EPRO celebrates twenty years of recycling advocacy

EPRO, a group with focus on reintegrating plastic waste to the supply chain, started in 1997 with seven founding organisations and has since grown to encompass 20 partners from 17 countries.

Liam Moloney, Managing Director of IFFPG (Irish Farm Films Producers Group), said that joining EPRO meant the opportunity to exchange ideas about best practice: “We are also interested in finding out about impending EU legislation and in having a voice in influencing legislation through membership of a strong representative body. Our decision to join was also influenced by the quality of the existing membership, some of whom we had very positive interactions with before joining EPRO.”

Stuart Foster, Recoup CEO, said: “EPRO is not just another association. It is a practical group of like-minded and very knowledgeable people from across Europe who are passionate about moving plastic recycling and resource efficiency forwards. I have personally been involved with the group since 2006 and the work of EPRO today is more important than ever before.”

The association is active in all regions of North, Western and Southern Europe as well as in Canada and South Africa. In these countries, EPRO helps to optimise national opportunities through an international exchange of experience. A central concern is to make approved solutions internationally known and to adapt them to national conditions to promote a sustainable use of plastics. In working groups EPRO focuses on specific activity in the fields of Agricultural Plastics, EPBP (European PET Bottle Platform), Statistics and EuCertPlast (European Certification for Plastics Recyclers).

Peter Sundt, one of the founders of EPRO, said: “In 1997, most countries in Europe had just established their EPR schemes for plastic packaging. Several organisations had a need to exchange and learn from similar systems. In 1997 the Austrian take back system invited to a first meeting in Vienna. Based on this very first meeting EPRO was established with the aim to exchange experience and optimise national effectiveness through international co-operation. 20 years later, we are 20 members, from 17 countries, inclusive of Canada and South Africa. The scope of EPRO has also been extended into all kinds of plastics from the agriculture sector, both packaging and non-packaging plastics. Thanks also to EPRO, members have met their national recycling targets. Now, based on circular economy package, EPRO and it members prepare for higher targets, we are prepared and looking forward to meet new challenges."