On 20 September, key influencers that can move society at large to a more sustainable use of plastic products, gathered in Brussels to sign the Circular Plastic Alliance Declaration. More than 100 European trade organisations, including TEPPFA, companies and public authorities signed. They represent the entire value chain from raw material producers, product manufacturers, users up to waste management organisations, recyclers and public authorities.
The Declaration is a strong commitment to develop actions to voluntarily increase the uptake of recycled content into new plastic products in Europe, where the objective is 10 million tonnes by 2025.
Operational working groups have been set up to work on five priority areas:
- Collection and sorting of plastic waste
- Product design for recycling
- Recycled plastic content in products
- R&D and investments, including chemical recycling
- Monitoring of recycled plastics sold in the EU
Plastics plays a major role in shifting the economy from a linear to a circular model. Plastic pipe manufacturers have recognised the need to be sustainable and have integrated design for recycling into their new product development strategies. Research continues to find further possibilities. Innovative converting technologies are being developed to increase the reuse of recycled materials.