The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) and FEAD, which represents the private waste management sector in Europe, have jointly come out in support of the recommended goal by the European Parliament (EP) of having all plastic beverage bottles consist of at least 25 percent recycled-content plastic by 2025.
EuRIC and FEAD say the EP’s proposal being discussed seeks to encourage the creation of a steady market for recyclables and will ensure a more circular use of plastics. In their statement, the two associations say collecting up to 90 percent of the plastic bottles in 2025, as proposed in the directive, is a welcomed first step but may not be enough to steer the beverage markets toward fewer single-use bottles. Designing recyclable packaging items is necessary to facilitate recycling, and a strong signal is needed to boost both the offer of recyclable plastics and the demand of recycled plastics, say EuRIC and FEAD.
The draft EP proposal to include at least 25 percent recycled-content plastic “is a crucial first step in this direction, and we fully support its inclusion in the legal text,” add the groups.
FEAD and EuRIC, together with 33 other stakeholders, also have called for the EU to act and broaden the introduction of recycled content mandates for plastic packaging and products containing plastics in general.
The introduction of recycled content mandates in products and packaging by 2025 would considerably boost the market for recycled plastics in Europe while pushing to minimize the space that non-recyclable [packaging types] occupy, conclude the groups.