CLEPA signed the Circular Plastics Alliance declaration
On 20th September, CLEPA officially signed the Declaration of the Circular Plastics Alliance, together with more than 100 public and private partners covering the whole plastics value chain.
The vision of the Circular Plastics Alliance is to deliver on the circular economy for plastics and substantially increase the use of recycled plastics into new products.
This Alliance, endorses the ambitious target that by 2025 at least 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics should find their way into products and packaging in Europe each year; referred to as “the 10 million tonnes target”, helping to deliver the circular economy with a life cycle approach.
First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, responsible for sustainable development, said: “I welcome the industry’s commitments to rethink the way we produce and use plastics. By efficiently recycling plastics, we will clean up the planet and fight climate change, by substituting fossil fuels with plastic waste in the production cycle.”
Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska, responsible for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said: “We have the opportunity to make our industry a world leader in recycled plastics. We should fully seize it to protect the environment, to create new jobs in this sector and remain competitive.”
Plastics and plastic waste are valuable resources for the circular economy. Increasing collection of plastic waste for recycling contributes to reducing plastic pollution. The initiative, looks forward to reach this objective whilst ensuring the functionalities of plastic products, without compromising on consumer protection and safety.
Sigrid De Vries, CLEPA Secretary General participated at the ceremony, highlighting “Plastic materials are at the heart of solutions to make vehicles lighter, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, and delivering enhanced safety applications such as seatbelts and airbags. By signing this declaration, CLEPA confirms its support to the European Commission’s plastics initiative. This strategy proposes concrete actions designed to make the vision for a more circular plastics economy a reality”
The signatories commit to develop, update or revise design for recycling guidelines for all plastic products and ensure they are revised on a regular basis to take into account innovation, also aiming at improving the recyclability of plastic products in order to deliver the volumes and quality of recycled plastics necessary to meet the end market needs.
Also, by 2021, there is a plan to monitor the current status of the production of recycled plastics in the EU, identify untapped potential for more recycling and map the necessary investments in recycling facilities in each Member State to reach the 10 million tonnes target.
The initiative actively supports the development or revision of European standards and guidelines on the quality of plastics recycling and recycled plastics, where necessary, and promote their use in the value chains.
Suppliers are providing long-lasting, high-quality products. Suppliers steadily increase the number of sustainable materials in their parts. Therefore, this initiative will help the commitment to help make the transition towards a low-carbon and circular economy, providing citizens with a cleaner and safer environment.
Background:
CLEPA, through its “Materials and Regulation” working groups, continuously seeks the use of highly performance materials, as plastics, to contribute to creating lighter vehicles, reinforcing their environmental performance.
The declaration of the Alliance will remain open for signature on the Commission’s website for more signatories to join over time, in particular public authorities from all across Europe.
Business associations and companies are also encouraged to submit voluntary pledges to use or produce more recycled plastics, if they have not yet done so. Interested parties may contact for further information: GROW-ENV-RPLASTICS-PLEDGE@ec.europa.eu
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In: CLEPA News, Environment & Energy, Materials & Substances