Industry responds to the launch of the European Plastics Pact

The plastics industry has met the launch of the European Plastics Pact with criticism, with both European Plastics Converters and the German Association for Plastics Packaging (IK) questioning its implementation.

European Plastics Converters has said it will not be signing the Pact, and the IK has said that it will cause more harm than good to the recycling industry.

The aim of the pact is to set ambitious common objectives and to encourage cooperation, innovation, and harmonisation at a European level, in order to bring about a circular European plastics economy along the whole value chain.

Alexandre Dangis, Managing Director of EuPC, said: “Company and association members are already very much engaged in the European Commission’s Circular Plastics Alliance and the industry’s voluntary commitments, as well as the new national plastic pacts and legislative obligations coming from the SUP Directives and revised waste regulation.”

“At the same time, EuPC understands the urgency of dealing with plastic waste and marine litter but quick fixes cannot give long-term solutions. Reducing plastic single-use items or increasing recycling targets cannot resolve the issues such as mismanagement of waste or bad behaviours.”

“Pioneering countries are countries that have abandoned landfilling plastics waste that can be recycled and this is not the case for certain signatories of the new Pact.”

“A direct link with industry ministries to assess the impacts on the competitiveness of the plastics industry in Europe threatening many jobs is missing but maybe the Circular Plastics Alliance will help to create this assessment.”

Dr Isabell Schmidt, IK Managing Director for Circular Economy, said: “Ambitious targets for the recycling of plastics are to be welcomed in principle as long as they do not threaten the development of a high-quality recycling industry through unrealistic assumptions and actionism.”

“The EU has already set concrete goals in its plastics strategy, the Circular Plastics Alliance is pursuing them with courage, and in Germany the sharp rise in recycling quotas under the new packaging law is already demanding a joint effort along the value chain. The industry is endeavouring to increasingly keep high-quality recyclates in the circuit.”

“Instead of further goals, we need a courageous and energetic design of the framework conditions. While we as an industry are concerned about the recyclability of packaging, politicians should make greater efforts to ensure that plastic waste is collected separately and sent for recycling, otherwise even the best recyclability of packaging is no use.”

“In this respect it would be important to enforce an EU-wide ban on landfill and to extend the deposit system for drinks bottles throughout Europe. However, the Plastics Pact remains surprisingly soft on these points.”

“If the advantages of plastic are not required, it should not be used. Reusable plastic can replace disposable plastic. At present, however, reducing plastics often means substituting them with non-recyclable paper-plastic composites or glass packaging that is questionable from a climate point of view.”

“As an industry, we have set ourselves ambitious recycling targets and are committed to the CPA in order to achieve the ten million tonnes of recycled materials in the EU by 2025. Here, the still immature recyclate markets are already demanding a high level of personnel and financial commitment, also from our member companies.”