NEWS


Controversy surrounds PPWR agreement by EU legislators


The European Parliament and Council reached agreement in March on an amended Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). But the regulation has left many stakeholders dissatisfied, with some criticising the unequal treatment of plastics, and some raising trade concerns about a last-minute amend- ment introducing a “mirror- ing” clause for non-EU companies to comply with EU environmental standards. Germany’s IK association


of plastics packaging producers said PPWR had been “transformed into an anti-plastics regulation” favouring other materials which could lead to worse environmental outcomes. Isabell Schmidt, Managing Director of Circular Econo- my at IK, said: “Food packaging made of paper and cardboard… usually cannot do without a plastic coating, as uncoated fibres cannot retain moisture or grease. Compared to pure plastic packaging, however,


IMAGE: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT


recyclates and therefore to the import of goods packaged in plastic from third countries before they can be placed on the market in the EU”. However, the European


Above: European Parliament during a voting session


they are significantly less recyclable and are also 40% cent heavier on average, which has a negative impact on energy consumption.” EuPC, representing


European plastics convert- ers, released a legal assess- ment in February suggesting that PPWR’s special rules for plastic packaging and exemptions for other materials “are very likely not compatible with EU law”. It said this could lead to an “avalanche of European or national legal disputes and, as a result, to instability of the framework and the


undermining of the circular economy for packaging that it aims to establish”. Legal challenges from outside the EU may also arise from the “mirroring” clause, which was reported to have alarmed European Commission trade officials about its potential for causing trade disputes with non-EU countries. IK called for the Commission to disclose its concerns about the clause, which “stipulates that the same environmental requirements as in the EU must apply to the manufac- turing process for plastic


Recycling Industries’ Confed- eration (EuRIC) and the European Waste Manage- ment Association (FEAD) welcomed the clause as a means to address an unfair playing field for European recyclers. In a joint statement they said that “massive imports of low-cost plastics labelled as recycled” in 2023 had caused European recycled plastics prices to plummet by up to 50% to the detriment of European recycling companies and further investment in the industry.


Plastics Recyclers Europe


said in February a study had shown that without the necessary investment, the PET recycling rate in Europe could fall to between 32% and 38% by 2040. The PPWR agreement can be read HERE.


LyondellBasell acquires PreZero US assets


LyondellBasell has acquired mechani- cal recycling assets from waste management service provider PreZero and leased its 22,680 tonnes/yr capacity processing facility in Jurupa Valley, California, US. The company plans to use the plant to manufacture post-consumer recycled resins which it will offer under its CirculenRecover brand, part of the company’s Circulen portfolio.


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Operations are expected to com- mence in 2025. “This acquisition further strength- ens our US presence and will deliver value for our customers and plastic recycling rates in the West Coast,” said Yvonne van der Laan, LyondellBasell Executive VP, Circular and Low Carbon Solutions. n Source One Plastics, a joint venture between 23 Oaks Investments and


PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | March/April 2024


LyondellBasell, has started up its post-consumer plastic waste sorting and recycling facility at Eicklingen in Germany. The plant, which has an annual capacity of 70,000 tonnes, is intended to provide feedstock for the first commercial-scale catalytic advanced recycling plant that Lyon- dellBasell is building at its Wesseling site in Germany. � www.lyondellbasell.com


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


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