Policy, sustainability on Rotterdam agenda

Targets, mandates and trade policies in the European Union, combined with corporate sustainability goals, are changing the way paperboard and plastic scrap are collected and traded in Europe. The fast-moving pace of change on the continent is atop the agenda at the 2022 Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference Europe event, to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Nov. 15-16.

The conference’s opening session will feature speakers from two Brussels-based organizations on the front lines of the recycling challenges: the European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD) and the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI).

FEAD, which will be represented by board member Dr. Andreas Krawczik of Remondis Netherlands, has weighed in on numerous EU recycling related policies, including those affecting plastic scrap trading, a collection of policies known as the Green Deal, and aggressive targets for plastic recycling within the EU.

On the trade front, exports to non-Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) are scheduled to require pre-registration of companies receiving scrap materials. The policy has been received with great concern from processors and traders of scrap paper and metal, which should not be regulated as “waste,” the recyclers say.

Providing context on the paper and board side will be CEPI and its raw materials director Ulrich Leberle. This July, Leberle was among presenters at a CEPI online event focusing on Europe’s 71.4 percent paper and board recycling rate.

“There [has been] strong investment in recycling capacities in Europe [and] there is a strong environmental consciousness by people” in Europe, Leberle said at that time.

Also providing positive news in Europe is the apparent ongoing commitment by corporations there to emphasize sustainability programs that include attention to recycling and recycled content in products.

The session following the keynote addresses on Nov. 15, is titled “Sector Analysis: Packaging,” and will feature a panel focused on how sustainability is boosting recycling’s prospects.

Moderating the session is Susan Cornish, who focuses on sustainability-related initiatives with Atlanta-based Moore & Associates. Speaking at the session will be Jurgita Girzadiene, sustainability manager for Ireland-based paper and board producer Smurfit Kappa. That firm has sought and received sustainability recognition from e-commerce giant Amazon and from a packaging awards program.

Joining Girzadiene is Sebastien Ricard, an associate director with global advertising firm Havas Paris. Ricard, who previously worked with Paris-based recycling firm Paprec, will provide comments on how global brand owners are seeking to work recycling into their overall sustainability programs.

More information on the Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference Europe, including how to register, can be found here.