On 22 March 2023, a group of 31 associations representing major market sectors along the European plastics value chain have issued a joint letter calling on the European Commission and Member States to adopt EU harmonised calculating rules for recycled content, in particular to take into account chemical recycling. Cosmetics Europe is one of the signatories.
This letter is entitled “Cross sectoral statement on the policy framework needed to deliver recycled content in key plastics applications”.
Here are its contents.
The undersigned associations, representing major market sectors, call on the European Commission and Member States to adopt during the present year, 2023, EU harmonised calculating rules for recycled content, by means of mass balance.
To achieve a circular economy for plastics, the use of recycled materials needs a boost. Alongside investments in climate neutral production and supply chains, greater support is needed to prevent waste generation, reuse plastics and the rapid scale-up of mechanical, organic and chemical recycling.
Manufacturers, converters and users of plastic products or plastics packaging in all sectors are keen to significantly increase the supply and use of recycled plastics.
While mechanical recycling has benefits in terms of cost, environmental performance and recycling yields and should remain the preferred choice, more investments in all technologies are needed to increase recycling. Chemical recycling allows the use of plastic waste, especially feedstock not suitable for mechanical recycling, to produce new chemicals including plastics. As such, it can deliver additional high-quality material for a large number of applications, such as certain types of contact-sensitive packaging (e.g. …
