Sustainable Plastics - May/June 2022 - 4

reflection
editorial
Editor
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Karen Laird
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David Platt
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Amy Steinhauser
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Don Loepp
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Matthew Barber
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Sam Abdallah
sabdallah@crain.com
Recycling's the
place to be
O
ne of the most dynamic areas of the plastics industry today has got to be
that of plastics recycling. Treated for many years as the poor cousin of
the plastics industry, the sector got a major boost with the adoption by
the EU of its strategy for plastics in January 2018.
That strategy reserved a starring role for plastics recycling.
It includes new rules on packaging, both to improve its recyclability and increase
the amount of recycled plastic used in producing this. It calls for investments in infrastructure;
an EU-wide pledging campaign to help reach the targets set in the new
strategy was launched. Today, plastics recycling is a thing.
And the targets are ambitious ones. Among others, in Europe, all plastic packaging
must be designed to be recyclable or reusable by 2030. To achieve this, more attention
must be directed at developing design for recycling concepts that will enhance
recyclability and, it is hoped, drive down the amount of over-packaging as a way to
reduce the amount of waste generated. Also, standards will be introduced to ensure a
consistent quality and supply of the plastics being recycled, in order to encourage the
use of these plastics.
Policy and legislation are not the only areas in which the industry continues to develop.
Recycling technologies, too, are evolving, aimed at improving the purity and
availability of the recyclates being produced. These eff orts are essential if the pledging
campaign, which aims to see 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics being used in
new products by 2025, is to become a success. Right now, meeting this target seems
unlikely, as there is simply not enough available capacity in the EU to process and
produce the volumes needed. Hence, large amounts of plastic waste still tend to end
up in landfill or being incinerated.
In this issue, we've also included a look at what is known as chemical recycling: A
technology, or, more accurately, a group of technologies, that is emerging as a complementary
solution to mechanical recycling. Chemical recycling has been hailed as a
promising means to fill the void in the plastics recycling loop. However, its legal status
in the waste hierarchy must still be clarified as it is currently not captured by the existing
EU Waste Framework Directive.
The technologies are still nascent, but already, billions of euros are being invested in
their development. It's an exciting area to watch.
And of course, we're holding the Plastics Recycling Show Europe 2022 in just a few
weeks in Amsterdam. This event brings together a broad cross-section of the plastics
recycling world for a free two-day conference and exhibition - and to attend, the only
thing you need to do is register. I hope to see you there!
Karen Laird
Editor
4
May/June 2022
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Sustainable Plastics - May/June 2022

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