Trade association PlasticsEurope has created a new Plastics Packaging Circular Economy Group which will be working across the value chain to maximise the potential of plastics in delivering superior resource efficiency.
According to the organisation plastics packaging currently society adds significant value in containing, protecting and preserving a wide range of products. However, more can be done.
To this end, PlasticsEurope said that it is important to further strengthen the engagement with all actors within the supply chain and work in a more holistic way.
This, it argued, would enable to deliver innovation that further increases the resource efficiency of plastics and ensure their recyclingat the end of their useful life. At the same time, it could prevent the leakage of any waste into the environment.
“Life cycle thinking is at the heart of our actions. The circular economy proposals should also aim to bring environmental benefits over the product’s full life cycle,” commented Karl-H. Foerster, executive director at PlasticsEurope.
“It is only through the lens of resource efficiency that new approaches and holistic packaging solutions will be developed,” he added.
As part of the initiative PlasticsEurope said that it will be engaging with the industry value-chain in realising a vision towards a Resource Efficient European Circular Economy.
Collaboration
The aim is to foster an economy where materials are not sent to landfill and discarded as litter, but are recovered for use in tomorrow’s products or as an energy resource.
As a first move, PlasticsEurope’s new plastics packaging group will shortly be announcing a new collaboration with the European Plastics Converters and Plastics Recyclers Associations.
“We increased our resources on packaging activities with the creation of a new Plastics Packaging Group to contribute towards a resource efficient circular economy,” said Foerster.
“Our industry is committed to a sustainable future within a low-carbon economy and we will continue to increase our engagement with the plastics value-chain towards this common goal, he concluded.