A coalition of trade bodies has welcomed plans by the European Commission to improve the function of the Circular Economy.
The Permanent Materials Coalition comprising of the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE), Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL), European Aluminium, and Metal Packaging Europe, welcomed the plenary adoption of the European Parliament’s own-initiative report on the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) 2.0.
The CEAP 2.0 is designed to strengthen the EU Economy, protect the environment and ensure that the resources used are kept in the EU economy for as long as possible.
As permanent materials, aluminium, glass and steel have the potential to be recycled over and over again, without losing their inherent properties and contribute to maintaining circular material loops.
The Permanent Materials Coalition said it was pleased to note that Members of the European Parliament have highlighted four key issues to improve the functioning of the Circular Economy for packaging.
Alexis Van Maercke, secretary general of APEAL, said: “We were pleased to note that today’s vote recognises the key role of permanent materials in the transition from a linear to a fully circular economy.
"Permanent materials that retain their inherent properties after recycling will enable Europe to keep valuable resources in an endless material loop of new products and packaging.”
Adeline Farrelly, Secretary General of FEVE, said : "Packaging serves multiple functions and we are pleased that the report underlines the essential role of packaging for product safety, in particular food safety and hygiene, and for reducing food waste.
"Glass, aluminium and steel packaging are materials that can extend shelf-life and play an important role in this fight against food waste. "
The coalition has taken note of the European Parliament’s call on the Commission to propose product specific binding targets for recycled content but believes that this demand-side driver is not effective for materials such as aluminium, glass and steel, which already have well-functioning markets for high quality recycled materials.
The European Union is demonstrating global leadership in the drive to move from a linear to a real circular economy.
With respective recycling rates of 76%, 76% and 82.5% in 2018, the aluminium, glass and steel sectors are top-performers for recycling packaging materials and are well positioned to play a key role in this transition.
