Plastics

| Today far too much plastic waste still escapes the European collection systems. Failing to collect plastic waste leads to a loss of valuable resources and at the same time poses a risk to the natural environment.

| Technological innovation, on one hand, favours the acceleration of modern development as well as changes in various markets, while on the other, is driven by the latter two.

| The need for packaging is rising so is the danger to our environment. The packaging materials harm the environment by leaving their carbon footprints behind. Therefore, it is imperative that companies start sourcing and using sustainable packaging materials to ensure that the waste is at its minimal. If you want to incorporate ways to reduce waste, the good news is that there are quite a few strategies you can implement.

| Grocers should consider introducing more widespread deposit and return schemes instead of waiting for government action, since 88.9% of UK consumers stated that they would be likely to use a scheme as environmental concerns move higher up their agendas, says GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

| When the UK Plastics Pact launched in April, OPRL, the recycling label not-for-profit, set itself some commitments in supporting its members to deliver against their pledges. Today it reported significant progress against key commitments

| Single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery or cotton buds, making up over 70% of marine litter, will be banned under plans backed in the Environment Committee.

| FEAD fully supports the report which would make it mandatory to produce beverage containers composed of at least 35% recycled plastic by 2025.

| Members of the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament voted today on the Report amending the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive proposed by the European Commission. Led by Ms. Frederique RIES, Rapporteur for the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament (BE, ALDE), the Report set a target of 35% of recycled content in beverage bottles by 2025.

| In his final Chairman’s address to the BIR Plastics Committee after 12 years at its helm, Surendra Borad Patawari of Gemini Corporation NV in Belgium enthused: “There cannot be a better proposition than the business of plastics recycling.”

| New provisions such as the circular economy package from the EU have given a huge boost to the use of recycled materials. Alpla welcomes this development, but is calling for consistent thinking and actions.

| The EU Single Use Plastics Directive Proposal is currently under the assessment of the European Parliament. The proposal foresees the consumption reduction of PET trays - a circular packaging product with a high amount of recycled content.

| According to IHS Markit, rapidly changing consumer expectations for plastics and increasing regulations or bans are creating market challenges and disconnects for producers

| Plastics resource and recycling charity, Recoup, hosted 400 attendees at their annual Plastics Recycling Conference this year. Discussions covered the whole of the plastics resource and recycling value chain, as did the delegates in attendance.

| Axion Polymers has invested in more laboratory test equipment at its Salford-based plastics recycling facility, including a new injection moulder, that will enable a greater range of polymer testing and further development of recycled polymer grades.