks. Join the event at the TOMRA Recycling Headquarters to learn more. The industrial facilities at Portalegre of Evertis Ibérica have obtained the ECOSENSE certificate. The company advances in its commitment with the sustainability and the protection of the environment, adding value to its products and contributing to an increasingly transparent European plastic industry. Read more >> Attending trade exhibitions is resource-intensive. As a responsible global packaging manufacturer, RETAL takes attending trade exhibitions seriously. Read more >> The European Commission is currently preparing an amendment to Regulation 282/2008 needed for the publication of the Authorisations for PET food contact recycling processes. The amendment would include a transition period for the publication of the authorisations and a clarification of the obligations for the operation of recycling processes (authorisation holders; recyclers; authority) which aims to simplify the Authorisation processes. Amendments are expected to be voted by Q2 of 2020. The individual decisions for PET processes would follow in Q3 2020. For further information contact mireia.boada@plasticsrecyclers.eu. Earlier in September, European Plastics Converters launched the 3rd edition of its Recycling Survey. 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. |
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Upcoming meetings 5 November 2019: Technical Committee Meeting in Brussels 6 November 2019: Board of Directors Meeting (for BoD only) in Brussels Date to be confirmed: Thermoforms WG meeting and workshop 4+5 December 2019: ODR WG Meeting (for WG members only) in Emmen, NL
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