PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD EXHIBITION | EVENT REVIEW


Christine Levêque, Director Business Innovation Recycling and Recovery at Suez, speaking in a panel discussion


underpin investment in the recycling sector, as it could provide the long-term stability needed by brand owners and retailers, and it could encourage plastics recyclers to reinvest in the industry. Chris Slijkhuis said there are other developments


owners. I think this will continue to a certain degree,” she said. The free-to-attend conference programme also


featured a series of high level debates, which attracted large audiences keen to hear the views of experts on the challenges and opportunities for the European plastics recycling sector. The first discus- sion on the legislative landscape taking shape within the EU’s Circular Economy programme involved Anna Gergely from Brussels-based law firm Steptoe & Johnson, Edward Kosior from the Nextek consultancy, and Chris Slijkhuis, Public Affairs and E-Waste Manager at recycler Müller-Gutten- brunn Group in Austria. The discussion was fuelled largely by the Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy an- nounced by the European Commission in January. The panellists all expressed their hope that the Plastics Strategy will result in greater levels of recycling in the EU. But the announcement has also caused concerns to be raised. Anna Gergely said that companies that have consulted Steptoe & Johnson for regulatory advice are looking for more clarity and want the Commission to provide definitions for the provisions set out in the Plastics Strategy. For example, there is a target to make all plastic packaging recyclable by 2030, but the Commission has so far not provided its definition of “recyclable”. Edward Kosior said the Plastics Strategy was an


important framework for the development of plastics recycling. “Every [EU member] country needs to respond,” he said. “Unfortunately, every country in Europe has a different approach.” He was hopeful the Circular Economy concept would


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in EU regulation that are not positive for plastics recycling. He said that regulation impacting on plastics also involves people trying to legislate for toxicology: the regulatory landscape is more like the Grand Canyon, he said, with the toxicology camp on one side and the Circular Economy camp on the other side, with neither group talking to each other. In his company’s area, WEEE recycling, there is a new move against the flame retardant Deca- BDE, which is restricted in new products under the Reach regime but is widely present as a legacy additive in e-waste. He said the new proposal “has the capacity to kill e-waste and car recycling”, as it would limit the concentration level for Deca-BDE to below 10mg/kg (10ppm) with no derogation for a higher concentration in products made from recycled plastics (see News). The EU’s toxicology and Circular Economy groups really need to talk to each other to sort out such conflicts, he said. Packaging recycling issues were discussed in another debate involv- ing Graham Houlder of Sloop Consulting, Ghent University’s Professor Kim Ragaert, and Christine Levêque, Director Business Innovation Recycling and Recovery at Suez. Houlder welcomed the Plastics Strategy’s


attempt to tackle marine


litter, an issue which has focussed the scrutiny of politicians and the pubic on plastics packaging. But the proportion of plastics packaging that accumu- lates as marine litter is very small in relation to the amount of packaging produced. “I have some serious questions whether the instruments being presented are appropriate to close that last little bit,” he said. Kim Ragaert said the Plastics Strategy is “a really good first step”, but more work needs to be done, such as providing details on the criteria for which types of packaging are considered recyclable. Christine Levêque agreed that the EU’s “vision needs to be translated into concrete steps”. Stressing the need for plastic packaging to be designed for recycling, she said it is important that solutions are applicable across all EU countries,


July/August 2018 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 23


Left: Poly-IQ showed an automotive lamp fitting moulded in rPC/ABS


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