At IFAT impact Business Summit, 8-10 September 2020, FEAD has co-organised with its German member BDE a live webconference on the implementation of the EU Plastics Strategy.
Currently Europe produces more than 25 million tonnes of plastic waste, of which 30 per cent is recycled and 40 per cent is treated through waste-to-energy plants, and the remaining part is landfilled (European Commission, 2018). This means that less than a third of plastic waste in Europe is recycled.
To increase these numbers in favor of recycling, the European Commission launched a European strategy for plastics in 2018. Under this strategy, all plastic packaging in the EU market will be recyclable and the consumption of all plastic waste will be reduced by 2030, therefore restricting the deliberate use of microplastics.
At the two-year mark since the adoption of this strategy, participants are now discussing its implementation. In this regard, FEAD President, Peter Kurth, stresses that “the EU production and recycling of plastics need a common answer – a European answer. We expect a stronger regulatory action to foster the creation of a competitive market for recyclates. Projected oil prices will not incentivise competitiveness of recycled materials compared to virgin plastics.”
The European Commission is committed to fulfil the objectives, through a series of policy and economic instruments and explain that “Eco-design measures, consumer empowerment for proper waste separation and mandatory re- incorporation rates of recycled plastics into products are crucial policy instruments”.
Source: FEAD
