Several plastics organizations have formed a group aimed at boosting plastics packaging recycling in Europe.
The group is called the Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform, and its goal is to help the industry reach the European Union’s target of reusing and recycling 55 percent of plastic packaging by 2025. The target is outlined in the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package.
European Plastics Converters (EuPC), PlasticsEurope and Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) collaborated to form the Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform, which has the following priority work areas:
- Development of packaging design guidelines and assessment protocols.
- Innovation to improve recyclability of flexible and rigid packaging.
- Quality standards for sorted plastics, harmonized testing methods and certification of plastics recycling operations.
- Development of end markets.
- Innovation to improve mechanical recycling, conversion technologies and reuse.
- Research and development of technologies to convert plastics that can’t be mechanically recycled into feedstock for production of new materials.
“In the drive to create a more circular economy, fresh approaches and new thinking are required,” a press release stated. “Hence, this newly formed platform will be working for a 5 to 10 year horizon based on effective, science-based solutions.”
