In an article published on January 31, 2020, the industry association European Bioplastics (EuBP) commented on the European Green Deal and called for additional improvements to the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) set to be published in March 2020 (FPF reported). EuBP believes that the “CEAP needs a more comprehensive approach in order to shape a competitive and clean EU plastics sector” including “innovative links to the bioeconomy as well as understanding recycling as means to close material as well as organic cycles.” To achieve climate neutrality for the plastics sector by 2050, EuBP outlined seven points that should be added into the CEAP and the roadmap for the European Green Deal.
These recommendations include: (i) careful prioritization of prevention and reuse concepts only when they are feasible and preferable from a sustainability perspective, (ii) better linking the bioeconomy and the circular economy, (iii) closing the organic cycle, (iv) considering all three recycling options for plastic packaging (mechanical, chemical, and organic), (v) implementing provisions from within the packaging and waste directive, (vi) establishing agreed upon terminology for biodegradable plastics based on the EN 13432 standard, and (vii) ensuring that across all actions resource use is not increasing, food safety is not compromised, and shelf-life and storage performance remain at least at current levels or higher to avoid additional food waste.
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EB (January 31, 2020). “Europe’s new “Circular Economy Action Plan” needs to link bioeconomy and circular economy.”
