The audience at the Plastics Recycling World Expo in Brussels


EC makes slow progress on mass balance method


The European Commission (EC) is inching closer to making a decision on which allocation method chemical recycling companies must use for the mass balance approach in calculating recycled plastics output from their facilities. “We have been inten- sively discussing this internally,” said Julia Roettgerding, Policy Officer in the DG Environment Circular Economy Unit, in a keynote speech at the Plastics Recycling World Expo in Brussels in Septem- ber. “We are very much aware of the urgency in giving certainty.” There have been lengthy discussions about mass balance with EU member states, which are continuing, she said. The EC’s attempts to reach a decision have been further delayed as new Commissioners appointed after EU elections in June have set up their depart- mental teams.


When plastics waste is used with virgin feedstock in


www.compoundingworld.com


a petrochemical plant, mass balance enables a company to say a proportion of the plant’s output is recycled (more details here). Some aspects of what the EC will permit have been decided, such as not allowing a company to transfer mass balance credits between sites. Roettgerding said that in its discussions with member states, the EC supports the Fuel Use Excluded method for calculating the amount of recycled products, which provides a freer allocation than the Proportional and Polymers Only options. The EC’s decision on the alloca- tion method is crucial for chemical recycling compa- nies whose investment plans are based on being able to allocate at a higher level of recycled products. The EC is also working on connected elements such as chemical traceability to make a clear link between waste input and the product. � https://commission. europa.eu


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IMAGE: D ELDRIDGE


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