pa|Welcome to the home of our alliance of national recovery organisations; EXPRA works alongside our stakeholders to achieve our common goals.
h1|tended roducer esponsibility lliance
sp|by Insidea Ex p r a by Insidea
em|Inspiring Packaging Recycling
pa|There are many organisations who are part of EXPRA. You can choose to view the information on each of these organisations by choosing from the list.
h1|Members
sp|by Insidea All members info Common information Belgium Fost Plus, Valipac BiH EKOPAK Bulgaria ECOPACK Bulgaria Canada Éco Entreprises Québec Cyprus Green Dot Cyprus Czech Republic EKO-KOM Estonia ETO Finland Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd Greece HERRCO Hungary Öko Pannon Iceland Icelandic Recycling Fund Israel TAMIR Italy CONAI Luxembourg VALORLUX Macedonia PAKOMAK Malta Greenpak Netherlands Afvalfonds Verpakkingen Norway Green Dot Norway Romania Eco-Rom Ambalaje Slovakia Envipak Slovenia SLOPAK Spain EcoEmbes, Ecovidrio Sweden FTI Turkey CEVKO
pa|Registered under RPR Brussels 05 24 725 854 Avenue Olympiades 2, 1140 Brussels (Evere) / BELGIUM Tel.: +49 171 201 70 55 Managing Director: Joachim Quoden For further information please send an Email to
st|EXPRA aisbl/ivzw Extended Producers Responsibility Alliance
h1|Contact
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pa|You can find list of FAQ's here. If you have some other question, please . Established in 2013, EXPRA aisbl (Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance) is an umbrella organisation for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems owned by obliged industry. EXPRA acts as the authoritative voice and common policy platform representing the interests of all its member packaging recovery and recycling organisations founded and run by obliged industry.The Alliance operates as a non-profit organisation. The members of EXPRA are national organisations responsible for the collection and sorting of waste, established and operated by obliged companies. The current members of EXPRA are Fost Plus (Belgium), Ecopack (Bulgaria), Green Dot Cyprus, EKO-KOM (Czech Republic), Valorlux (Luxembourg), Greenpak (Malta), CONAI (Italy), Eco-Rom Ambalaje (Romania), ENVI-PAK (Slovakia), EcoEmbes (Spain), Nedvang (the Netherlands), Green Dot Norway, Öko Pannon (Hungary), TMIR (Israel), CEVKO (Turkey), Herrco (Greece) and PAKOMAK (Macedonia). The members of EXPRA came together in 2013 to jointly promote and protect the non-for-profit Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) model for packaging waste and to represent its members vis a vis the European Institutions. Further to the entry into force of the 1994 EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWD), the PPWD was implemented in most EU countries via systems of producer responsibility. The systems were created to assume responsibility for the collection and sorting of packaging waste for the entire sector of the industry. The PPWD requires EU Member States, for the purpose of the collection, sorting and recycling of packaging waste, to create “systems” with the participation of industrial companies. This Directive also applied in EEC member countries, as well as all countries that acceded to the EC. The not-for-profit purpose of EXPRA is threefold: The Alliance also provides know-how and recommends best practices to systems on the collection and sorting of packaging waste in individual countries. It aims to improve the quality, transparency and effectiveness of the services offered by systems in individual countries and to further develop systems for the collection, sorting and recycling of packaging waste. EXPRA also gathers and shares experiences and best practices from its members on issues such as waste prevention, packaging optimisation as well as effective information provision to consumers. The primary task of EXPRA members is to ensure the effective implementation of appropriate national systems for the (separate) collection and sorting of packaging waste in their respective countries with a special focus on packaging arising at the household level and during the away-from-home consumption. This work ensures that enterprises and companies fulfil their obligations to take back used sales packaging and ensure that they are properly managed at their end of life. EXPRA members aim to ensure that the collection, sorting and recycling of waste are carried out in the most economical and environmentally-friendly manner possible. EXPRA and its members work together to optimise the functioning of the different national systems from both economic and environmental perspectives. The members of EXPRA wish to demonstrate that the recycling of used packaging is an important step on the path towards the sustainable development that is necessary to safeguard our planet for future generations. A company that signs a contract with an EXPRA member becomes exempt from its own responsibility to take back and/or recycle used packaging material within the scope of the functioning of the programme. Instead, the EXPRA member fulfils these obligations on behalf of the companies in the respective country. The aim of EXPRA members is to ensure the recovery and recycling of packaging waste in the most economically efficient and ecologically sound manner. Obliged companies also benefit from the know-how and experiences from EXPRA / individual EXPRA member(s) in fields such as waste prevention, packaging optimisation, educational and awareness raising activities. For products packaged in the country of distribution, the company packaging the product is generally responsible for ensuring proper end of life management of the packaging waste, in accordance with the applicable national legislation. The company should work with a relevant organisation that carries out the collection and sorting of waste. Regarding imported packaged products, it is generally the importer that signs an agreement with a packaging recovery organisation. According to national packaging legislation, it is primarily the first importer (based in the country of distribution) that holds the responsibility for the collection and recycling of packaging. It should however be noted that national systems as well as the distribution of responsibilities vary across countries. Given that individual systems vary, it is recommended that you find out more information from the organisation that is a member of EXPRA in the relevant country / countries where you sell your packaged products. In some countries, including for example Great Britain, the duty/ regarding packaging materials/ is distributed among several entities. Contracts are generally not signed between EXPRA member organisations and non-EU based companies, due to the significant administrative burden that this entails. It is however often the case that the local importer needs to comply with the legal obligations in a given European country. EXPRA and PRO EUROPE (Packaging Recovery Organisation Europe s.p.r.l.) are umbrella organisations for packaging recovery organisations. PRO EUROPE is, in its primary role, the general licensor of the "Green Dot" trademark and focuses its work on the protection and promotion of this symbol. EXPRA focuses on providing know-how and recommend best practices to systems on the collection and sorting of packaging waste in individual countries and representing the interests of its members towards the European institutions and other policy makers and stakeholders. EXPRA members are often also PRO EUROPE members and therefore entitled to use the registered trademark “The Green Dot”. The costs depend on several factors, outlined below. These should be considered when comparing compliance costs with legal obligations within the scope of various systems operating in Europe. The main factors affecting costs associated with compliance with legal obligations include: Whereas the work with institutions and associations is mainly concentrated on the European scene EXPRA will offer a platform to all like-minded producer responsibility packaging recovery organisations wherever they are located to organize the exchange of best practices and experiences and to work together on common projects. Please get in touch with Mr. Joachim Quoden, managing director of EXPRA. All necessary contacts you will find in section .
li|to promote Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging waste, with a particular focus on household packaging waste and away from home consumption and to enable its Members to offer the best possible service for the lowest sustainable costs to their client companies. to promote a sustainable, transparent and efficient EPR scheme, which is owned and driven by obliged industry and offers a service of public or collective interest. to promote Best Practices of separate collection, sorting and recovery of used packaging and to defend these Best Practices with the European and other international institutions, associations and federations, as well as the national authorities and other stakeholders. Recycling quotas in individual states and the effects of deferments/exemptions The existing infrastructure for collection and sorting of waste The source and type of packaging waste used to comply with recycling quotas in individual countries (only households or all packaging). The collection and sorting of packaging waste from households is usually more expensive than the collection and sorting of industrial packaging waste The respective share of costs borne by the given industry. Some systems cover 100% of the costs of collection and sorting, while others partly support the collection, sorting and recovery costs. The system utilised for collection. Generally, so called “bring” system (for example by container collection on public places) is cheaper than the kerbside collection system where every household has its own bin or sack. Geographic location and the population/settlement density. Covering remote and less populated regions is generally more difficult and costly. The size of a scheme also affects costs. A larger number of companies participating in a programme implies that costs are more spread out. The costs of labour and total overhead costs in individual countries.
h1|List of Frequently Asked Questions
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pa|The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment - is recognised as "The Voice of the Industry for Packaging and the Environment", the only pan-European cross-sectoral industry and trade body dedicated exclusively to satisfactorily resolving the environmental challenges facing the packaging value chain in an active and cooperative manner. As an industry and trade organization, EUROPEN represents the whole packaging value chain without favouring any specific material or system, and is therefore open to any company with an economic interest in packaging and packaged products. EUROPEN promotes the benefits of packaging and best practices concerning its environmental impact, and supports packaging policies which are environmentally, economically and scientifically sound, as well as socially and politically acceptable. EUROPEN's objective is also to achieve a fully accessible European market for packaging and packaged products. The papers in the collection here delve into the theory behind EPR and describe numerous practical examples of various approaches that exist across the world and across product categories. They address many of the product categories covered by EPR systems in different parts of the world, including packaging and printed paper, paint, tyres, mattresses, and textiles. ACE – – provides a European platform for beverage carton manufacturers and their paperboard suppliers to benchmark and profile cartons as , and is the official representative body of this industry in Europe. Its membership totals 34 national associations in 39 countries and also 9 direct member companies, covering about 900 companies ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to large multinationals active both in the consumer goods market and the industrial & institutional (I&I) domains. The industry mission is to benefit society by contributing to the sustainable improvement of the quality and comfort of life through hygiene and cleanliness, in a free, competitive and innovative way. - is a federation of four multi-national producers of steel for packaging in Europe, founded in 1986, representing some 95% of the total European production of steel for packaging. is a Brussels-based non-profit making organisation regrouping the European pulp and paper industry and championing this industry’s achievements and the benefits of its products. Its collective expertise provides a unique source of information both for and on the industry; coordinating essential exchanges of experience and knowledge among its members, the ability to provide technical assistance to legislators and to identify independent experts on specific issues. CEFLEX is the collaborative initiative of a European consortium of companies representing the entire value chain of flexible packaging and continues the work of Project REFLEX and Project FIACE. - The EU first introduced measures on the management of packaging waste in the early 1980s. Directive 85/339/EEC covered the packaging of liquid beverage containers intended for human consumption only but it was too vague to bring about the effective harmonisation of national policies. As a consequence, diverging national legislation appeared in several Member States. For any further information or clarification, please contact: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/contact/contact_en.htm was founded in 1981 and represents the aluminium industry in Europe. It encompasses primary aluminium producers, downstream manufacturers, producers of recycled aluminium and national aluminium associations representing the manufacturers of rolled and extruded products in 18 European countries. Other associations, that are the Organisation of European Aluminium Remelters and Refiners (OEA) and the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) are also members of the EAA. that are able to develop and deliver efficient solutions for the sustainable management of plastics waste, now and for the future. EPRO members are working to optimise national effectiveness through international co-operation: by studying successful approaches, evaluating different solutions and examining obstacles to progress. By working together EPRO members can achieve synergies that will increase efficient plastics recycling and recovery. European Bioplastics is an association representing the interests of Europe’s thriving bioplastics’ industry. Is committed to ensuring a continuous development of this important sector by securing the necessary support from European policy-makers and other key third-party stakeholders. FEVE is the official voice of the glass container industry at European level. It promotes the common interests of its members throughout Europe and is actively engaged in dialogue with European stakeholders and NGOs. , the association bringing together European producers of rigid metal packaging (including food and beverage cans, aerosols, pails, closures) calls on the European Commission and Member States to recognise the metal packaging sector as essential in ensuring the uninterrupted flow of critical goods represents the European food and drink industry, the largest manufacturing sector in the EU in terms of turnover and employment. It aims to promote the industry's interests to European and international institutions, contributing to a framework addressing, inter alia, food safety and science, nutrition and health, environmental sustainability and competitiveness. The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) safeguards the welfare of people and the planet by working to minimize the health, safety, and environmental impacts that result when consumer products and packaging enter the waste stream. is the only European trade association headquartered in Brussels with representatives across all European Union’s 27 member states. PlasticsEurope has developed close partnerships with sister associations that represent the European plastics manufacturing chain, which includes 50,000 converters and over 1,000 machinery manufacturers as well. PlasticsEurope is the official voice of the European plastics manufacturers. Its members are soft drinks companies who conduct their business in at least five EU Member States and also national associations from across the EU27 and beyond. Our mission is to support the growth, development and understanding of non-alcoholic beverages at a European level.
st|The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment renewable recyclable low carbon packaging solutions A.I.S.E., the international Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products APEAL - the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) DG Environment The European Aluminium Association (EAA) EPRO is a pan-European partnership of specialist organisations FEVE is the European Federation of glass packaging and glass tableware makers. Metal Packaging Europe (MPE) FoodDrinkEurope PlasticsEurope UNESDA is the European non-alcoholic beverages association.
h1|Useful links
sp|by Insidea www.europen-packaging.eu www.iswa.org/media/publications/iswa-extended-producer-responsibility-library/ www.ace.be www.aise.eu www.apeal.org www.cepi.org https://ceflex.eu/ ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/ www.alueurope.eu www.epro-plasticsrecycling.org en.european-bioplastics.org/ www.feve.org https://metalpackagingeurope.org/ www.fooddrinkeurope.eu https://www.productstewardship.us/# www.plasticseurope.org www.unesda.org
pa|The not-for-profit purpose of the Alliance to the benefit of its Members as well as to third parties is: for packaging waste, with a particular focus on household packaging waste including away-from-home consumption and to enable its Members to offer the best possible service for the lowest sustainable costs to their client companies , not-for-profit/profit-not-for-distribution EPR scheme, which is owned and driven by the obliged industry and offers a service of public or collective interest for separate collection, sorting and recovery of used packaging and to defend these Best Practices with the European and other international institutions, associations and federations, as well as the national authorities and other stakeholders In order to fulfill this purpose, the Alliance conducts the following activities in entire compliance with antitrust and competition rules: , stable and ecological and economical feasible legislative environment in the area of packaging waste management for the benefit and in the interest of the clients of its Members. , associations and other stakeholders regarding the management of packaging waste and EPR for packaging. of regulations and procedures existing in the different countries, as well as between its Members, to facilitate industry compliance in coordination with the client companies of its Members. owned EPR as the preferred solution for the management of packaging waste arising in household and away-from-home. of packaged products as well as eco-design and design for recycling. initiatives towards consumers to increase environmental awareness, sorting of packaging waste and avoidance of litter. to the obliged industry, as well as their European and national associations and federations, to understand their needs and wishes and to support a common strategy. of its Members towards a sustainable and efficient realisation of their national objectives, inter alia by running a network for the exchange of experience and know-how between its Members. of stable and functioning markets for secondary raw materials.
st|to promote Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to promote a sustainable and efficient to promote Best Practices The Alliance contributes towards a holistic The Alliance provides know-how to authorities The Alliance promotes the harmonisation The Alliance promotes obliged industry The Alliance promotes optimization The Alliance promotes communication and education The Alliance stays in close contact The Alliance promotes the continuous development The Alliance supports the establishment
h1|Mission
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pa|Number of population: estimated 3,791,662 Constitution - Dayton Agreement, signed in 1995. which divided the country in two entities: Federation of BiH and Republica Srpska, plus later Brcko District Federation of BiH (51% of the territory) is administratively divided on 10 cantons; cantons are divided into 84 municipalities Republica Srpska (49% of the territory) is administratively divided into 64 municipalities The city Brčko is separate administrative unit – District under the sovereignty of BiH Note - each of the entities has its own constitution and government; In total, more than 100 different ministries. Three-member state presidency rotates the chairmen every eight months. Office of the High Representative is present as an ultimate arbiter, to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the Agreement. Population structure remains predominantly rural (57%); only 5 cities exceed 100.000; the cultural gap is constantly widening also among the age groups. Unemployment rate 45.5% official rate; grey economy may reduce actual unemployment to about 30%. Development of the system of packaging and packaging waste management and its functioning in practice is one of the great challenges for the country, as well as the industry, and is related to the broadest community and all citizens. Bosnia and Herzegovina has started its activities in defining the future model of packaging and packaging waste management in very unfavorable economic circumstances, in the midst of the global economic crisis. Taking into consideration the undeveloped economy and relatively low standard of citizens living, it can be said that this issue is really a challenge placed in front of the entity ministries of environment and Bosnian packaging industry. Less than 50% of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina is covered with organized waste collection. There is no Ministry of Environment at the state level, only department within the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations covering the environmental protection. Two entity Ministries of Environment (Federation of B&H and Republika Srpska) are creating the environmental policy within the country. Environmetal Department within Government of Brcko District defines legal frame for this area. In order to align the environmental legislation at the state level, the so called „Interentity Body of Environment“ was established. This body is consisting of representatives of both entity ministries, Brčko District and Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Waste is one of the most important environmental issues in B&H. Currently, municipal waste is regularly collected in approximately half of the urban settlements, but rural settlements generally are not included in the waste collection schema. Insufficient waste disposal capacity has lead to considerable quantities of waste dumped illegally at roads, in the rivers and similar places, posing a threat to public health and not to mention the environment. Population 3.8 mil. Recycled 10,000 tons of packaging waste achieved recycling/recovery target of 20%
td|No. of companies in system 510 membres Recovered waste
h1|BiH
h3|Data 2014 Packaging organisation/s in BiH:
sp|by Insidea EKOPAK
pa|(EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY ALLIANCE), founded in 2013, is the alliance for 26 packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems from 24 countries which are owned by obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis. EXPRA acts as the authoritative voice and common policy platform representing the interests of all its member packaging recovery and recycling organisations founded and run by or on behalf of obliged industry. These national recovery organisations are pursuing similar goals, essentially finding themselves and their stakeholders in a similar situation. They have set themselves the task of relieving industrial companies and commercial enterprises of their individual obligation to take back used sales packaging through the operation of a scheme which fulfills these obligations on a nation-wide basis on behalf of their member companies. The aim is to ensure the recovery and recycling of packaging waste in the most economically efficient and ecologically sound manner. Apart from requiring the co-ordination and alignment of individual member positions, the task of safeguarding common interests involves the projection of a coherent, unified policy and image to the outside world. Producer Responsibility has evolved into a proven concept in many countries as implementation of the European and other national policy goals. Industry in more than 30 countries all over the world are using producer responsibility as one economic tool to ensure the collection and recycling / recovery of used (household) packaging. Member compliance schemes of EXPRA working toward this objective are today in place in seventeen EU member states, viz., Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden but also span to Canada, Israel, Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Norway and Turkey. The members of EXPRA wish to demonstrate that the recycling of used packaging is an important step on the path towards the sustainable development that is necessary to safeguard our planet for future generations. Their work in and outside Europe is both successful and transparent. Incorporated as an international not for profit alliance under Belgian law, EXPRA is headquartered in 1140 Brussels, Avenue des Olympiades 2.
st|EXPRA
h1|Overview
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pa|EXPRA runs inter alia a forum for cooperation for its national member organisations. Network of exchange of information and experience Working groups: The exchange of opinions and experience between the collection and recovery systems is an important step to increase the performance and efficiency of each of the member organisations and towards the further development of the European Packaging Directive in Europe and each Member State. EXPRA wants to support and promote this dialogue.
li|Regulatory Affairs Committee Eco Design Technical matters Communication Data and Reporting EPR management & implementation
st|Its functions are as follows:
h1|Cooperation Network
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pa|Based on these 10 rules, the EPR compliance scheme should bring significant added value across the product life cycle in terms of packaging optimisation and packaging waste recycling, while actively contributing to an optimum cost-efficient and transparent packaging waste management.
li|The essence of EPR is the producer’s responsibility for a product throughout its life cycle EPR compliance schemes should be run and steered by the obliged companies EPR compliance schemes should be not-for-profit / profit-not-for-distribution Collectors, sorters or recyclers of waste should not be active as EPR systems There should be a strong EPR legal framework enforced by public authorities Successful EPR must be based on a partnership between public authorities and EPR providers There should be a level playing field for the provision of EPR services in a given territory Obliged companies should receive equal treatment and share the allocation of EPR costs The industry-owned EPR organisation should pursue a public service mission EPR organisations should support obliged companies to improve the environmental performance of their products and packaging
h1|Beliefs
h2|10 Golden Rules for EPR
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pa|To develop more sustainable packaging is a challenge and an opportunity for all stakeholders along the value chain, as the overall objective is to do so by optimising the use of materials, water and energy, minimising waste (of product and used packaging) and maximising the recycling and recovery of used packaging. This is of course part of the Circular Economy concept and the respective measures and initiatives of the EU, aiming to modernise and transform the European economy, shifting it towards a more sustainable direction. In line with these efforts, EXPRA is starting a new initiative – publication of news and best practices from EXPRA members, aiming to inform and support all stakeholders in the packaging value chain in the process of developing more sustainable packaging, incorporating design for recycling/ eco-design. The publication will be issued on quarterly basis, providing summarized information with respective links to detailed documents and or sources, implemented with the support of the EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging Working Group.
st|SUSTAINABILITY DROPS: News from EXPRA members
h1|Sustainability
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pa|In Quebec, the gives municipalities juridiction over residual materials management. The , which introduced the EPR concept in 2002, and the (adopted in 2004) established the industry’s obligation to financially compensate municipalities for the cost of curbside recycling. The share of producers’ financial responsibility has gradually grown from 50% in 2005 to reach 100% in 2013. The defines which materials are designated. ÉEQ is the organization certified to compensate the cost of recycling materials in the “containers and packaging” and “printed matter” classes. Quebec's covers all types of containers, packaging and printed matter, but not books or other items designated by another regulation or formal program, such as the deposit system. The “containers and packaging” class includes all types of flexible or rigid material, including paper, carton, plastic, glass or metal, used alone or in combination with other materials to contain, protect, wrap or present a product or a set of products at any stage in the movement of the product or set of products from the producer to the ultimate user or consumer. The Government of Quebec set a 2015 target of 70% for the recycling of paper, cardboard, plastics, glass and metal waste. Although ÉEQ is not accountable for meeting this target, it is a key player in that effort, both upstream and downstream of actual curbside recycling. That is why the organization provides significant additional funding to optimize the system and, ultimately, the sustainability of curbside recycling as the most efficient and effective system to manage materials marketed by the companies it represents. Quebec’s curbside recycling system has specific characteristics, and several key players are involved: Population 8 mil. No. of local authorities 1,111 municipalities grouped into 555 local or regional authorities No. of companies in system Over 3,000 contributing companies and organizations Packaging introduced to the market 545,000 tons (rounded to 000‘s) Recovered waste 353,000 tons (rounded to 000‘s) of containers and packaging (64.8% recovery rate) Types of packaging All containers and packaging except soft drink and beer containers
li|, specifically the Environment Ministry, legislates activities related to residual materials management and determines recovery targets to be reached so as to provide a framework for action. The government approves ÉEQ’s Schedule of Contributions, which includes rules for its application, on an annual basis. certifies eco-organizations such as ÉEQ and pays out compensation to municipalities from ÉEQ's contributions. report the net costs of collecting, transporting, sorting and conditioning recyclable materials, and manage (mainly via calls for tender) curbside recycling services. finance the system, and some of them take advantage of ÉEQ’s expertise and support to optimize the materials they generate and select more recyclable materials.
st|The Government of Quebec RECYC-QUÉBEC Municipalities Companies
h1|Canada
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Canada:
sp|by Insidea Éco Entreprises Québec
em|Municipal Powers Act Environment Quality Act Regulation respecting compensation for municipal services provided to recover and reclaim residual materials Regulation Regulation
pa|Cyprus transposed European Directive 94/62/EU into Packaging and Packaging Waste Act (N. 32 (I)/2002) in 2002. The Law introduced the Producer Responsibility for Packaging and gives two options to the companies placing packaging in the Cypriot market: to participate in a Collective Packaging Management System that has to be a not-for-profit organisation, or develop a Private System based on a Return or Deposit System. Packaging and Packaging Waste Laws, 2002, (N32(I)/2002). Companies that place in the market less than 2 tons of packaging per year, are excluded from the recovery and recycling obligation and only have to report their packaging to the authorities on an annual basis Population 838,897 No. of local authorities 28 municipalities and about 50 communities around the island 700,000 inhabitants covered by organised Packaging Recycling System No. of companies in system 830 membres Packaging introduced to the market 110,000(est) tons total packaging on the market 75,000 tons total packaging registered with Green Dot Cyprus Recovered waste Recycled 21,000 tons household packaging 23,000 tons commercial industrial packaging Types of packaging Household and commercial industrial
li|Responsibility of the Packaging Responsible organisations by 31/12/2012 to recover at least 60% of the packaging they place in the market, recycle at least 55% of the total and at least 60% of glass, 60% of paper, 50% of metals, 22,5% of plastics and 15% of wood. The responsibility lies with the packagers, producers, suppliers, importers. The choices are between Private Systems based on a return or deposit scheme, or a Collective Compliance System representing many responsible producers. A Collective Packaging management system has to be not-for-profit. The Green Dot System covers both Household and Commercial Industrial Packaging.
h1|Cyprus
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Cyprus:
sp|by Insidea Green Dot Cyprus
pa|According to Greek Law No 2939 all enterprises producing or importing packaged products are obliged to collect and recycle the packaging of their products either by organizing an individual system for the alternative management of their packaging waste or by organizing and/or participating in a collective system. At the same time, local authorities are also legally obligated to see to the alternative management of their municipal packaging waste. Moreover, according to the law, the national objectives are the following: In addition, the following percentages of recycling per material are anticipated: In August 2001, Law 2939/01 on “Packaging and the Alternative Management of Packaging and Other Products” was passed. The said law lays down the obligation for the alternative management of packaging in our country and harmonizes our national legislation with the related European Union legislation and in particular with European Directive 94/62/EC. At this point, we should note that in 2004 a new EU Directive was issued amending the goals set by Directive 94/62/EC. The new goals were incorporated into the national legal framework by means of the Joint Ministerial Decision 9268/469. In particular, all enterprises operating in our country and producing or importing packaged products, which are in turn supplied to the domestic market, are now obliged to collect and recycle the packaging of their products. At the same time, apart from packaging operators, Local Authorities are also legally obligated and are therefore required to see to the alternative management of municipal packaging waste. Population 10.8 mil. No. of local authorities 240 municipalities in the system 82% inhabitants covered by system No. of companies in system 1,720 membres Packaging introduced to the market 400,000 tons Recovered waste 379,896 tons packaging waste 28 sorting centers Types of packaging household, commercial and industrial
li|60% (by weight ) recovery of the total of packaging waste out of which At least 55% (by weight) recycling 60% (by weight) glass 60% (by weight) paper and cardboard 50% (by weight) metals 22.5% (by weight) plastics 15% (by weight) wood
h1|Greece
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Greece:
sp|by Insidea HERRCO
em|(1) The population of 2012 is according to the 2011 census by the National Statistical Service of Greece
pa|The Israel's Packaging Law 2011 imposes direct responsibility on manufacturers and importers which place in the Israeli market packaged products with more than 1 ton of packaging each year, to recycle its packaging waste, according to annual targets set out in the Law: In addition, the manufacturers and importers are obliged to fully fund the separation, collection, sorting and recycling systems implemented by the local authorities in Israel. The fulfillment of the above obligations has to be done through a company which is authorized by the Ministry of Environment as a Packaging Recovery Organization. Population 7.7 mil. No. of local authorities 40 municipalities in the system 1.5 mil. inhabitants covered by system No. of companies in system 500 membres Packaging introduced to the market 300,000 tons representing about 45% of all packaging materials brought onto the Israeli market Recovered waste 190,000 tons of packaging were recycled Types of packaging Household and Industrial packaging
li|General targets – 2012: 40%; 2013: 50%; 2014: 55%; and 2015: 60% Specific targets for each type of the following materials: Plastic, Paper Cardboard, Glass, Metal, and Wood.
h1|Israel
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Israel:
sp|by Insidea TAMIR
pa|Decrees: Chief Targets: 2002 2008 min max min max RECOVERY 45% 65% 60% RECYCLING 25% 45% 55% 80% RECYCLING PER MATERIAL Aluminium Glass Paper Plastic Steel Wood 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 15% 50% 60% 60% 26% 50% 35% Population 60483973 No. of local authorities 8000 No. of companies in system 830000 Packaging introduced to the market 13 065 000 Recovered waste 10 196 000 tons (78%) 67,5% Recycled Types of packaging all packaging (primary, secondary and tertiary)
li|Legislative Decree of 5 February 1997, n. 22: Waste Management Legislative Decree of 3 April 2006, n. 152 : Environmental law
h1|Italy
h3|Data 2017 Packaging organisation/s in Italy:
sp|by Insidea CONAI
pa|Located in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily, the Maltese archipelago basically consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. Total population of the Maltese Islands: 416,110. The distance between Malta and the nearest point in Sicily is 93 km. The distance from the nearest point on the North African mainland (Tunisia) is 288 km. Gibraltar is 1,826 km to the west and Alexandria is 1,510 km to the east. Area of the Maltese Islands: 316 km . This strategic position has allowed Malta to develop as an important trading post. The Malta Freeport is one of the Mediterranean's leading ports for container transshipments. Throughout history, Malta's location has given it great strategic importance, and a succession of powers including the , , , , , and the ruled the islands. Malta gained from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the . Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the in 2004. Malta is also party to the and in 2008 it became part of the . Maltese Legal Notice 277 of 2006 states that organizations whose activities lead to the generation of packaging waste within the Maltese market have a legal obligation to recover this packaging. They voluntarily join the scheme by submitting a declaration of packaging put on the Maltese market, whether through local production or imports Population 416,110 No. of local authorities 34 Local Councils out of a total of 68 50.82% inhabitants covered by system No. of companies in system 1265 membres Packaging introduced to the market 17,415.79 tons Recovered waste 10,540.45 collected by scheme 58.39% recycled 60.52% recovered Types of packaging Household and commercial
h1|Malta
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Malta:
sp|by Insidea Greenpak
pa|Spain transposed European Directive 94/62/EC into Packaging and Packaging Waste Act 11/97. This law states that there are two options for companies who place household packaging on the Spanish market: a Deposit and Return System, or joining an Integrated Management System (SIG). Law, Royal Decree and Order which transposes Directive 2004/12/EC, 2006 Population 47 mil. No. of local authorities 8,116 municipalities 46.7 mil. inhabitants covered by system No. of companies in system 12,051 companies licensed to ECOEMBES 2,582 companies licensed to ECOVIDRIO* Packaging introduced to the market 7.4 million tons (2010) including wood, "other" materials, glass and commercial and industrial packaging Recovered waste Household packaging 1,285 ktons + 683 ktons glass - ECOEMBES (2012): 1,200 ktons recycled 85 ktons energy recovered - ECOVIDRIO* (2012): 683 ktons glass recycled Types of packaging Household packaging. Commercial and Industrial packaging is accepted under voluntary agreement provided that Local Entities collect it *Selective collection of household glass packaging in Spain is handled by Ecovidrio, integrated management System similar to Ecoembes
li|Definite targets for June 30 2001: Recover between 50%-65%, of which 25%-45% is to be recycled. A minimum of 15% by material. Also, a 10% reduction of packaging weight. Definite responsibility lies with packagers, producers, or suppliers. There are choices between, deposit, self-compliance, or membership in a compliance scheme (SIG). Responsibility lies with the last possessor of commercial/industrial packaging waste, who has to deliver the packaging waste to an authorized recycler or recoverer. As an alternative commercial/industrial packaging can voluntarily participate in the SIG, provided that the Local Government handles its collection. Sets up the scope of the SIG: household packaging collected by Local Government. Some companies (placing more than certain packaging material quantities on the market) must submit a Prevention Plan, which has to be approved by regional authorities. These Plans can be prepared under certain conditions by the SIG. New targets for December 31 2008: recover 60%, of which 55% has to be recycled. Minimum recycling targets: glass and paper-cardboard 60%; metals 50% plastics 22, 5% and wood 15%.
h1|Spain
h3|Packaging and Packaging Waste Law, April 1997 Royal Decree, which sets forth the Law, 1998 Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Spain:
sp|by Insidea EcoEmbes Ecovidrio
pa|DEAR READER, With the end of this year so close we can take a look back at the very busy times we had with the numerous challenges but also opportunities, arising from the revised waste legislation, and especially the respective acts clarifying the details as how and where to measure recycling, how to define in a fair and transparent manner average loss rates, etc. The Plastic being the buzz word in 2019, we also witnessed the adoption of the Singe Use Plastic Directive with unprecedented speed not seen before here in Brussels, without exhaustive public consultation, somehow focusing on emotions and not on facts and figures and whose proper implementation in Member States will require further clarifications and guidance. There are of course many other measures targeting plastic as the proposed “Plastic Text” and other initiatives just to name the Circular Plastics Alliance supported by DG GROW and the EU Plastics pact, where for example the Governments of France and The Netherlands demand that 70% of all plastic packaging should be recycled by 2025 (new MP) which seems even theoretically impossible. The implementation of all these new legislative pieces, measures and initiatives will indeed require very good coordination of how they will be implemented in the different Member States and to ensure that we will not end with 28 or 27 ways of transposing them in the MS National legislations. The elected this year new MEPs and the new European Commission have put even more the focus on environmental issues - just few days ago the new European Commission unveiled its ambitious plan to make the EU the first climate neutral continent in the world by 2050 -the EU Green Deal. Still, while we in Europe are of course proud to be the leader in sustainable waste management and fight with litter and negative impact on climate, it should be underlined that joint efforts from other Asian and African counties are needed as well! And as you could see in our members news section, all EXPRA members are working hard in prevention, promoting sustainable packaging and implementing numerous national and local information and public awareness campaigns. We at EXPRA see these activities as a major prerequisite for the implementation of our mission: to save resources and care for the environment, without making a profit out of it. Internally, during the EXPRA fall General Assembly meeting in November, we had to say good bye to Todor Bourgoudjiev, who is retiring. Todor was a member of EXPRA BOD and CEO of ECOPACK Bulgaria - one of EXPRA founding members. He will be missed and we at EXPRA are grateful for his strong beliefs in EPR, his dedication‎ to EXPRA and his constant support. As we are looking forward to the many new challenges, awaiting us in 2020, I would like to wish you relaxed holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your reading! On 27 November EXPRA held its autumn General Assembly in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 18 members of EXPRA attended the meeting. During the meeting, EXPRA’s Managing Director Joachim Quoden presented preliminary summary of 2019 noting that 2019 was dominated by the implementation guidelines for WFD / PPWD and SUP resulting in many consultations, workshops, position papers, individual meetings with DG Envi etc. During this year also was the start of the Circular Plastic Alliance by DG Growth which caused unexpected additional workload. The MD informed the members on the EXPRA highlights from April to November 2019 and outlook for the events coming in 2020. Monika Romenska, EXPRA R&PA Manager informed the members about the state of play in the CEP IAs, DAs and guidelines as well as the on-going developments with regards to the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive and other plastics policies and initiatives. Ms Romina Giovannetti, Ecoembes, Chair of RAC informed the members on the proposed action on EU technical level, National and EU level. RAC has also initiated collection of data form members on the National transposition of the new legislations in two dimensions. Amanda Fuso Nerini, CONAI, Chair of the Sustainability and Packaging WG presented the activities of the WG as well as the forthcoming publications. The activities of the TWG were presented by the Chair, Daniel Tabone, GreenPak. Very interesting was the presentation of the Chair of Data and Reporting WG, Mr Paul Christiaens, Dutch Afvalfonds on "Monitoring, reporting & data collection, the new currency!? Which role EPR has to and can play?" The presentation covered all hot topics namely: eco modulation, litter costs and plastic tax, focusing on the more technical aspects of calculation and reporting. In this regard, members were also called upon to reach out to their respective national experts. The Restart of ISWA in Rotterdam was presented by Mr. Marc Tijhuis, CEO ISWA. He especially focused on how can EXPRA and ISWA benefit of an increased cooperation. Mr. Tijhuis invited EXPRA to participate actively in the next ISWA World Congress which will take place in Rotterdam 28-30 September 2020. The General Assembly approved the budget 2020, the budget distribution method and the membership fees (not changed). As previously agreed, 3 EXPRA members presented the situation in their countries – Valipac, Belgium, EEQ, Canada and TAMIR, Israel. The event was organized by FEVE jointly with FERVER, EXPRA and other PROs. Over 25 representatives of the glass packaging value chain (including the EXPRA members EcoVidrio, Afvalfonds, Eco Rom, Fost Plus and the respective material associations from Italy, Sweden, Finland) gathered to discuss key aspects of the glass collection & recycling chain, namely: • What happens after collection? Minimising losses in the treatment of glass cullet and optimising the uptake of recycled materials in production. • How to increase glass collection without compromising on quality? • Is the bottle bank the most cost-efficient system to collect and recycle glass? The different parts of the glass packaging value chain presented the situation of their sector at the moment, as well as current and future challenges: The uptake of cullet in a glass furnace - issues for production & packaging was presented by Hans Hilkes, Supplier Quality Manager Glass – Europe, Ardagh Group and the challenges for cullet treatment were presented by Baudouin Ska, Secretary General, FERVER. The many changes on the glass market were presented and the overall conclusion was that all stakeholders should adapt to these minimizing the (negative) quality impact for cullet. The challenges for Extended Producer Responsibility Schemes in the revised EU legislation on waste & packaging waste & possible impacts on glass collection were presented by EXPRA MD Joachim Quoden. He underlined the impact of the ne EU legislation and the forthcoming guidances on EPR and especially on eco modulation and Essential requirements. EXPRA members from Spain (Ecovidrio), Netherlands (AF) and Romania (Eco-Rom Ambalaje) presented the Glass collection and recycling in their countries and especially how to reach 90% glass collection by 2030. Different approaches/ways for collection of glass (bottle banks, door to door) packaging were also presented and their pros and cons discussed by PROs as CITEO, SPV and Swedish Glass Recycling (Svensk Glasåtervinning). Adeline Farrelly, Secretary General, FEVE presented the Close the Glass Loop initiative: the major industry stewardship programme for glass packaging initiated by FEVE and aiming to reach a post-consumer glass container collection target of 90% by 2030. In parallel the initiative should ensure that the recycled material is reused again into a new production loop of glass containers. Obviously, the contribution and active involvement of all parts of the value chain are crucial for achieving this goal. A study on the topic has been commissioned by FEVE to ACR+. Considering the strong support expressed by ACR+ for deposit, EXPRA should assess carefully the outcome of the study. The possible additional benefits of the project were discussed, namely developing a “model (glass) collection system, as well as using the deliverables of the project for lobbying activities in different countries. The next meeting of the stakeholders under the project will be end of April and deliverables would be presented in June 2020. In his role as Chair of the newly reinstated ISWA EU group, Joachim Quoden organised and chaired an event in Brussels on 5 December, on the topic of “Towards a Circular Economy 2.0: Combining ambition with reality”. The event, attended by more than 50 selected people, brought together Commission and Member States’ official, including 2 representatives from DG ENVI namely Rozalina Petrova and William Neile as well as the representative of the upcoming Croatian presidency, local authorities, waste management industry representative and NGOs to discuss the current challenges faced by municipalities and industry with the implementation of the EU waste framework. Participants learnt about the Commission’s priorities for the coming year as regards the Circular Economy Action plan and the review of a number of waste legislation (which were later confirmed by the EU Green Deal publication on 11 December). Speakers from ISWA and municipalities such as Rotterdam and Olso presented their activities on the implementation of the circular economy, highlighting opportunities but and challenges. The fast changing legislative environment at EU level (another review of the EU waste legislation is expected shortly, while implementation of the 2018 revisions have barely started) was highlighted as one of the main challenges from the industry. Now in its 26th year, Packaging Waste and Sustainability Forum (23 - 25 March 2020, Brussels) is the longest established conference in the packaging waste policy and sustainability space. As already a tradition, The Managing Director of EXPRA developed the content of the EPR Toolkit Workshop as well as proposed nearly all speakers and will moderate it. This year the WS will focus on Implementing the EPR minimum requirements Across Europe. Upcoming events, where EXPRA Management and representatives are participating / presenting 12 February 2020, Brussels New Charter 2020+ Symposium, organized by A.I.S.E. 10-11 March, 2020, Cologne, Germany AMI's Plastics Regulations 2020 conference, organized by AMI 11-12 March, 2020, Vienna, Austria Packaging and Converting Executive (PACE) Forum, organized by Arena International Events Group 17-18 March, 2020, Vienna Austria AMI’s Plastic Pouches conference, organized by AMI 10-11 March, 2020, Cologne, Germany AMI's Plastics Regulations 2020 conference organized by AMI On 27 November, the new College of Commissioners was approved by the European Parliament by 461 to 157 against, with 89 abstentions. The new European Commission will take office on 1 December. The new Commission received overwhelming support from the EPP, S&D and Renew Europe. The Greens were split on this issue, as some members voted in favour of the new Commission despite calls from the leadership to abstain. In her speech, unsurprisingly, von der Leyen noted that fight against climate change will be at the core of the EU's economic policy. With regards to the European Green Deal, she noted it “is a must for the health of our planet, our people, and for our economy”, adding that “Frans Timmermans is the right person to make this happen”. The low carbon transition, she said, “must be just and inclusive or it will not happen at all”. To enable it, she pledged to “support people and businesses with a targeted just transition mechanism”. Ursula von der Leyen’s full speech is available . On 11 December, the new European Commission unveiled its ambitious plan to make the EU the first climate neutral continent in the world by 2050. To reach this objective, the Commission will propose the first European ‘Climate Law’ to enshrine the 2050 climate neutrality objective in legislation and present an assessed plan to increase the EU’s 2030 emission reduction targets to at least 50%. According to the Communication, climate action will be mainstreamed across all policies and sectors. Within the new Circular Economy Action Plan, to be published in March 2020, the Commission will adopt reduce and reuse of products over recycling. In particular, the Commission is planning the following initiatives: • A “sustainable products” policy, focusing on supporting circular design for all products on the basis of a common methodology and principles, and prioritising reduction and reuse of materials over recycling. Under this policy, the Commission plans to strengthen extended producer responsibility. • Particular emphasis will be placed on resource-intensive sectors, including plastics, textile, construction and electronics. • Requirements to ensure that all packaging placed on the market is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable manner by 2030 (through the planned revision of Essential Requirements under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive). A regulatory framework for biodegradable and bio-based plastics and further measures on single-use plastics are also foreseen. • On waste avoidance and minimisation, the Commission plans to come forward with new legislation including targets and specific measures to address over-packaging and waste generation. This will include possible measures on mandatory recycled content (including for packaging) and a proposal on a EU model for separate waste collection. More details had been send to you via an adhoc mail and can be also found . On 12 December, EU Heads of State met in Brussels for the last EU Council Summit of 2019. While discussions mostly focused on the EU’s climate strategy for 2050, EU leaders also discussed the proposal on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (i.e. the EU multiannual budget), on the basis of the latest “negotiating box” shared by the Finnish Presidency on 2 December. The document details the main budget headlines, including on the proposal for new “own resources” to be provided by Member States. The negotiating box also reiterated the proposal for a so-called “plastic tax”, which would take the form of “a national contribution calculated on the weight of non-recycled plastic packaging waste with a call rate of EUR [0.80] per kilogram”. While the basket of new own resources has drawn some criticisms especially from Eastern Member States, overall the plastic tax appears to be so far one of the least-controversial items of the budget and as such is expected to be tackled amongst the last item of discussion. The Council meeting on 12 December only discussed the main headlines of the MFF without reaching an agreement. According to press reports, Member States were overall not satisfied by the overall proposal shared by the Finnish Presidency, with concerns being raised, amongst other things, about the overall size of the budget. Negotiations are expected to continue under the Croatian Council Presidency (which takes office on 1 January 2020). More details can be found . Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention gathered in Naples from 2 to 5 December for their twenty-first meeting. T To recall, the Barcelona Convention was signed in 1975 under the UN Environment Programme to promote and ensure environmental protection in the Mediterranean region. Ministers and Senior Officials representing all the Contracting Parties – 21 Mediterranean countries and the EU - agreed, among others, to work to eliminate marine plastic pollution by 2030. In the Naples Ministerial Declaration, the signatories recognised the urgency to tackle plastic leakage in the Mediterranean Sea. They pledged to reduce plastic consumption, to support eco-design and to improve waste management but also to put in place bans, incentives, taxes and EPR schemes. They also agreed to strengthen the regulatory framework to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic items and set out more ambitious targets. More information can be found . On Tuesday 19 November, the Council of the EU adopted its conclusions on oceans and seas. The document calls on Member States and the European Commission to increase their actions to protect marine and coastal ecosystems as plastic waste and microplastics cause major environmental problems. In this regard, the Council welcomes the adoption of the Single-Use Plastics Directive and encourages the full implementation of the provisions related to marine litter in the EU Strategy for Plastics. It also supports Member States’ efforts to strengthen the Blue Economy and boost the transition towards a more circular approach to minimise marine litter along with the generation of waste. As a result, the Council welcomes local, regional and public-private partnerships consortia to further develop waste management, including the collection of plastic waste from coastal areas. More details here. Along the same line, the Competitiveness Council adopted conclusions on 29 November on the EU’s updated bioeconomy strategy. The document acknowledges that “sustainable and circular bioeconomy can offer solutions for a sustainable replacement of fossil-based and other non-renewable primary resources by bio-based products and materials. These include resource-efficient use and reuse of bio-based products and materials in particular solutions for bio-based recyclable and marine biodegradable substitutes for plastics and micro-plastics also contributing to plastic-free, healthy seas and oceans and reducing plastic waste from sea and land”. The conclusions can be found . GreenPak’s network of 800 smart iBiNs installed in 41 localities won the first place in the fifth edition of the Sustainable Enterprise Awards organised by the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses (MEIB). GreenPak Cooperative Society was awarded the overall prize for its efforts to increase the social, environmental and economical sustainability pillars. The use of these attractive containers increased sharply, registering a sharp rise in the collection of post-consumer products including plastic, paper, glass, and metal waste for recycling during 2019. Fitted with smart technology, the iBiNs provide citizens with a simpler and more convenient way to recycle 24/7. Looking ahead at future trends in the Maltese society and steering the need to recycle more as a country, GreenPak invest in smart bins to address current needs and be ready for the future Smart Cities. The iBiNs project utilizes the emerging latest technology of IoT (Internet of Things). It has the capability to monitor waste levels and feed information back to a central system using real-time data which enables GreenPak’ recycling service to prioritise and customise collection routes in the localities it serves across Malta and Gozo. Using the iBiNs interactive web app, ibins.greenpak.com.mt, and selecting the colour-coded image of the iBiN, the public is directed via a Google Map interface to go straight to the nearest iBiN that has sufficient empty space to take their recycling materials. This app is avoiding unnecessary traffic movements, including a reduction of collection truck trips on the road, resulting in lower exhaust emissions. You can read the full information ; In 2018, almost 10.7 million tonnes of packaging waste were sent for recycling and recovery. This is 80.6% of the amount put on the market, well above the legal targets, a trend that is constantly and progressively growing. This figure is the result of more than twenty years of work by the Consortium System whose mission was, and still is, to evolve the supply chain from a management model based on recourse to landfills to the "recycling society", based on the circular economy model. This mission that we can say has been met since from 1998 to 2018, recourse to landfills for packaging waste in Italy has gone from 67% to 19%, above all bridging the gap with other major European countries. Packaging sent for recycling in 2018 in Italy amounted to approximately 9.3 million tonnes, i.e. 69.7% of the quantity put on the market and with quantities tripled compared to those of 1998. CONAI’s aim was to quantify these flattering results also in terms of the positive effects they have on the environment, the economy and society. And to do this, the Consortium choses a cutting-edge scientific methodology, Life Cycle Costing, which, thanks to precise traceability of the packaging waste flows managed by the Supply Chain Consortia, highlights the contribution that the CONAI-Consortia system has made in terms of positive externalities in a more intelligible manner. All this with an eye on the new circular economy objectives that consider the role of design as a tool for preventing the environmental impact of packaging to be central. For this reason, the Green Economy Report includes a specific analysis on the positive effects that eco-design interventions, promoted by companies and narrated by CONAI as examples of good practice, have on the environment. Download the CONAI Green Economy Report: In order to increase the recycling of the packaging materials, it is important that the packaging is designed so that it is best suited for both sorting and recycling. In some cases, it may be complicated for the packaging designer to orientate themselves on how different choices affect recyclability. Therefore, Green Dot Norway has developed an interactive recycling calculator, which is a useful tool for all our members. The beta version of the calculator was launched in October and is available to our members. This first version has its limitations, and we advise against steering uncritically after the results. Among other things, it is limited to plastic packaging, and we are in the process of quality assuring some of the recyclability calculations. The purpose of making the beta version available is to learn and get feedback from our members. We include the feedback in the work with a full version, which should cover several packaging designs and types of materials. It is scheduled to be launched during the first half of 2020. The goal is for the calculator to serve as a useful tool as a packaging designer and give access to downloadable comparisons of various choices. Brussels, 20 December 2019 - In June this year, Brussels Airport Company (BAC) and Fost Plus signed a "Waste Charter" by which BAC undertook to sort 50% of airport waste. This is a priority project for both companies as the 24,000 employees and 70,000 passengers who set foot in the airport every day generate about fifteen truck loads of waste every day. Plastic bottles, food waste, waste paper, etc. As many sorts of waste that do not always get put in the right bin, leading to waste not being recycled. The many foreign travellers are often not well informed about the Belgian sorting system. As for Belgian passengers, they are not always aware of the sorting possibilities outside of their homes. Six months after the signing of the charter, we are getting good results and it is time to launch a Christmas action with the thousands of people who are leaving from Brussels airport this week. Fost Plus has developed a campaign to inform, motivate and educate visitors. The objective is to make the circular economy contribute. Cups, packaging, paper, cans ...: throw them in the right trash can and in this way help increase the quantity of better-quality pre-sorted waste. The main idea is: "Be careful, participate, every contribution counts! ". The campaign was broadcasted on digital screens in the various terminals and additional activity was organized on Sunday, December 22. The passengers were invited to join a game board with a simple sorting messages, they also received a Memory game to learn how to sort waste in a funny and entertaining way. With BAC, Fost Plus wants to recycle 50% of all airport waste, including passenger waste. This percentage is twice as high as the current recycling percentage. The amount of residual waste will be greatly reduced by 2023. Three major compaigns of Ecoembes are presented: LIBERA - 1m2, David Cup campaign and Recycled Orchestra of Cateura. Between December 7th and December 15th, more than 6,000 volunteers from all over Spain went out to the countryside to put an end to the trash present in terrestrial environments, within the third edition of the national campaign of citizen science ‘1m2 por el campo, los bosques y el monte’ organized by LIBERA, created by SEO / BirdLife in alliance with Ecoembes. With the objective of characterizing the trash found, a total of 141 groups in 168 points of 47 provinces of Spain carried out cleaning and characterization of abandoned waste, almost 70 points more compared to the previous year, a figure that demonstrates the great awareness of society. Thanks to the collaboration of all volunteer groups it has been possible to evaluate data such as the volume, quantity and type of garbage that exists in the countryside, forests and mountains. Over a week, 8.6 tons of trash have been removed, three tons more than the previous year, and more than 34,000 objects have been characterized. Gerard Piqué is a famous international Spanish football player but also a business man. Following his commitment with sports he’s brought Davis Cup to Madrid for the first time in 2020 and 2021. Spanish society is becoming more and more sensitive to environmental issues and sports are not out of this sensitivity either. Supporting environment policies from every sector is the way to assume that the climate emergency is no joke. Davis Cup got in contact with Ecoembes to create a shared campaign on recycling. We definitely saw that we shared goals so went for it. The “Top Ten” campaign consisted on having special tennis ball shaped yellow containers where citizens could get free tickets for Davis Cup matches by bringing 10 plastic bottles. This promotion helps us spread the link between plastic bottles and the yellow container where they should be recycled. There were 10 different spots in Madrid city and also in other 3 Madrilian localisations. The campaign was on air from October 31st til November 20th and 10.000 free tickets were given away. Sharing values with relevant events such as Davis Cup is a natural way to reach citizens where they are and take recycling with them wherever they may go. Ecoembes makes possible for the sixth time the performance of the Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados de Cateura (Recycled Orchestra of Cateura) this Christmas. Recycled Orchestra of Cateura is an orchestra composed of children from Asunción (Paraguay) who play musical instruments made from scrap materials collected from Asunción´s Cateura landfill. On December 28th at 7:30 p.m. they will perform at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, in the city of Santander, in front of almost 1,600 people and together with the singers Luis Cepeda, Nando Agüeros and with the Choir Halane Junior. Later, on January 2nd, more than 1,700 spectators will see them at the Royal Theater of Madrid at 8:00 p.m., with the presence of their Majesty the Queen of Spain Mrs. Sofía and by the hand of artists like Luz Casal, Sara Baras and the Gospel Choir of Madrid . Sorting glass packaging is a small act that has a great impact on climate. Each kilogramme of sorted, non-deposit glass packaging saves about 0.5 kg of greenhouse gas emissions compared to glass that ends up in mixed waste. Every Finn sorted an average of 4 kg of non-deposit glass packaging in 2018. The most enthusiastic sorters of glass can be found in the Salo, Savonlinna and Rovaniemi regions, while there is still a lot to be done in Central Finland. Rinki already recycles 97 % of its customer companies’ non-deposit glass packaging, i.e. almost all of the glass is reused in new products. Recycled glass can be turned into a variety of products: about 82% becomes new glass packaging and about 18 % is turned into products such as glass wool, flat glass and building blocks. Glass waste always contains a small amount of other waste and materials that are sorted incorrectly, such as plastic, porcelain or metal. These, too, are primarily recycled as new products and, whenever possible, used in energy production. Glass packaging can be melted and recycled again and again. Using recycled glass as a raw material for new packaging significantly saves energy and reduces emissions. The reductions in emissions achieved this way are significantly higher than the emissions from the transport of recycled glass. With the reduced emissions, you could drive around the globe more than 2,000 times When a Finn puts one kilogramme of glass packaging into a collection bin at their own property or at a Rinki Eco take-back point, the total greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by about 0.5 kg compared to glass that ends up in mixed waste. Every Finn recycles an average of four kilos of glass packaging waste every year, cutting down carbon dioxide emissions by 2.1 kg. The report was commissioned by Rinki and carried out by LCA Consulting Oy. Finns recycled a total of 22 million kilogrammes of glass packaging in 2018. Sorting and recycling glass packaging reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 11,500,000 kg (2.1 kg/Finn). Equivalent emissions are generated if a diesel car is driven around the globe 2,052 times (15 km/Finn). New glass packaging is not manufactured in Finland, so the glass recycled by Finns is currently used as a raw material for new bottles and jars in the UK and the Netherlands. Recycling is a great way to save the environment, and shipping to other EU countries has very little impact on this. If there was a glass packaging recycling facility in Finland and new glass packaging was manufactured here, shipping would not be required. This would reduce the emissions from glass packaging recycling by 12 %. Proper sorting ensures that materials are successfully recycled Finns already know how to sort most of their glass packaging, but glass waste still contains an average of 7 % of materials other than glass packaging. For example, medical glass and heat-resistant glass (e.g. coffee jugs, oven dishes, drinking glasses) should not be put into glass packaging collection containers as they impede recycling. The rule for sorting glass packaging is simple: only recycle glass packaging such as jars and bottles. Do not put kitchen glassware, such as drinking glasses and mugs, or flat glass or medical glass, into the collection container. The Salo region is the best place for recycling glass, while efforts need to be stepped up in Äänekoski The most enthusiastic sorters of glass packaging in Finland are found in the Salo region, while the area in which efforts needs to be stepped up is the Äänekoski region. The top five and the bottom five glass waste terminals, in terms of glass purity, are listed below by location. The terminals take in glass packaging collected from Rinki eco take-back points, shops, properties and the industries. The terminals’ radius of operation varies from region to region, and does not follow the geographical boundaries. There are 38 terminals for glass packaging waste in Finland. Glass packaging waste is taken from the local terminals to Tolkkinen Port and shipped to glass processing plants in the UK and the Netherlands. Each batch of glass is inspected at the port of departure for impurities such as the proportion of heat-resistant Pyrex glass. The order is based on the proportion of Pyrex glass in the batch, i.e. the less Pyrex glass found in the batch, the better the sorting effort. The data is from 2018. The best sorters of glass packaging, top 5 by region Salo Savonlinna Rovaniemi Forssa Alajärvi Sorting of glass packaging requires improvement, top 5 by region Äänekoski Jämsä Kuusamo Leppävirta Tornio Over the past three months, Ekopak has organized and participated in several major events and implemented a large number of activities that contributed to the development of the recycling system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Special part of our activities was the continued promotion of recycling and its importance to citizens through key social, educational and sporting events. The annual meeting of EXPRA Balkan members was held in Sarajevo in September this year. Achieved results of Expra alliance’s members in the last year, problems at the moment and the way, outgoing challenges in front of Expra alliance’s members from countries of Balkan, as well as implementation of the latest legitimate solutions of EU were some of the topics at this meeting. The meeting was also attended by director Joachim Quoden with whom we organized appearing on N1 television, CNN exclusive news channel affiliate, and have highlighted the problems and solutions for the recycling system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Every year, millions of beauty and skin care packages end up in containers and landfills, so Ekopak, in collaboration with the L'OCCITANE brand, has organized a program to collect and recycle beauty product packaging. Ekopak gladly supported this action by his client L'OCCITANE, and provided the containers for the collection of packaging waste and ensured that all the collected packaging waste was handed over for recycling. Also, one important event for Ekopak was the introduction of the Federal Ministry of Ministry of Internal Affairs (FMI) into our recycling system. We provided 80 bins for paper collection to FMI which were installed on their premises. Having successfully established cooperation with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of the Environment and Tourism has also joined our system. On the 6th International Fair RENEXPO BiH Ekopak presented the achieved business results and provided support for the start and development of the Eco-School program in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Last year, Ekopak, in cooperation with its partners from Europe, helped Munja Incubator become a member of the FEE network and entrusted this organization with the implementation of the Eco-Schools program in BiH. This program is of great importance for the development of the system of selective disposal and recycling of packaging waste because of its implementation through internationally established standards. Program encourages school children, teaching staff and local communities to establish and develop in their schools awareness of the importance of waste recycling and environmental protection in general. Ekopak provided support for notable social and sporting events: Sarajevo Film Festival, the Avon races, Sarajevo Half Marathon, ITF European Taekwondo Championship… The enormous volume of packaging waste generated by the ever-growing consumption in our society further emphasizes the importance of recycling as an instrument that regulates the sustainability process. Macedonian packaging recovery organization Pakomak is already working on an innovative solution called SmartBin - a reverse vending machine that will operate as part of ecoMac – an incentive system that rewards people who will throw their PET bottles, alu cans etc. in the machine through free services, discounts and other benefits. Citizens of this country will be able to throw packaging waste through SmartBin, and tying the machine to a mobile app will allow them to get "green points" that they can use to their advantage for public service discounts, commercial promotions, tickets for events etc. The difference from the standard deposit system is that this system is a deposit without deposit. This implies that instead of money the machine will give back green points through the loyalty program. The advantage of this system is that retail prices of the products will not rise due to the deposit and it will not need to be implemented nationally, but instead it can be implemented regionally, city by city, municipality by municipality. This is the first project of its kind on the territory of Northern Macedonia and it is a revolutionary step in waste collection and recycling practices in Northern Macedonia and in the region. The average citizen of Northern Macedonia generates about 50-70kg of packaging waste annually. Using technology, Pakomak has set itself the goal of motivating citizens to participate actively in the process of selecting and disposing of waste, thereby reducing environmental pollution. Implementing a system of reverse vending machines creates benefits for everyone – citizens, who are going to have access to an easier way of selecting waste; the country, which in time will receive a greater number of environmentally educated citizens; and Pakomak, which will have easier and more organized access to packaging waste. In addition to requiring the citizens to make an effort to separate waste at home, they are required to understand into which package to throw to each waste bin and this prevents many from joining the effort. In order to solve this problem, TAMIR initiated the promotion of a simple and clear information for the public - explaining into which waste bin to throw each package. The Organization developed unique recycling icons to label packaging in collaboration with designers specializing in product and packaging design. TAMIR also created a practical manual for the correct and simple use of the recycling symbols and added a packaging catalog detailing which symbol fits which packaging. DEAR READER, While the number of meetings, events and conferences in Brussels is decreasing and the (too) hot summer is coming in, the preparatory work for the busy autumn is not ceasing at all. With the election of the new European Parliament with many new parties and faces that are coming to the European level for the first time and the negotiations regarding the structuring of the new European Commission, our work and efforts in explaining, promoting and improving EPR will actually intensify. In light of the publication of the Circular Economy Action Plan by the European Union (EU), EXPRA, the European umbrella organisation representing non-profit packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems owned by the obliged industry, recognises the need to focus on packaging design, collection and sorting infrastructure to minimise the environmental impact of both the product and its package. This project was developed by EXPRA's Sustainability and Packaging Working Group in response to the many requests from the obliged industry for information and support in facing the challenges regarding packaging recyclability. The project’s three main objectives are: raising awareness of recyclability and relevant guidelines, informing of cutting-edge and innovative packaging trends, and strengthening the links between packaging producers and recyclers. Considering the packaging (prevalent) material, and based on an interactive online questionnaire, this toolkit allows users to find out how recyclable their packaging is. In so doing, it facilitates access to best practices and guidelines, across Europe, on packaging design, labelling, collection systems and sorting. It also includes an overview of Research and Development (R&D) initiatives currently under development. You can find the link here: With DECISION C11/2019 taken by CEN/TC 261 on 2019-06-18, the CEN/TC 261 ‘Packaging’, considering the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations - Part 2, subclause 4.3.2, which lays down the conditions for external liaisons; - considering that the conditions laid down in CEN-CENELEC Guide 25 “The concept of partnership with European organizations and other stakeholders” are fulfilled; - agrees to the participation of the EXPRA in CEN/TC 261; - requests the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre to inform EXPRA accordingly of this decision. Last September, the Commission adopted a series of early “warning reports” on progress towards EU recycling targets. They showed 14 Member States at risk of not complying with the 50% municipal waste recycling target by 2020. For 12 of these Member States (it seems that Finland and Estonia were able to convince the Commission that it is not necessary to visit them) the Commission decided to visit them and to organize an exchange of ideas, experiences and best practices to help them to improve their approaches and systems. After Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Portugal, this time Hungary was the destination. EXPRA can proudly say that the Commission invited us for each of the mission as THE experts for EPR and this time our colleague Üllar Huik represented EXPRA and gave a respective presentation. Commissioner Vella mentioned some interesting topics in his opening speech ( that he is “here today with experts from all over Europe. They want to share their experience of getting on the virtuous path to a circular economy. They will explain how they found the economic incentives. How they identified smart ways to extract more value from products. And cutting-edge techniques to extract that value when used products become waste. Much of the problem can be traced back to poor implementation of waste legislation. Some Member States now recycle around 60% of their municipal waste. Regions like Catalonia, who you will hear from today, are showing how getting the economics right can lead you to a virtuous circular path very quickly. They show that it can be done, and so that it can be done in Hungary as well. The obstacles are usually easy to identify. Insufficient separate collection. Weak implementation of the polluter pays principle. Lack of effective economic instruments. Very often, you start by identifying responsibility. You need to be clear about who is responsible for reaching the targets, with an effective system to enforce the targets. But passing the responsibility to local authorities may not be enough – they usually need technical support and policy advice as well. And citizens need to be engaged. When they know what to do, and when the economic incentives are there, then action follows naturally. We see this all over Europe. Well-designed economic instruments, coupled with information campaigns, bring rapid changes in behaviour. Secondly, you need separate collection. It’s the best way to attract recyclers to operate in your country. Separate collection of glass, plastic, metal and paper, complemented by collection of biowaste has to be your priority. Thirdly, economic instruments, such as landfill and incineration taxes have a proven track record. If landfilling and incineration remain the cheapest options, there is little incentive to change, and progress is very difficult. Effective systems for Extended Producer Responsibility are another essential element in the toolbox for modern waste management. It has to be reminded that currently there is no EPR in Hungary as the government changed from EPR to a tax approach in 2012. First of all, large stake of this tax is transposed into the state budget and not spend on environmental purposes but also there is established political 'gentleman agreement' not to increase tariffs on the utilities, among other also on waste management services. Very obviously government is not willing to lose these billions in revenues. Industry is lobbying for implementation of EPR. They have got great support from EU directive which is making EPR mandatory in achieving of ambitious CE targets. During the government presentations it was revealed that authorities have been established two working groups - one to discuss municipal waste situation and another for EPR. Establishing of these working groups seems to be new for industry as they were not invited to participate in discussions. The attitude towards EPR among the Hungarian authorities has changed -they are not thinking any more to be with EPR or not, but they are discussing how to implement it in one or another way. Mario Schembri, CEP of Greenpak and Board Member of EXPRA, represented EXPRA during this Circular Economy Mission to Singapore as EXPRA was again invited and asked to participate in this mission, as the experts in all matters around EPR. This time the mission was led by DG Environments Director General Daniel Calleja Crespo The mission was organised by the Directorate-General (DG) for the Environment of the European Commission and aim to build bridges between European institutions, NGOs and companies and the relevant stakeholders in those third countries, interested in the opportunities that the transition to the circular economy brings. The Circular Economy Missions are conceived with three clear objectives: The policies discussed during the missions gravitated around circular economy, resource efficiency and sustainable use of natural resources. In particular, the missions focus on topics related to eco-innovation, chemicals and plastic, waste, water management, marine pollution and urban environmental best practices. These issues offer a wide area for further bilateral discussions, not least because they have a great potential for innovative business solutions. For instance, the use of state-of-the-art technologies can help to reduce environmental impacts. The International Stewardship Forum was held in Paris on July 2 and 3 2019. With over 200 participants and over 50 international speakers, the Forum provided a unique opportunity for participants to gather practical insights from product stewardship and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs across a broad range of products and substances. EXPRA Managing Director will moderate two sessions: The ISWA EPR project – Providing a picture of EPR and PR & Innovation – one goes with the other. In the sessions EXPRA members from the Netherlands, Italy and Malta will present thier experiences and best prcatices. The ISWA World Congress is the world‘s most important congress in the field of waste management. The Congress is organized by ATEGRUS, ISWA National Member in Spain, in cooperation with the International Solid Waste Association – ISWA. The ISWA World Congress offers the perfect setting for networking and direct contact with potential customers as well as numerous decision makers from government, science and industry On 20 September 2019 in Brussels, the Circular Plastics Alliance will present and adopt its declaration. The will describe the alliance's vision for more recycled plastics in Europe, as well as their commitments for action to reach the EU target, Namely, that 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics find their way in products in the EU by 2025. EXPRA President and Managing Director will participate and sepak at the event. The European Commission announced the on 11 December 2018 with the support of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Vice-President Jyrki Katainen. The launch of the Alliance followed the (November 2018). This assessment showed that pledges from suppliers of recycled plastics were sufficient to reach and even exceed the EU target of 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics used in Europe by 2025. But pledges received from users of recycled plastics (such as plastics converters and manufacturers) were not sufficient, and action was necessary to bridge the gap between the supply and demand. Upcoming events, where EXPRA Management and representatives are participating / presenting 10–11 September 2019, Munich, Germany 6 Annual Beverage Packaging Congress 2019, organized by Arena International Events Group 5-7 November 2019, Vancouver, BC, Canada 2019 Conference on Canadian Stewardship, organized by The Conference on Canadian Stewardship 12-14 November, Barcelona, Spain Sustainability in Packaging Europe 2019, organized by Smithers Pira 18-20 November, Vienna Austria 12th Multilayer Flexible Packaging conference, organized by AMI Following the outcome of the elections to the European Parliament (EP) at the end of May, the four centrist pro-European groups within the new EP (EPP, S&D, Renew Europe (formerly ALDE) and the Greens) have now started negotiations on identifying common priorities. On 5 June, the Commission published its country-specific recommendations (CSRs), setting out its economic policy guidance for Member States for the next 12 to 18 months. Overall, the Commission highlighted that thirteen Member States were experiencing imbalances (Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Romania, and Sweden) and that three countries were experiencing excessive imbalances (Cyprus, Greece and Italy). With regards to waste specifically, the Commission noted that there is a lack of adequate waste management in a number of countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, and Romania. In the case of France, for example, the Commission welcomed its 2018 national circular economy roadmap, as well as highlighting that the country performs above the EU average in terms of overall demand for recycled materials but noted that recycling rates for municipal waste are below average. In the case of Italy, the Commission highlighted regional differences and called on the Government to focus more on investing into waste management infrastructure across the country. For Hungary, the Commission noted that circular economy is only at its initial phase, and that recycling of municipal waste is underdeveloped. Individual CSRs for all Member States can be found During their first meeting, which took place on 15 and 16 June, in Karuizawa, Japan, the Energy and Environment Ministers of G20 countries adopted a communiqué on climate change, energy transition, marine litter and resource efficiency. On 3 June, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published a report on waste prevention policies in Europe, with a focus on the issue of plastics and plastic waste. Overall, the report found that despite some progress and a clear commitment to address plastic waste in many countries, concrete prevention targets for various types of plastic waste are not widespread. While close to half of the countries assessed (EEA member countries) have declared plastic waste a “priority waste stream”, only nine EU Member States have set concrete targets for its prevention. In total, the EEA identified 173 measures having been implemented, of which around 37 were market-based instruments (mostly fees for plastic bags), 25 were regulatory instruments, and 30 were voluntary targets. 104 measures covered the production of plastic products and 69 their consumption. Five countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Romania and the UK) notably included numerical targets compared to a baseline. The EEA concluded that while fees on plastic shopping bags have contributed to significantly reducing their use, and subsequent waste, these should also be applied to other types or products, including plastic packaging waste. Prevention of single-use plastics and non-recyclable plastic products should be prioritized, the EEA said. As a good practice example to address plastic waste, the EEA highlighted a combination of regulatory measures, such as bans, and softer instruments such as stakeholder agreements. These should also be accompanied by adequate training and capacity building. The full report can be accessed on 11 and 12 July, the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU held an informal meeting of EU Environment and Climate Ministers in Helsinki. During the second day of the meeting, the discussions focused on circular economy and in particular ways to expand it into new areas. In terms of the implementation of circular economy, the Ministers stressed the need to continue pursuing an ambitious approach that can accelerate the transition. To this end, they discussed the need for a new circular economy action plan – the so-called circular economy 2.0 – which could, beyond facilitating the process of implementation, also help expand circular actions into other priority sectors. These include sectors such as construction, textiles, mobility and food. More generally, the intention is to cover the entire chain of production and consumption, starting with sustainable product design. As such, some of the key issues to be discussed in this regard under the Finnish Presidency’s helm include opportunities stemming from product policy, digitalization as a way to promote circular economy, follow-up measures on the interface between product and waste legislation, as well as funding for circular economy. The Finnish Presidency will work to prepare conclusions on the circular economy, which should set out ways for the new Commission to promote circular economy during its term. These will be discussed at the Environment Council’s meeting on 4 October. In addition, during their discussions, the Ministers highlighted new businesses opportunities from moving from a single-use culture to a circular economy. Improved materials recycling, they said, can help address some of the key challenges the EU is facing, including climate change and biodiversity loss. Both manufacturing and consumption should be based on the 6 Rs of sustainability, namely “refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycle”. During the meeting, EU Commissioner for the Environment Karmenu Vella and the Vice-President VP for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen delivered keynote speeches. Commissioner Vella emphasized the need to focus on waste prevention, not only recycling, when looking at the transition to circularity, noting that some Member States already have programmes in this area and that targets could also be considered. Meanwhile, during his address, VP Katainen stressed in particular the need to create a well-functioning market for secondary raw materials. He also highlighted sustainable finance taxonomy and green public procurement as important tools in the transition to circular economy. Please see find the Finnish Presidency’s press release and more information on the Presidency’s views on circular economy 2.0. Fost Plus’s ambition is to develop a true circular packaging economy in Belgium over the next few years. To achieve this, we can build on past successes, but we also need to invest in innovative solutions and new technologies. The introduction of the new blue bag is an important step in the right direction. By extending the collection of plastic bottles, metal packaging and drink cartons (PMD) to include all plastic packaging, we can collect and recycle 8 kg of extra packaging per person per year. At the same time, we’re looking to broaden our scope. Belgians are in the habit of carefully sorting their packaging waste at home but away from home, too much packaging material is discarded, either because it is poorly sorted or because it ends up as litter. Fost Plus has plans to collect and recycle as much of this material as possible. However, we can’t achieve a circular packaging economy alone. Sustainable management of packaging is a shared responsibility: the public sorts, producers pack, governments lay down policy, intermunicipal authorities raise awareness and operational partners work in the field. That’s why we want to engage everyone in this story. With user-friendly collection systems, sustainable recycling solutions and an open mind on new developments and changing needs. In this way, we will make it easier for everyone to help build a circular economy and a sustainable future. You can read the report This is undeniable: our future will be circular or will not be. At the end of 2018, Valipac redefined its mission: "To act together for a circular economy" is since the new credo of Valipac. An exercise, carried out with the support of all its stakeholders, is an important step in preparing Valipac for the challenges of the future. Policies must now put in place the legal framework needed to meet these challenges. Valipac has produced a policy memorandum with 8 recommendations to successfully address these challenges. They hope that the respective Belgium ministers and governments will take these recommendations into account in their strategic notes. They were so kind to send it to us as well so that we can share it with our EXPRA colleagues. You can read the document here: The , a creation of Spain’s flagship environmental NGO, SEO/Birdlife, in alliance with Ecoembes, even mobilized Queen Mother Sofia last June in one of the 453 cleaning points across all Spain. This project, addressed to citizensm, works with the objective of reduce to zero the litter in the mountains, the beaches or the nearest natural. This massive mobilization collected 83 tons of litter, had 1.013 media impacts and became the environmental event of the day on June 15th. ‘1m2 for nature’ it´s the most important event of the mobilization area of LIBERA, that tries to become part of the solution to the problem of littering and that also works on awareness and science. Because even if it´s not our litter, It is our problem. You can read more information about this initiative Education is a key tool to create habits in order to achieve a global environmental awareness. The Sustainable Development Goals are clearly committed to education as a way to generate sustainable lifestyles. Caring for and respecting the environment are values that should be internalised from an early age, for which, daily environmental education is required. With that purpose, Ecoembes launches Naturaliza, an education project which aims to drive a greater presence of environment and sustainability issues in the Spanish education system. To achieve that goal, Naturaliza is bases on three axis: it offers an online teacher-training course, it provides teaching resources, and it promotes outdoor learning. More than 600 teachers among the country have joined the project for the following academic year, giving an environmental point of view to the current curricular contents of the core subjects of primary education stage. For further information, visit its This year the Czech Packaging Recovery Organization (EKO-KOM) organized its jubilee 20 annual Conference “Waste and Municipalities”. This year’s event brought together representatives of various municipalities in the Czech Republic along with members of the domestic and international business community in the recycling and waste management sectors. Legislators and officials representing relevant Czech ministries and institutions also participated in the conference. The principle topics addressed during the course of the event were the current state of municipal waste management in the European Union, initiatives being undertaken to improve the efficacy and efficiency of waste management and the concrete steps which must be taken in order to fulfill the long-term objectives of the European Union Circular Economy Package and the implications these developments have for the future of waste management in Europe. The two-day summit began with a comprehensive introduction from Zbyněk Kozel, EKO-KOM CEO. He declared that the establishment of a new paradigm in waste management is now underway in the Czech Republic - that in addition to sorting, we are beginning to place a significant emphasis on recycling, with a fundamental shift away from landfilling, framed by the European principles of the circular economy. He further stated that waste should be considered a valuable resource as source material for further industrial production. This idea was endorsed by another panelist at the conference, Jean-Marc Boursier, President of the European Waste Management and Environmental Services Federation (FEAD). Mr. Boursier outlined his organization’s commitment to proper waste management in Europe, the reduction in the use of landfills and increasing the rate of recycled waste across the continent. The European Union’s Circular Economy Package was lauded by the various stakeholders from the private and public sectors represented at the conference, and Czech government representatives were commended for their creation and implementation of legislation to improve upon the state of domestic recycling and waste management. One distinct indicator of the Czech Republic’s progress in this regard is that the rate of recycling of packaging materials is comparable with that of the old 15 European Union member countries. Another achievement is that contributions from EKO-KOM have enabled municipalities to effectively participate in the functioning of the system. The high density and wide distribution of distinctly colored recycling containers with accessible and user-friendly design is now commonplace. A high rate of recycling is now a prerequisite for the next step, which is the continued reduction of landfill use and the improved circulation of waste materials. These new trends were reflected in the various presentations on specific topics over the course of the conference and some clear priorities were established - waste management and sorting, efficient and accessible energy recovery, recycling of mixed plastics, the recycling of PET bottles, maximizing the efficiency of sorting processes, promoting the further development of biodegradable plastics, addressing the challenges associated with micro plastics, non-plastic additives in yellow bins, developments in eco-friendly design, better set-up and optimizing collection networks, and the means of increasing efficiency in the use of recycled materials. In sum, the modern technologies which support improved waste management are now widely available and so what is imperative now is that the value chain within waste management providers in the public and private sector reflects this and that they are put into effective practice. The progress the Czech Republic has made with respect to recycling and waste management was noted at various points throughout the congress. Petr Balner of EKO-KOM summarized the effective legislation put in place over the last two decades and the financial efficiency of the current system: "We have succeeded in working with municipalities, and I can state today that our joint annual project to collect and evaluate municipal waste data is unparalleled in Europe." Jan Maršák from the Department of Waste, a division of the Ministry of the Environment, also commended the positive trends in waste management in the Czech Republic, noting that Czech legislation is adequately prepared. “Legislation and draft bills addressing recycling, packaging waste and the End-of-Life Products Act have all been deliberated and are prepared. Inter-departmental collaboration is in progress and the new Waste Act will revolutionize the circulation economy, recycling, and the recovery and sorting of waste in the Czech Republic.” It is evident that waste management in the Czech Republic is undergoing a major transformation, that Czech and Moravian municipalities are prepared for the changes resultant from the Circulation Economy Package, and that the preparation and implementation of Czech legislation is very much moving in the right direction. The Czech EPR system EKO-KOM has proudly played a relevant role in setting these trends and served as an important initiator of development in the area of municipal waste management. GreenPak Cooperative Society’s commitment in the collection of plastics via recycling bins on both islands is consistently yielding better results. A dramatic increase in plastics recovery was recorded following the introduction of the innovative iBiNs at the beginning of this year. Latest figures show that between January and May 2019 plastics recovery nearly doubled when compared to the same period in 2018. During the first five months of this year over 253,000 kilograms of plastics were recovered, which is equivalent to 3,162,500 plastic bottles. Many consider plastic as the miracle material that has made modern life possible, but nearly half of it is used just once, and a significant part of it ends up polluting our seas to the detriment of the ecosystem, and ultimately our health. Furthermore, between January and May 2019, GreenPak also registered another highly significant increase of 39% in recovered paper and glass materials when compared to the same five-month period in 2018. From over 651,000 kilogrammes last year, the total figure for both paper and glass over the past five months has increased to more than 882,000 kilogramms. During the week marking World Environment Day, GreenPak’s CEO Ing Mario Schembri said: “As these figures amply show, iBiNs are positively impacting on recycling in both Malta and Gozo as they are making it easier and more efficient for people to recycle, anytime, anywhere.” “For us at GreenPak, world environment day is practically every day – 365 days a year. Recycling serves to protect and improve the environment which today is globally recognised as being seriously threatened through, among others, the depletion of its raw materials. Our day-to-day work and operations serve as a tangible platform for public outreach across Malta and Gozo. Using our latest technological system, today we know that in 2019 there has not been a single day when citizens did not use GreenPak’s iBiNs to recycle.” Earlier this year, the iBiNs replaced all the previous recycling skips in the 40 localities served by GreenPak. Equipped with smart technology, iBiNs enable citizens to recycle 24/7 in a simpler and more convenient way, while doing away with the unsightly overflowing of recycling bins. Following last month’s official launch of the iBiNs link, in collaboration with Vodafone, more significant results are expected in the coming months as this link via mobile phone will be directing the person to the nearest empty iBiN, meaning more efficient use of time and less driving trying to locate an empty bin. The link is found at ibins.greenpak.com.mt with no download necessary. It works on any mobile device such as smartphones, tablets, portable computers and others. GreenPak Cooperative Society’s commitment in the collection of plastics via recycling bins on both islands is consistently yielding better results. A dramatic increase in plastics recovery was recorded following the introduction of the innovative iBiNs at the beginning of this year. Latest figures show that between January and May 2019 plastics recovery nearly doubled when compared to the same period in 2018. During the first five months of this year over 253,000 kilograms of plastics were recovered, which is equivalent to 3,162,500 plastic bottles. Five attractive containers in the form of huge shells invite the residents and guests of Burgas to collect their plastic waste separately. The art installations are located at the key outlets of the Sea Garden in the city will symbolically remind you that the place of plastic waste is not at sea and on the beach, but in the special yellow containers of ECOPACK. In the framework of the International Eco-School Program, the authorized representative of the program "Incubator of Social Innovations - MUNJA" organized the creative competition EKOPAKET, which involves the collection of used Tetra Pak packaging, organizing education about the recycling process for students, and motivating students to take part in creative competition. From 23 elementary schools of 23, 170 pupils' works were created, real small artworks rated by an expert jury, among which was the representative of Ekopak Eldin Sabet. Ekopak as a strategic partner of the Eco-School in BiH, has also provided valuable prizes for the winners. The International program of Eco-Schools was developed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1994, and is is being implemented in more than 60 countries and 50,000 educational institutions. Eco-schools have a system of rewarding educational institutions, in such a way that schools that meet the set criteria and promote environmental care as a lasting value and way of life, receive a charter on the status of the International Eco-School and the Green Flag with the Eco-school sign. The methodology is based on seven steps that certain educational institutions implement according to the individual plan with the help of this program. Dear Reader, Since the very beginning of this year we were overwhelmed with numerous parallel legislative and other developments with direct impact on our work. These include not only the Implementing and Delegated Acts and Guidances stemming from the WFD and the PPWD, but also all existing and new initiatives, like the Circular Plastics Alliance initiative of DG GROW, European Coalition for Chemical Recycling, etc. to name just few. Not to forget also the new serious requirements and responsibilities for the Industry/EPR Organizations defined in the SUP. In parallel we are continuing with our usual work as we met in beginning of April in Seville, Spain for our GA meeting where we discussed among other issues the new strategy of EXPRA focusing on operational excellence and thought leadership in sustainable packaging. The Assembly was organized back to back with the International forum on Marine Litter and Circular Economy - MARLICE, where several EXPRA members shared their best practices and experiences in protecting nature, promoting environmentally friendly behavior and fighting litter. So, I will repeat myself stating that again we will have a very busy spring and summer, due not only to all challenges mentioned above but also to the coming EU elections and the respective structuring of the new Parliament and Commission. Of course, EXPRA will continue to support its members during the transposition of the new EU legislation and well as promote sharing of best practices like with the “Green Book on Innovation” being currently developed with examples form EXPRA members. Of course in all this activities we are relying on networking and joining forces with like minded associations in order to provide for a sound and realistic legal framework which will contribute in practice for a genuine Circular economy and best performing EPR systems. But there are developments regarding EPR not only in Europe – things are moving in Latin America and Asia, in countries like Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia where EPR is on the table as governments understand the potential to improve the system together with industry and to solve all the problems resulting especially in marine litter. As THE EXPERT in EPR, EXPRA is contacted and invited to several events in those countries, but due to the very tight and busy EU schedule, we are always ready to share our long term expertise and to support industry on demand, respectively try to send experts from our member base. Enjoy your reading! The Managing Director of EXPRA moderated as in the previous years the EPR Toolkit Workshop which is done the day before the 2 days conference; like also in the previous years, EXPRA developed the content of the workshop as well as proposed nearly all speakers. Around 50 to 60 experts participated in the workshop where a lot of lively discussions took place around the following topics: Transparency within Packaging Recovery Organizations - Equal treatment and non-discrimination of the clients Next to industry associations and companies, PROs from Germany (DSD, RECLAY and ERP/Landbell), France (CITEO), Spain (Ecoembes and EcoVidrio), Belgium (Fost Plus), Norway (GDN), Ireland (REPAK), Portugal (SPV), Latvia (LZP), Netherlands (Dutch Waste Fund) participated and partly spoke in the workshop and/or the conference. Malgorzata Golebiewska, DG Environment, introduced into the Art 8a minimum requirements for EPR, concentrating on the various studies and acts that the Commission is preparing at the moment to help the Member States to implement all criteria and to ensure a minimum level of harmonization. On 9 April EXPRA held its spring General Assembly in Seville, Spain. During the meeting, EXPRA’s Managing Director Joachim Quoden presented summarized the organisation’s key achievements in 2018, the Highlights in the period: December 2018 to April 2019 and the outlook for 2019. According to the statutory requirements, the Organization’s annual accounts, the annual financial statements and the accountant’s opinion were approved. The Managing Director also presented to the members the Organization’s New strategic framework, including two major building blocks: “Operational excellence” and “Thought leadership”, accompanied by a targeted communications strategy aiming at raising EXPRA’s profile towards external audiences. As practical example of these efforts will be the Green Book on Innovation currently being developed (collecting best practices in innovation form all EXPRA members). EXPRA Member were also informed about the state of play in the transposition of the new Waste Legislation as well as the on-going developments with regards to the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive. From the planned IAs and Das only the Implementing Act (IA) on calculation, verification and reporting of data is to be finalised in April, while the other planned acts will be delayed possibly within the second half of the year. The new measurement of recycling and its consequences – Implemented act on how to measure and average loss rates were presented by Paul Christiaens, Dutch Afvalfonds / Chair WG Data & Reporting. He also informed the members about the impact of these acts on the different stakeholders/processes, including operational changes. As having the General Assembly in Spain, EXPRA’s Spanish members, Ecoembes and ECOVIDRIO presented the situation in Spain regarding the national and new EU waste legislation. They presented the achievements of the two organizations as well as the challenges they are facing which should be met with regulation with technical thoroughness and political intelligence. Amanda Fuso Nerini, CONAI, Chair of the Packaging and Sustainability WG presented the great project of the WG - Packaging for recycling (P4R). This is an online toolkit, developed per material and waste management stage, and provides information on recycling systems in Europe as well as the collection, sorting and recycling aspects/specifics of the different types of packaging. The website provides a dynamic online information tool aimed at allowing users to self-assess the recyclability of their packaging, according to a roadmap based on the following four recyclability critical control points: design, labelling, collection and sorting. Maryse Vermette from EXPRA Canadian member – EEQ, presented the The Plastic Solutions Forum, aiming to present and promote new approaches based on technologies and processes developed through polymer research, contribute to speeding up innovations in the recycling of plastic packaging and establish relations and projects between these start-ups and investors, as well as with contributing companies. Seville was the host of the International forum on Marine Litter and Circular Economy - MARLICE Forum, which took place in the period 10th – 12th April 2019. This major event with over 250 participants was the reason for organizing EXPRA statutory meetings in Seville as well. The forum, conceived as a cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder event to advance in the management of marine litter, gathered public authorities, research institutes, private sector and environmental organizations, was organized by Spanish Marine Litter Association (AEBAM), with the support of Ecoembes and EXPRA among others strategic partners. Marine litter is a global threat that requires cross cutting solutions and a large panel of interlocutors. For the event, four thematic blocks were formed in order to involve all the actors who can successfully deal with the marine litter issue, namely : . Begoña Benito Fernandez, Ecoembes participated in the opening ceremony of the event as well as shared Ecoembes’ activities in promoting environment friendly behavior and prevention of marine litter. Their great project - LIBERA, implemented jointly with SEO / BirdLife was also presented during the event. During the first session, , Maryse Vermette, Éco Entreprises Québec presented the International Quebec-France Forum, which discussed different plastics solutions: recycling innovations on both sides of the Atlantic The following session, focused on different aspects that concern the private sector working in 3 main areas: Legal framework, Private Sector Initiatives and R+D Projects. EXPRA Managing Director Joachim quoden presented EXPRA’s views on the Circular Economy Package and Single Use Plastic Directivewith focus on the challenges but also on solutions, provided by EPR organizations. A representative of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition presented the development of the Spanish roadmap towards a circular economy. In the following presentations (including Life Eps-Sure project of CICLOPLAST, in which EXPRA is participating) the and discussions a wide variety of topics were discussed, as the role of the private sector in the collection, recovery and valorization of marine litter, the potential value of litter in the market from the perspective of circular economy, pioneering projects in restructuring production processes and the role of consumers in enabling the circular economy (responsible consumption and behavior). The Source Separation for Recycling Policy Seminar in Sofia was organized within a project of the EBRD during Save the Planet Sofia Event: Conference and Exhibition on Waste Management, Recycling, Environment for South-East Europe. The project, implemented by EXPRA as a technical consultant, aims to support National and local authorities from: Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine in their endeavour to explore how to best promote source separation and increase recycling rates by introducing and financing separate collection activities. The seminar also tackled the issue of the non-technical enabling environment for increasing source-separation of recyclables. This means looking at experiences and solutions for the institutional and legal setup and contractual arrangements for financing source-separation activities and how they impact the ability to attract more private sector involvement. Monika Romenska, EXPRA Regulatory and PA Manager, moderated the seminar with the active involvement and participation of Dr. Roland Ramusch, Sector specialist – Solid Waste, EBRD, and presented a General introduction on source separation, overview on legal requirements at the EU level and real-life situation in the various countries. Dr. Ramusch presented the EBRD and its solid waste management projects as well as the current challenges in the EBRD countries. After the short presentation of the participants and the situation in their countries/local authorities regarding waste management in general as well as waste source separation, the situations in three countries: Estonia, Bulgaria and Macedonia were presented, respectively by: Üllar Huik, Circular Economy Adviser at Estonian Food Industry Association, Todor Bourgoudjiev, CEO of ECOPACK Bulgaria and Filip Ivanovski, MD of PAKOMAK. On the second day of the seminar, ECOPACK Bulgaria very kindly hosted a visit to the new lightweight packaging Sorting plant and Educational Center of the Organization near Sofia. The participants appreciated highly the really impressive achievements of ECOPACK and expressed their intentions to implement some of the examples in their country/local authorities. The Seminar continued with a very interesting presentation of Üllar Huik introducing Sustainable Waste management and the conribution of solid waste management to the implementation of the UN sustianable goals. The best practices of EXPRA members in innovation and development in packaging waste mananegment were presented by Monika Romenska. The participants in teh Seminar were very active during the to days of the seminar and evaluated the event as very good/excellent. The final deliverable of the project will be a policy paper including detailed information on the countries participation as well as practical examples and best practices. In September 2018 the Commission adopted its ‘Report on the implementation of EU waste legislation, including the early warning for Member States at risk of missing the 2020 preparation for re-use/recycling target on municipal waste’ (COM(2018) 656 final). This Report identified key challenges that prevent full compliance and provided recommendations for how to improve waste management in countries and regions that are lagging behind. In April 2019, the European Commission published a set of reports on the state of implementation of environmental laws in Europe: the The will be built around the findings of the Environmental Implementation Review, and its suggestions for the future of these laws. The main topic will be on ‘Applying the environmental legislation’. On 16 May there will be a dedicated session on waste, where EXPRA has neen invited as a speaker and will be represented by ing. . This session will aim at presenting best practice in separate collection of municipal waste and the role of extended producer responsibility schemes - the crucial tools to enable better recycling performance. EXPRA MD Joachim Quoden has been invited as a keynote speaker, as well, as entrusted with the organization of a Workshop on EPR during the conference for young researchers. The conference has been specifically designed to focus on the modern technologies of recycling in today’s world. It also aims to provide educational opportunities as well as world-class scientific content delivered by quality keynote speakers, with plenary sessions, symposiums, hands-on workshops, etc. The Conference has been particularly intended to center around the cutting edge recycling and its pervasiveness in this day and age. The Conference encompasses the theme: “Elevating endless Possibilities of Recycling”. The expected participants include: researchers, innovators, associations, industries, Global experts, environmental engineers, professionals, funding agencies, Management bodies, product developers, etc. Upcoming events, where EXPRA Management and representatives are participating / presenting 4 June 2019, Brussels organized by ChemRecEurope supported by PCE 22-23 May 2019, Rome Italy “ ”, organized by Recycling 2019/Allied Academies 26-29 June 2019, Heraklion, Greece organized by National Technical University of Athens 2-3 July 2019 Paris, France organized by Global Product Stewardship Council and French producer responsibility organisation (PRO) for sharps, DASTRI 7-9 October 2019, Bilbao, Spain organized by ISWA 5-7 November 2019, Vancouver, BC, Canada organized by The Conference on Canadian Stewardship 18-20 November, Vienna Austria organized by AMI Today the European Parliament in the Plenary session adopted the compromise reached between the negotiators on the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive. The text was adopted by 560 votes in favour, with 35 MEPs voting against and 28 abstentions. As part of the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, the Circular Plastics Alliance aims at improving the economics and quality of plastics recycling in Europe. The Alliance should help the supply and demand for recycled plastics in the EU market to match at 10 million tons by 2025, at least The motion for a resolution follows several petitions submitted to the EP in the last few years over Member States’ failure to properly implement waste legislation. On 5 April, the European Commission published its second Environmental Implementation Review (EIR). This follows up on the initiative launched in 2016, and the first EIR published in February 2017, with the aim of helping the Member States better apply EU environment rules. For rigid plastic packaging that is sorted and recycled without impediments, and with a positive market value in 2019, a lower rate of € 0.38 per kg applies. This modulated fee is intended to reward companies that use well-recyclable rigid plastic packaging with a positive market value after sorting, leading to lower net costs for Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (‘Packaging Waste Fund’). The fees are re-established annually and the relative discount compared to the regular plastic rate will be maintained for a multiannual basis. To determine if a plastic packaging is easily recyclable or not, Afvalfonds Verpakkingen uses the recycle check for rigid plastic packaging, which has been developed by Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (Kennisinstiuut Duurzaam Verpakken, KIDV). The KIDV Recycle Check can be downloaded . Find more information about the Recyclecheck . Afvalfonds Verpakkingen chooses to reward the use of highly recyclable packaging and not to sanction the use of other packaging. All plastic packaging that isn’t easily recyclable within the current systems of collection, sorting and recycling existing in the Netherlands nor generate a positive market value, are not qualified for the lower rate as yet. This could change in the future for example by innovations in sorting and recycling. As the demands and recycling targets of companies change, the Packaging and Newspaper Collection Service (FTI) is increasing its focus on new circular business solutions, extended producer responsibility and increased recycling. On March 29, Håkan Ohlsson will step into the role of CEO of FTI to lead this work Håkan is currently a Board member of Apoteksgruppen i Sverige. Waste is a resource that must be collected effectively to maintain high quality, so that the raw material can be recycled into new products. That is FTI’s mission. “FTI is taking new steps in its efforts to provide closed-loop systems for its customers and for consumers. This requires a strong focus on partnerships, innovation and business development. Accordingly, we take great pleasure in presenting Håkan Ohlsson as the new CEO of the Packaging and Newspaper Collection Service. His solid experience of business development in environments with complex stakeholder groups feels quite right,” says FTI’s Chairman, Gunnar Svensson, in a commentary. FTI currently combines responsibility for the collection of packaging and newspapers across Sweden with the dissemination of knowledge to households and retail packaging strategists. The Swedish collection and recycling system is internationally leading and enjoys the strong support of households – 83 percent claim that sorting waste is simple. New targets and higher expectations on integration with other aspects of waste management, such as updated guidance for producer responsibility, are the starting points for an ongoing development process. “Environmental issues in general – and climate change specifically – are making new demands on the business sector. Today, you have to show how products and packaging are designed, how waste is handled and the responsibility you are taking for the entire value chain. In this situation, it is very exciting to be taking on the role as CEO for FTI,” says Håkan Ohlsson. Håkan Ohlsson is 56 years old and holds a degree from the Stockholm School of Economics. He has previously held positions at Unilever, GB Glace, McKinsey and CityMail, and most recently at Apoteksgruppen i Sverige. Håkan has extensive experience working with a complex stakeholder market, with experience building relationships and working in an environment where private-sector, political, central government and municipal parties work together. Who has not paid much attention to the heart being in love or has been carried away by the stomach before a cake of three chocolates? It is clear that we not only think with our heads. And it is time to start thinking with your lungs to take care of the air we breathe. How? Recycling cans, briks and plastic containers that we consume in the yellow container. That is thinking with the lungs! Imagine the entire manufacturing process of a container from scratch, taking into account the obtaining of raw materials. Now think about how that process is reduced if we use recycled materials. The difference is a great saving of water, energy and CO2 emissions that no longer go to the atmosphere. From the UNESCO Chair and the Cidaut Foundation studies have been carried out that quantify the environmental benefit linked to air quality that involves recycling light containers in the yellow container (cans, briks and plastic containers). And to make it even more tangible, some equivalences have been developed that bring it closer to our day to day life : Ecovidrio always want to facilitate the process of recycling to citizens. For this reason, during 2018, 6,873 new green containers were installed, increasing the figure by 3% to reach 225,019 igloos. ECOVIDRIO is very pleased to announce that the recycling of glass containers has grown by 9% in the past year, the largest increase of the last decde! What does this mean? That last year a total of 893,989 tons of waste from glass containers that have been converted into new containers were recycled. In results, the recycling rate of glass containers has grown by 3.5 points, reaching 76.5%, as we estimate for the year 2018. How much has been recycled per citizen? The selective collection through the green container reached in 2018 the 840.361 tons of waste of glass containers, which represents a growth of 6.5% over the previous year. Each citizen separated and deposited an average of 18 kilograms of glass, equivalent to about 68 containers per person. In which autonomous community is more recycled? In the position number 1 is Baleares with 30 kg / IPH (Human Pressure Index). In position 2, Euskadi is followed by 27.5 kg / inhabitant. The third place is taken by La Rioja with 27.5 kg / inhabitant. They are followed on the Navarra list with 25.9 kg / inhabitant and Catalonia with 21.4 kg / inhabitant Which are the provinces that recycle the most? The ranking of the provinces that recycle the most is headed by San Sebastián, with a ratio of 38.4 kg / inhabitant. It is followed by Pamplona with 29kg / hab. Barcelona is in third place with 22.7 kg / inhabitant, followed by Bilbao 22.6 kg / inhabitant and Palma de Mallorca with 22.5 kg / inhabitant. José Manuel Núñez-Lagos, General Manager of Ecovidrio, comments: "These record increases allow us to affirm that we are working on the key levers to place our country at the forefront of sustainable development and the great environmental challenges of our time. We can not stop. Although we are backed by more and more citizens and municipalities that demonstrate a solid commitment to recycling, there are still very pronounced inequalities between territories that we will only be able to overcome if policies are generalized that place the bet on the current recycling system in a priority place of the public agenda ". In addition to the selective collection through the green container, from Ecovidrio we have managed the recycling of 53,628 tons of glass packaging waste from 16 urban waste plants. What does this mean? The recovery of containers through RU plants allows to recycle the containers that the citizen throws to the garbage incorrectly, in order to avoid that they end up in the landfill and can become new containers. This is a pioneering project! The collection figure through urban waste plants represents an increase of 76% compared to 2017, although in terms of collection, it is only 6% of our total management in Ecovidrio. Did you know that, thanks to this, Spain is one of the best containerized countries in Europe? Currently there is an igloo for every 208 inhabitants. In addition, our commitment to hospitality continues to be a key part of these results, since this sector generates 50% of single-use glass containers that are sold. From Ecovidrio we have visited more than 37,300 establishments and delivered 24,900 cubes to raise awareness and facilitate the recycling of these containers in the hospitality sector. There are already more than 9,500 igloos adapted especially for this sector. Surely you will also hear the special plans that we set up each year on a seasonal basis, such as the campaign "Take note, recycle glass", to encourage the recycling of glass containers especially in summer. During 2018, we carried out 338 social mobilization campaigns, aimed at young people, children, hospitality professionals and citizens. In addition, many of the initiatives have been regional or local, supported by the municipalities of the different municipalities. You will also hear some awareness campaigns such as "Recycle Glass By Them" or "Recycle Glass and Pedal". And ... are you one of those who has a miniglub at home? The citizens are part of this chain and that this year we have the best results of the last decade! And is that about 76,500 households already have their miniglú to recycle glass containers. Have you seen the more than 20 original designs they have? On the other hand, from Ecovidrio we have also collaborated in causes beyond recycling, carrying out actions with the Red Cross, Save the Children, Aladina Foundation or the Vicente Ferrer Foundation. The k The project is also meant to function as a tool for our members, helping them set their environmental goals for 2025 (based on goals set by the EU, saying that 50% of all plastic will be recyclable within 2025, and 55% within 2030). The project will also contribute in opening the dialogue between our members, encouraging them to share experiences related to design for recycling. Green Dot Norway also has a responsibility to follow up those members who decide to take the Plastic Pledge, and help them along the way with arranged workshops where members (actively taking the pledge) will meet up and work in groups focusing on how they can develop their packaging, and making it even more recyclable while adding recycled plastic or reducing it. These groups will meet and work together for three days. Green Dot Norway will arrange the day, set the agenda and contribute with the knowledge we have. Green competitiveness seminar (Grønn Konkurransekraftdag) was arranged for the third time this year at Oslo Kongressenter. This is a cooperation between where Green Dot Norway, and arranges a full day containing subjects surrounding circular economy and innovation seen from an environmental perspective, while also offering their members the possibility of mingling. This year, almost 200 people participated. Norway’s Minister for Climate and Environment, Ola Elvestuen, opened the seminar, where both members from Returfellesskapet and leaders from influential Norwegian companies spoke about how they are working towards a circular economy. The title of some of the topics were among others: Anders Skoe, leader FINN.no – EVP Schibsted Media Group - “How to help people make smarter choices for themselves and the environment”. Both the Plastic Pledge and and Grønn Konkurransekraftdag are initiatives from Green Dot Norway and our partners, in our goal to contribute more support to our members. When we say contribute, it is because we are fully aware that a lot of our members already have more knowledge than us when it comes to design for recycling and other environmental topics related to both their packaging and their products. This is also why working together throughout a project like the Plastic Pledge, will contribute a lot more knowledge to everyone involved. We also focus on our members hard work by writing and sharing cases about them, involving design for recycling in our monthly members newsletter. More and more of our members are willing to share “behind the scenes”-information about how they develop their packaging, which makes it possible for us to share this knowledge with members who may still don’t know how to position themselves in questions regarding circular economy and design for recycling. These are some of our latest cases from our members: We hope the Plastic Pledge will help secure the quality of the knowledge related to design for recycling for both us, our partners and members. Ekopak at EYOF, the biggest international sports event held in Sarajevo after 14 Olympics Games & Ekopak and NGO Incubator Munja introduce the International program "Eco-schools" in schools of Bosnia and Herzegovina More than 900 athletes from 46 European countries took part. We are proud that our capital Sarajevo, together with East Sarajevo, was a host to the European Olympic festival for the young (EYOF). Ekopak was a part of this successful story. In corporation with public utility company RAD and EYOF, Ekopak placed containers for packaging waste disposal on the Olympic mountains Igman and Bjelasnica and inside of the halls Zetra and Skenderija. This was also a great chance for awareness raising of the new generations about importance of package waste recycling. The first info seminar on the international program "Eco-school" was organized by Ekopak and the NGO Incubator Munja. The Eco-School project was developed in 1994 by FEE - the Foundation for Environmental Education, which is headquartered in Copenhagen. Now is being implemented in more than 60 countries of the world and 50,000 educational institutions, and also started in Bosnia and Hercegovina. In the organization of the Munja Incubator and Ekopak, with support of Tetra Pak Company, the first info seminar on the international program "Eco-school" was held in Sarajevo, attended by representatives of primary schools, local authorities and municipal enterprises. The aim is to educate a new generation of young people who will be environmentally conscious, empowered and active in their communities. This project is of great importance for the development of the system of selective disposal and recycling of packaging waste, since internationally established standards encourage children of school age, teaching staff and local communities to establish and develop in schools awareness of the importance of waste recycling and environmental protection in general. This info seminar is the first in a row, since this is a long-term project and will continue in the coming years. Pakomak - Packaging and Packaging Management Company received the 2018 award for environmentally responsible practices, traditionally awarded annually by the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Macedonia. The award recognises the project called "Hocus Pokus, recycling is in focus", which "Pakomak", together with magician Christian Sopov, intended for children of preschool and school age. In this project, through a fun magical play and interesting tricks, children learned about the importance of selecting and maintaining a clean environment. Children were educated that the glass should be put into the green container, the paper - in blue, and the plastic and cans in the yellow container. The play was seen by more than 33,700 children in Skopje from 52 schools and another 17,000 children from 45 schools from 7 cities in Macedonia. The project was supported by Brewery Skopje and the Dutch Embassy in Macedonia, Pakomak's traditional partners when it comes to ecology. The project has proved remarkably successful and represents a positive experience for children, teachers and for Pakomak as an eco-company with a clear eco-vision. The company is especially proud that the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Macedonia has recognized and rewarded this project, because the project is a contribution to our children and their future. It is important for children to have highly developed ecological awareness in order to live in a cleaner environment in the future. “Imagine provoking laughter, joy, excitement in 50,700 children and learning about selection of waste, that's indeed wonderful. The feeling can not be described when you know that through educational fun you contribute to a better future for our planet. The incredible and mysterious nature of humor always awakens the interest of the audience. There is no one who does not want to smile and see something interesting, unimagineable. Being surrounded by so many sincere people who are immensely rejoicing with the illusion you are displaying is wonderful. Plus, when you know that you are transmitting an eco message, which should motivate children to select waste and thereby create a cleaner world, satisfaction is even greater" was the statement of magician Christian Sopov, who is also a great ecologist, illusionist and humanist. “Easy Conai” is a short and pocket-sized version of the Guide to membership and application of the CONAI environmental contribution, with the new contribution values and procedural changes for 2019, including the main requirements for producers and users of packaging. Also reported the main results and information regarding the consortium system. Download Easy CONAI: In April 10 city public transport stops in Sofia will have additional functionality. Special containers for separate collection of plastic waste are embedded in existing facilities and invite: "Give your plastic bottle the chance to live again." DEAR READER, After the adoption of the new Waste Legislation, in Europe, but not only, especially during the second half of this year, the key word was PLASTIC. Do we need plastic packaging? Should we not just ban the use of certain products? Why don’t we just drink from the tap or use glass bottles like in the past? How can we stop the marine litter? The European Institutions tried to give answers to these questions via the proposed Singe Use Plastic legislation. On 9 October, PROsPA (Producer Responsibility Organisations Packaging Alliance), EXPRA (Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance) and EPRO (European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisations) co-organised an expert talk on the “Eco-modulation of EPR fees as a tool towards a circular economy”. FEVE, FERVER, EXPRA and EuRIC are committed to increasing the quality and efficiency of the glass recycling value chain through separate collection, quality recycling and closed loop manufacturing of glass. To help achieve this, a single, harmonised, ambitious and enforceable calculation methodology for the reporting of glass recycling in all Member States is needed. On 5 December, EXPRA held its autumn General Assembly in Brussels, Belgium. During the meeting, EXPRA’s Managing Director Joachim Quoden summarised the organisation’s key achievements in 2018, noting that it has broadly fulfilled most of its objectives while EXPRA 2.0 is already in full swing. With regards to 2019, EXPRA will focus on continuing to provide expert knowledge and know how to EU policymakers regarding pending legislative proposals, assisting a smooth process of legal transposition of the Waste Directives, preparing for 2025-2030 target compliance and supporting national responses to the plastic strategy and the voluntary commitments, amongst other objectives. The dismissal of all 9 Board Members, and the subsequent appointment of the new Board, through to April 2021, were approved. Leaving the Board after having served 3 consecutive terms, Mr Bogdan Ureche, CEO of the Romanian member of EXPRA ECO ROM Ambalaje, has decided to focus even more on the national context that currently requires significant attention. Mr Todor Bourgoudjiev from EXPRA’s Bulgarian member ECOPACK was elected as a new Member of the Board. In addition to Bulgaria, Members of the Board now represent PROs from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Norway and Spain. EXPRA’s MD Joachim completes the Board. Upon the Board’s recommendation, the General Assembly elected Mr Cees de Mol van Otterloo, the Director General of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen, as President of EXPRA, effective immediately and until April 2021. De Mol van Otterloo takes over from Mr William Vermeir, the former CEO of EXPRA’s Belgian member Fost Plus and EXPRA’s founding President. EXPRA members were informed about the state of play in the transposition of the new Waste Legislation as well as the on-going developments with regards to the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive. With the transposition already kicking in, the discussion focused on the Commission’s upcoming Implementing Act (IA) on calculation, verification and reporting of data and a Delegated Act (DA) for establishing rules for average loss rates for sorted waste. It was agreed that EXPRA will continue to liaise with the Commission to ensure that the final legislation takes its concerns, and in particular the position on measuring at the entrance of the recycling plant, combined with relevant standards, into account. On SUP, Weber Shandwick explained the European Parliament and the Member States’ respective positions on key points of concern for members, namely the inclusion of litter clean-up cost obligations for producers and the bottle collection target. EXPRA’s support act for the industry’s voluntary commitments on plastics’ recycling was also presented. The documents is based on three key actions: boosting quality collection of all packaging waste materials, enabling quality recycling the uptake of quality secondary materials, including plastics, and enhancing (plastic) packaging innovation. Overall, members voiced their strong support for the approach, while stressing the need to place greater emphasis on PRO’s not-for-profit nature, the role of local authorities for both collection infrastructure and the availability and quality of recycled materials, and technological neutrality. An update on the two lighthouse projects under EXPRA 2.0 – transposition of EPR minimum requirements into national law and the Early Warning System (EWS) – was provided. With regards to EPR minimum requirements, for 2019 EXPRA will prepare transposition proposals and recommendations for PROs, national authorities as well as the Commission, continue discussing with the obliged industry, assist PROs, map specific challenges and closely follow the transposition process at EU and national level. On EWS, EXPRA will liaise with PROs on initial country-level findings, assess their respective targets, clustering them according to performance, and develop an Action Plan for each respective PROs groups. Amongst other topics discussed, Francis Huisman from VALIPAC and EPRO informed members of the outcomes and key learning of the study trip to Asia while Michael Minch Dixon introduced the CEFLEX project, its vision, goals and deliverables. In the following discussion, key developments in each country were discussed, with several members highlighting the difficult situation they currently face at national level regarding legislative changes, as well as the challenges stemming from developments at EU level. On 19 December at 6.30 am a provisional political agreement on the SUP Directive was reached. It took 12,5 hours to get there and, against the odds, both the Austrian Presidency and Parliament managed to pull off the draft deal. The agreement will still have to be confirmed by the national ambassadors, and then adopted in Plenary in the European Parliament. The missions followed the EC early warning report for 14 Member States identified as being at risk of missing the 2020 preparation for re-use/recycling target of 50% on municipal waste. These include: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. EXPRA has been invited again to be part of the EU delegation for another Circular Economy Mission, this time to India following missions to Chile, Colombia, China and South Africa. The Circular Economy Missions are a series of high-level political and business meetings in third countries to communicate and promote sustainable and resource-efficient policies. The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA), togather with the other members of the CEFLEX consortium: companies, associations and organisations collaborating to enhance the performance of flexible packaging in the circular economy in Europe, endorses the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) Global Commitment for a New Plastics Economy. This support is based on the EMF vision of a circular economy for plastic packaging being fully aligned with the CEFLEX vision. In 2012, for the first time in its history, CONAI has decided to undertake a structured reporting process for its stakeholders, institutions and citizens to describe clearly and transparently the results achieved, progress, prospects growth for the industry. This is why the first Sustainability Report 2013 was prepared, which is the first Green Economy Report in Italy and the first report to incorporate the new international standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI-G4). An update to the 2014 Report was published in 2015. The CONAI Report applies the latest international Global Reporting Initiative (GRI-G4): Six stakeholders identified six key indicators to define Conai’s environmental, social and economic performance. You can find the full report here: Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd launched its second consumer campaign in the beginning of October in Finland. The campaign consists of several videos for social media and tv as well as radio spots. ‘1M2 FOR BEACHES AND SEAS’ (SPAIN), LIBERA´S ANNUAL CITIZEN SCIENCE CLEAN UP LITTER EVENT IN MARINE AREAS, EXPECTS HIGHER GROWTH IN 2018 The Libera project, a creation of Spain’s flagship environmental NGO, SEO/Birdlife, in alliance with Ecoembes, will mobilize this year thousands of volunteers, from September 28 to October 7, in almost 90 seashore points across Spanish coast. In this specific clean up event, along with its other environments, we head to the beaches, to the seas and to the shallow seabeds to contribute to citizen science through assessing litter with MARNOBA app and then trying to reduce the litter and waste there to zero. This massive mobilization reached 70 seashore points and 31 tons of litter last year, involving all kinds of waste including furniture, home appliances, car tires and thousands of cigarette butts. ‘1m2 for beaches and seas’ belongs to the ‘knowledge’ area of LIBERA, one of the three key parts of Libera, along with the prevention and the participation, where Libera tries to become part of the solution to the problem of littering. Because even if it´s not our litter, It is our problem. You can read more information about this initiative The Hellenic Recovery Recycling Corporation (HERRCO) completing its 15 years of works and operating under an environmental sense of responsibility, continues its informative events for the public’s awareness for packaging recycling, mainly with following actions: In November, Afvalfonds Verpakkingen released the first edition of the magazine Circulair Verpakken (Circular Packaging). The magazine informs the stakeholders about the good results and the many efforts and initiatives from producers in sustainable packaging, the prevention of litter and the improvements in recycling and collection. You can find the magazine in digital form on Recycling cooperative GreenPak has announced plans to roll out bins equipped with smart technology that, it hopes, will make overflowing sites a thing of the past.iBiNs have the capability to monitor waste levels and feed information back to a central system which will enable GreenPak’s recycling service to prioritise and customise collection routes in all of the 41 localities it currently serves. Speaking during the sixth edition of the annual Local Council Awards, GreenPak CEO Mario Schembri said that by the end of the year the cooperative would have invested more than €500,000 to introduce 800 bins around Malta and Gozo with the smart iBiN. “This is an exciting time for GreenPak as our initiative is one of the first public service IoT (Internet of Things) projects on this scale in Malta that will take our waste management to another level. This is the way forward for a greener environment,” Mr Schembri said. The project, which will be rolled out later this year, is being supported through the Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Initiative, and part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under Operational Programme I 2014-2020 ‘Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges’. The iBins will avoid unsightly overflowing and enable GreenPak to save costs through optimised routes for its truck drivers. The bins are also equipped with temperature sensors that will immediately alert head office if the waste inside the bin has caught fire, a possible occurrence in the summer months. The winners of this year’s local council awards held by GreenPak to recognise the local councils that have made a significant contribution to the recycling effort are: the Attard Council who won Best Overall Performance Award; the Safi Council for the Battery Collection (BATREE) Award; the Most Glass Collected went to Xewkija; Most Responsive Community Award to Ta’ Xbiex; Most Proactive Award to Kirkop; and Most Supportive Locality Award to Qrendi. The award ceremony was attended by Environment Minister Jose Herrera and Local Government Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Parnis. he Minister of Environment and Waters, Neno Dimov, the Sofia Mayor, Yordanka Fandakova, the CEO of ECOPACK Bulgaria Todor Burgoudjiev and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ecopack Bulgaria and Coca-Cola CEO Jurg Burghalt joined the official opening, attended as well by many producers, partners and supporters of the green mission of Ecopack Bulgaria. Media employees working for the Fox Group Networks carried out an environmental cleaning in collaboration with Kartal Municipality and ÇEVKO Foundation on 27th September at the Aydos Woods. Within the #21CFImpactWeek activities of Fox carried out simultaneously throughout the world, Fox TV employees were trained by ÇEVKO for a whole week on recycling. Following the trainings, nearly 100 Fox TV employees participated in the Aydos Woods cleaning, and over a ton of packaging waste was collected to be sent to recycling. The environmental benefits of the recycled packaging waste are as follows; . With the recycling of 140 kg of paper, cardboard and composite packaging waste, 2 trees were saved from being cut down. .With the recycling of 350 kg of plastic waste, approximately 263 litres of petrol was saved, which is an amount enough to fill the tanks of 6 vehicles. . With the recycled paper-cardboard/composite packaging waste, 4m3 of water was saved. . With the recycled packaging waste, 3,740 kW.hr electricity was saved. This is more than the annual consumption of a family of four. . With the recycling of packaging waste instead of burying them in landfills, 6m3 of storage space was saved. On October 25, Valipac celebrated its 20th anniversary. On this occasion, the management organization of industrial packaging has unveiled its new mission statement, ambitions and values for the coming years. The Limassol Environment and Recycling Festival, which took place on Saturday 6 October in Molos, Limassol, by Green Dot Cyprus in cooperation with the Municipalities of Larissa, was a great success. Once again, the Festival was embraced both by the world of Limassol and by foreign visitors, who had the opportunity to learn more about recycling and to become aware of the environment. The festival hosted more than forty informative and entertainment booths, which included, among other things, educational toys for recycling, food stalls, as well as kiosks where visitors could prepare and taste Cypriot traditional products as part of the promotion of "ZEN" . The festival was accompanied by a rich artistic program with the participation of dance and music bands, and a three-hour live link from Radio First. At the same time, the first companies that participated in the Green Academy of Green Dot Cyprus were awarded. The companies were awarded the title "Green Company" by Environment Commissioner Mr. Ioanna Panagiotou. Green Dot Cyprus would like to thank all the participants, the co-organizers as well as the sponsors who contributed to the successful conduct of the Festival, and renews its meeting with the Limassol world for the following year. DEAR READER, I hope that you had a relaxing and interesting summer! Still for many of us it was quite busy time - the topic which kept the European Parliament, the National Ministries but also EXPRA and other stakeholders busy during this summer was, as expected, the proposed by the EC Directive to reduce the impact of certain plastic products in the environment. By the beginning of September over 700 amendments to the EP report on SUP were filed by MEPs and will now be considered during the negotiations around the so-called ‘compromise amendments’ between the political groups. The latter will be the final amendments submitted to the Committee vote on 10-11 October. In addition, the European Parliament adopted in Plenary MEP Mark Demesmaeker’s (ECR, BE) Resolution on the EU Plastic Strategy. The resolution is not binding but set a precedent for Parliament’s future work on these issues. The Council is also actively working in parallel on the draft legislation. EXPRA is actively expressing its position and concerns regarding this legislative proposal, which are in line with the views of the packaging value chain expressed in the Cross-industry statement on the Single Use Plastics legislative proposal (SUP), co-signed by 68 European and national industry associations. So plastics is everywhere in the discussions. Do we need plastic packaging? Should we not just ban the use of certain products? Why don’t we just drink from the tap or use glass bottles like in the past? How can we stop the marine but also land litter? We should understand that these questions should not only be discussed in Europe but beyond, as for example in India where I could see presonally the situation during my trip as member of the EU delegation of Commissioner Vella. Here, we could see and feel where the plastics in the ocean is really coming from. So strong and joint efforts and cooperation are crucial if we really want to make a change in the fight with land and marine litter! Enjoy your reading! The aim of this Circular Economy Workshop, organized by the TAIEX Office and the Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission, was to provide updates on the developments of the circular economy in the EU and in the enlargement countries. EXPRA has been invited again to be part of the EU delegation for another Circular Economy Mission, this time to India following missions to Chile, Colombia, China and South Africa. The Circular Economy Missions are a series of high-level political and business meetings in third countries to communicate and promote sustainable and resource-efficient policies. On 13 September, the European Parliament adopted in Plenary MEP Mark Demesmaeker’s (ECR, BE) Resolution on the EU Plastic Strategy. All but one have endorsed the principles and related amendments. This impressive outcome (in full summer recess) demonstrates continued will and efforts to position the PCF members jointly on the bigger picture and defend core policy principles that are being challenged by SUP. It is still possible to send further co-signatures as EUROPEN will further update the statement. Updated EU environmental specifications have come into force for new large waste treatment installations, the European Commission announced. These days Groent Punkt Norge is launching "Plastloeftet" (translated The Plastic Promise/Pledge). This is a promise/pledge extended from the EU pledge aiming to contribute to a more circular plastic economy. Plastloeftet will help Norwegian companies reach EU's new targets for 2025/2030. In addition, we will meet upcoming SUP regulations. Having listened to the opinion of the Ricrea, Cial, Comieco, Corepla, Rilegno and Coreve Consortia for Packaging Materials, the CONAI Board of Directors approved the restructuring of the Environmental Contribution for steel, aluminium, paper, plastic, wood and glass packaging. This is to ensure the economic resources required in order to achieve the recycling/recovery targets for packaging waste throughout Italy. Pakomak announced a competition for the selection of the most environmentally friendly mayor and municipality for 2018. The selection will be made in January 2019, and all municipalities in the country, urban and rural, have the right to participate. Over 21,000 plastic bottles and 2,000 caps were collected through an initiative by recycling cooperative GreenPak and environmental NGO Zibel at the Farsons Beer Festival. Football is a big thing in Spain, Real Madrid, Barça… Hold on, football is a big thing all over the world! Although the football league is massively followed by men and women, major fans are still men. The ECOPACK Bulgaria campaign - "Feed me separately!"is aiming at the youngest. The campaign includes an educational puppet show on wheels that tours the country with the program developed by ECOPACK and Theater of Tales - Sofia. A fabulous story about three animals who eat paper, plastic and glass, who have recently moved to live in the park. The story of the strange creatures presents the separate collection of packaging waste as a fun game. It is aimed at the youngest - children in kindergartens and pupils from the first to fourth grades. Through the fairy tale and game we explain how to protect nature and create positive attitude and habits in the separate collection of packaging waste at home. At the Tekirdağ Music Festival on 3-4-5 August in Erikli, ÇEVKO Foundation and Keşan Municipality collaborated to create and increase environmental awareness, and to inform the public on the topic. The festival attracted attention with participants from all over the world, with various fun and meaningful events, performers and music groups, and with its environmentalist approach while ÇEVKİ was the focus of the attendees. Hosting over 100,000 participants, the festival will be held next year, too. As ÇEVKO Foundation, together with the municipalities we are cooperating with, we will support such events and inform many more consumers on recycling DEAR READER, We look again at a quite busy summer – the legislative proposals on waste were finally adopted, respectively published in the EU Official Journal, but now the actual work of their transposition and relevant implementation will start. EXPRA is already working to support and prepare its members for the new challenges abut also opportunities. When EPR was introduced nearly 30 years ago, practically all of the products under EPR were sold by retail stores with a small part of specialised catalogue distance sellers existing. Already in these days in the 1990s, this sector had a lower compliance than other sectors with local retailers. With the success of internet trade which enables the (private and commercial) consumer to buy directly at a seller without visiting a stationary trade, more and more goods under EPR are sold via this distribution channel, often with a seller outside the jurisdiction where the user has its seat, or even outside the European Union. This has been boosted by the success of trading platforms like eBay, Amazon, etc. which makes it extremely easy for a consumer to find his seller of preference. The OECD has seen a growth in business in internet trade from 2014 to 2017 by over 60% in 8 major EU economies (150 to 230 billion €). We in EXPRA strongly believe that EPR organizations should support an environmentally and economically sustainable recycling society, which benefits the inhabitants of the country. For that purpose the communication with consumers is a key prerequisite for a successful EPR organization - irrespective of the type of system chosen, selective collection cannot perform up to standard without the consumers‘ understanding and involvement. Our members, industry-owned, not for profit PROs, for over 20 years engage in raising awareness about sorting and recycling and generally promoting environmentally friendly behavior among the inhabitants, as well, as providing support for educational programmes. The best examples of these efforts are available already on EXPRA homepage. You can see them The annual Workshop for Communication Directors and Managers from EXPRA members in May this year focused especially on anti-littering campaigns. This year representatives of EEQ Canada, Ecoembes Spain, Valorlux Luxemburg, GD Cyprus, TAMIR Israel, CEVKO Turkey, Fost Plus Belgium and EXPRA participated in the Workshop. On 14 June the waste Directives were published in the Official Journal of the EU. Please note that their transposition within 2 years has not started. You can find the Directives on the links below: • (Directive (EU) 2018/851) • (Directive (EU) 2018/852) • (Directive (EU) 2018/850) • (Directive 2018/849) On 28 May 2018, as part of the EU Plastics Strategy, the European Commission proposed a Directive to reduce the impact of certain plastic products in the environment. It puts forward some radical reduction measures. Summary of Council conclusions On the European Plastics Strategy, the Council conclusions: • Call on the Commission to present as soon as possible an integrated product policy framework, broadening the principle of eco-design to all product groups with appropriate product regulation; • Call on the Commission to accelerate the development of quality standards for sorted plastics waste and recycled plastics; • See the improvement of the sorting and the decontamination of waste as a prerequisite for increasing the recycling of plastic and plastics products à Support the Commission in developing guidance to facilitate more standardized and effective practices in separate collection and waste sorting; • Stress the role of EPR schemes, primary sorting systems for different waste streams and deposit systems to boost high-quality separate collection and engage producers over the whole product life cycle; • Strongly encourage the Commission to enhance EU instruments for rewarding eco-innovation in product design and innovation in reusing, sorting and recycling; • Call on the Commission to work on harmonized definitions and rules for labelling plastic and plastic products; • Highlight the importance of implementing the most recent targets and requirements for packaging waste while noting the importance of stimulating the demand for recycled materials à Recognize the need for objective verification and quantification of recycled content; • Welcome and commit to a rapid examination of the SUP proposal; • Call on the Commission to strengthen the link between public procurement requirements and the use, reuse and recycling of plastics products and recycled content of plastics products, and on the Member States to step up action in support of green public procurement; • Call on the Commission to assess and, where appropriate, provide additional support towards the development of innovative recycling technologies and capacities in the EU; On the interface between chemical, product and waste legislation, the Council conclusions: • Call on the Commission and Member States, together with ECHA, to define substances of concern to be minimized or eliminated in products and waste; • Encourage the Commission’s actions to develop a methodology addressing the management of waste containing substances of concern and also in consultation with Member States to identify waste types that typically contain legacy chemicals and that could successfully be recycled in a restricted set of specific applications that are safe for health and the environment; • Favour the establishment of guidelines to promote best practices and harmonized rules to allow a clear distinction between waste and product status avoiding duplication of burdens for the operators to comply with two sets of rules; On monitoring and follow-up, the Council conclusions: • Request the Commission to provide the Council with an annual written report on the progress made on the implementation of the Action Plan for the Circular Economy. In addition, speaking at the Council meeting, EU Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella said that the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) proposal will be treated as a matter of priority by both the Council and the European Parliament, with the aim of getting a first reading agreement by next Spring. As announced in Annex III to the 'Plastics Strategy', an EU-wide pledging campaign for the uptake of recycled plastics is taking place. As part of this campaign, the European Commission calls on stakeholders to come forward with voluntary pledges to boost the uptake of recycled plastics. Recycling cooperative GreenPak has announced plans to roll out bins equipped with smart technology that, it hopes, will make overflowing sites a thing of the past. The project “Riciclo di Classe” promoted by CONAI and in partnership with Corriere della Sera, focused on environmental education in primary schools to promote the importance of separate collection and recycling of packaging waste. said , President of CONAI. he added. said , Responsible for relationships with Schools from Corriere della Sara. “ The initiative had the objective to promote education in schools on the importance of a correct separate collection of packaging waste and recycling as an as well as to uphold values such as responsible citizenship via games and workshops in elementary schools. A jury, composed by representatives from CONAI, Corriere della Sera and an elementary School teacher, chose six of the most successful projects that best embodied the values and objectives of the initiative. You can read the full information Şişli Municipality and ÇEVKO are in a ‘Fun’ collaboration to instill the habit of separating waste at its source for recycling. The recycling bins in 24 different locations in Nişantaşı have been ‘dressed up’ by artist Serkan Altuniğne’s custom made recycling-themed caricatures that make one smile and think at the same time. The caricatures convey the message ‘Waste is Recycled, Şişli is Beautified’ and also aim to attract more attention to the recycling bins which have an important mission in terms of environmental sustainability. These pleasant recycling bins were put up on 5th June 2018, World Environment Day. Caricature artist Altuniğne, who lives and pursues his career in Germany, says that recycling has become a part of the established culture in that country, and continues, “They try to teach you how to recycle in the integration courses while teaching the German language. Also in schools there are lessons on this subject, and you learn while still a child that recycling and waste separation is as natural as breathing, and the consequences will be dire if it is not done. The best part of the collaboration with ÇEVKO is that I will be able to convey to the people in a fun way the consciousness I have acquired on this important matter.” On the subject, Mete İmer said, “We believe that the step we have taken in the collaboration with the Şişli Münicipality will render good results.” Talher was awarded the contract for the environmental education programme that Ecoembes, the packaging waste management company, runs in primary and secondary schools. Groent Punkt Norge has for several years had great success by using humour as an important feature in their advertising. In 2018 the company has recorded eight new commercials. Four of them was aired during the winter. The Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ), the Québec Business Council on the Environment (CPEQ) and Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) are proud to be releasing the first study on the potentials and perspectives of circular economy in Québec. In the context in which, like other jurisdictions around the world, the different levels of government are beginning to take an interest in circular economy, it is important that a substantive debate be conducted on the topic, to the benefit of businesses. HERRCO in cooperation with the ECOLOGICAL RECYCLING COMPANY and funding from the COCA-COLA FOUNDATION are starting a program regarding integrated actions having as their goal to achieve Zero Waste at the seasides so that we can contribute towards cleaner beaches as well as the oceans. The duration of the program will be from July until the end of October 2018 and it will take place at 5 specific beaches in Greece: at the Municipalities of Thessaloniki, Thermaiko, Naxos, Chania and Marathon. The program will cover: • The organization and operation for 12 weeks of an original and effective network for collection and recycling of waste at 5 beaches with the supplying and placement of a sufficient number of tripod – stands with a bag, aiming at the recycling of plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass bottles and paper packaging. • A communication with the local municipalities and all venues (restaurants, stores and hotels) at the beaches for their participation in the program and their cooperation with the simultaneous training of the municipalities’ staff and the personnel at the venues. • A complete and systematic communication campaign for those people who enjoy the beaches for the 3 summer months of 2018 (swimmers, visitors to the beaches, local camping grounds, houses which are near the beaches). • A systematic monitoring and recording program of the operation and the achievement of the program’s goal with the compilation of a final report. The Executive Director of ECOPACK Bulgaria, Todor Bourgoudjiev, took part in a national meeting of the partners to the bTV Media Group campaign “Let’s Clean Up Bulgaria Together”. During the event, the organization received two awards – for active support to the campaign volunteers, and as a longstanding partner to the initiative. Dear Reader, I do sincerely hope that you had some time to enjoy the Easter holidays, despite the busy period and the ongoing debates and discussions around the CEP, EU Plastics strategy and expected possible new legislation. It looks again that we will have a very busy spring and summer - the CEP is already approved by the Council, while the European Commission is reported to be working on drastic measures against certain waste items, including a Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive proposal as well as suggesting a tax on all plastic packaging that is not recycled. We are expecting the legislative proposal with mixed thoughts - while our members fully support European Union (EU) efforts towards preventing and reducing marine litter, we believe that some of the proposed measures are neither consistent with the recently-reviewed EU Waste Directives nor justified on grounds of proportionality. We strongly believe that the recently-reviewed Waste Framework and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directives provide an excellent framework for EPR schemes’ operations moving forward which we are confident will effect positive change across Member States. We also strongly believe that any new legislation should be consistent with the CEP as well as feasible and realistic and are actively working with all major stakeholders in Brussels to secure this. Of course in this process we are relying on networking and joining forces with like minded associations in order to provide for a sound and realistic legal framework which will contribute in practice for a genuine Circular economy and best performing EPR systems. Enjoy your reading! EXPRA held its festive spring General Assembly meeting on 13 April in Sofia, Bulgaria, where also the 5 Anniversary of our organization was celebrated. The meeting was organized outside Brussels due to the related event with the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The kind hospitality of EXPRA Bulgarian member – ECOPACK Bulgaria was appreciated by all participants - 22 of 26 members of EXPRA came to Sofia to discuss the current topics. Joachim Quoden gave a short report on the achievements of EXPRA as well as the outlook on 2018, including EXPRA Evaluation 2017 and objectives for 2018. The members were informed about the new Waste Legislation, to be shortly rubber-stamped, as well as the recent developments related the EU Plastics Strategy - the EP opinion (ongoing) and the expected in May single use plastic legislation. In the open part of the meeting the waste management in Bulgaria: currents status and challenges were presented from the point of view of a legislator, obliged company and PRO. The contribution of industry in Circular economy was presented by Svetoslav Atanasov, Chairman of BD Ecopack and General Manager Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria. He presented the activities of the Company on improving environmental performances, including eco design (plant bottle) and optimiziation of packaging: Decreasing weight of primary packaging, consumption of secondary packaging and optimization of pallet configuration In her presentation, Ms Ivelina Vasileva, Chairperson of the Environment and Water Committee of the Bulgarian Parliament and former Minister of Environment and Waters provided overview of the situation in waste management in Bulgaria with a focus on packaging waste: the existing legislation defining the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders and expected changes resulting from the CEP. Todor Bourgoudjiev, CEO of ECOPACK Bulgaria, presented the functioning of EPR for packaging waste with focus on ECOPACK operation and results, as well, as the challenge ahead. These include insufficient PET recycling facilities, the China’s impact on the EU’s recycling industry and Bulgaria in particularly. He presented also how ECOPACK plans to overcome the challenges by: increasing container’s density and the servicing frequency, Investing in new sorting lines and recycling facility for PET production and development of new projects – retail outlets and HoReCa. In the plans of the Organization is also to cover all contaminated polyethylene's and plastics that are difficult to recycle and have no capacity in Bulgaria - PP buckets of milk, polystyrene (Styrofoam) and polycarbonate (HOD). In the following discussion hot topics in different countries including deposit were outlined – both the representatives of the Parliament and the industry underlined that if the EPR system is performing well, there is no need to disrupt it and at the end to increase the costs/end price for the consumer. Ms Amanda Fuso Nerini, CONAI, Chair of EXPRA sustainability and Packaging WG presented the Expra’s principles standpoint on “harmonized” fee modulation. This is an ongoing project, aiming at meeting the new requirements, stated in the WFD, Article 8.a, point 4 (b). EXPRA General Assembly meeting in Sofia was, on this occasion, accompanied by an external event entitled “The Extended Producer Responsibility’s contribution to Circular Economy Implementation”. The latter took place in the National Archaeological Museum and was organised alongside the Bulgarian Presidency as part of the official agenda of the EU’s Informal Environmental Attachés meeting. National representatives from Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Cyprus, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Slovenia, France, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Latvia, Portugal, Czech Republic, UK and Malta were present at the event. Others included members of the European Commission and the Council of the EU. The Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Environment and Water, Ms Atanaska Nikolova, also joined us during the networking part to greet our members and support our role in the circular economy. The event kick-started with introductory words from Mr Kalin Iliev, Head of Environment Unit in the Bulgarian Permanent Representation and our President William Vermeir, followed by a presentation delivered by Cees de Mol Van Otterloo, Director of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen and member of EXPRA’s Board. Key messages conveyed during the presentation included EPR schemes’ commitment to the implementation of the waste legislation, underlining opportunities and challenges facing the Member States and how EXPRA’s members are gearing up to respond to them. The new recycling targets and the EU’s plastics’ ambition were at the heart of the discourse. EXPRA also launched a call for an industry-policy partnership that would help bring the Circular Economy to life. The ensuing exchange of views with the attachés was moderated by EXPRA’s Managing Director, Joachim Quoden. The event concluded with bilateral conversations between our members and their representatives over Bulgarian wine-tasting. The gathering was a unique opportunity to showcase EXPRA’s leadership in EPR expertise and best practice in packaging waste management. It also helped echo EXPRA’s key messages regarding the Circular Economy to both EU and national officials. Our 5 Anniversary thereby found its way into a forum that offered an innovative format for debate. Several EXPRA members took the chance to fix formal meetings and exchange views on national issues at a later stage. We are also already being contacted to provide an informed opinion of the transposition process by the some of the national officers that attended our event. In a nutshell, the draft EP report on the Plastics Strategy authored by MEP Mark Demesmaeker (BE) highlights the following elements of relevance to EPR: 1. The Rapporteur stresses that there are various pathways to achieving high collection and recycling rates and a reduction in litter, including deposit-refund schemes or extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes; underlines that the choice of a certain scheme remains within the remit of the competent authority in the Member State, which can take local specificities into account and ensure that any existing well-performing and cost-efficient systems are not jeopardised; 2. The Rapporteur does not support the idea of an EU plastic tax. He is also eager to stress that fiscal policy remains a Member State competence, and therefore opposes the introduction of an EU-wide plastics tax as a potential own resource stream for the EU. 3. On quality standards, he refers to EuCertPlast but also calls on an independent third party certificate, suggesting the QA-CER certification scheme, developed by the Belgian Quality Association, as a model to follow. There is currently a mismatch between the quality of recycled plastics and the quality required for the functionality of a certain product. This is due to a lack of trust, verification and transparency. Developing recycling grades which match the functionality of various products and verification are key in this regard. A European audit scheme is already available for use, EuCertPlast. However, the rapporteur believes that an independent third party certificate, could equally offer an important step forward. The QA-CER certification scheme developed by the Belgian Quality Association could provide a model for Europe to follow. 4. He also mentions EPR as a tool to leverage for assisting companies in up-taking recycled content. The rapporteur welcomes the various positive public commitments by leading industry players on recycled content, but considers it key that these public commitments are turned into concrete pledges. However, this voluntary approach alone may not be sufficient: the rapporteur therefore believes that mandatory rules for recycled content for specific products may be needed. EPR and VAT modulations could support this. You can read the draft report . The adoption of report in ENVI is expected in the period 9-10 July European Commission - Press release EU budget: Commission proposes a modern budget for a Union that protects, empowers and defends You can read the full PR The first CEFLEX stakeholder webinar was organized on 20 April. The purpose of the webinars (the next one is planned for 22 May) is to present and discuss information on different topics relating to flexible packaging in the circular economy, to help increase awareness and understanding among the different parts of the value chain. The interested in participating stakeholders were over 100. The webinar was focused on 'Current status of collection and sorting of post-consumer flexible packaging in Europe' and covered the following topics: Introduction to EPR, how collection and sorting is implemented in different European countries and how a sorting facility works. As EXPRA joined the project form the very beginning, and was actively supporting the organization of the Webinar, we had the chance to impact/suggest the contents as well as to involve EXPRA members as speakers. Monika Romenska, EXPRA Regulatory and PA Manager introduced the topic of EPR. Special thanks to Luca Stramare, COREPLA and Paul Christiaens, Packaging Waste Fund, Netherlands, Chair of EXPRA Data and Reporting WG, who delivered very interesting to the audience presentations regarding the functioning of the EPR systems in their countries with focus on flexible packaging collection and processing. Among the other presenters were also CITEO and DSD. The Webinar was evaluated as very successful and possibly more time for Q& A will be scheduled for the next one, to take place on 22 May. “Books for Trash” is back with a new edition on April 22nd 2018 and for the first time, the environmental campaign that promotes reading is to be held simultaneously in five cities. This year the initiative is to visit Sofia, Plovdiv, Bourgas, Veliko Turnovo, and Stara Zagora on the emblematic Earth Day. One of the most popular and wide-reaching Bulgarian initiatives, organized by Credo Bonum Foundation and Smart Books publishing house, will bring together the residents of five cities in a race to collect and recycle the most plastics. As usual, the campaign is to kick off at 10am, and the locations are the same as in previous years – the Soviet Army Monument in Sofia, in front of the Municipality building in Plovdiv, the Pantheon in Bourgas, Mall Veliko Turnovo in the old capital city, and Mall Galleria in Stara Zagora. More than 11.5 tonnes of plastic waste were submitted for recycling under the Books for Trash campaign. This year, the eco initiative, organized by the Credo Bonum Foundation and Smart Books, was held simultaneously in 5 cities, providing for participants a book of choice for a 1 kilo of plastic packaging. According to the principles for calculating the results according to the number of population, Plovdiv residents gathered 3.1 tons, which ranked the city as the winner of the race. Besides the title of "The City with the Smallest Plastic Waste", Plovdiv will host "Books for Trash" once again in the autumn of this year. In the other cities - in Sofia a total of 5,200 tons were colected, in Veliko Tarnovo - 2,100 tons, in Burgas 2 tons, and in Stara Zagora - 1,200 t. plastics packaging, which was transported by the trucks of Ecopack Bulgaria for recycling. Partners to the initiative include Bulgarian American Credit Bank, the Europrean Commission in Bularia, ECOPACK Bulgaria and the municipalities of Bourgas, Veliko Turnovo, and Plovdiv, Mall Galleria Stara Zagora and Mall Veliko Turnovo, and the media partner is the BNT program Green Light. RECOVERY ACTIVITIES OF THE ÇEVKO FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTED TRY 2.6 BILLION TO THE ECONOMY IN 2017 The first authorized organization for the recovery of packaging waste in Turkey, the ÇEVKO Foundation continues to contribute to environmental sustainability and the economy. Acting as a leader for 27 years on the way to a sustainable recovery system and helping the industry fulfill its obligations, the ÇEVKO Foundation once again created significant value in 2017 for environmental sustainability. The recovery activities of the Foundation contributed TRY 2.6 billion to the country’s economy. The first organization authorized by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization of the Republic of Turkey for the recovery of packaging waste, the ÇEVKO Environmental Protection and Packaging Waste Recovery Foundation has been increasingly active for 27 years in its recovery efforts. Activities carried out by the ÇEVKO Foundation with a view to develop the sustainable recycling system it leads and to improve separate collection at the source created significant value for a sustainable environment in 2017 as well. Besides, the positive contribution of recovery efforts to the country’s economy was TRY 2.6 billion. Noting that as the authorized organization they were fulfilling the recovery obligations of more than 1,800 packaging users that place packaged products on the market, the Secretary General of the ÇEVKO Foundation Mete İmer said, “We build partnerships with local governments and licensed companies in order to collect packaging waste at the source on behalf of the producers and economic enterprises we represent. In addition to that, we organize communication, awareness-raising and education activities.” Stating that it was technically and economically possible to recover all packaging waste made of glass, metal, plastic, paper-cardboard, composites and wood many times, Mete İmer added, “We have been active for 27 years in the development of the recycling system we lead. We cooperate with 162 municipalities in 30 provinces with a total population of 26 million. We undertake the recovery obligations of packaging users that have partnered with ÇEVKO. The recovery activities we carried out on behalf of the industry in cooperation with municipalities and licensed packaging waste collection, sorting and recycling companies resulted in savings of fossil fuels, water and energy. Less natural resources and energy were consumed. These recovery efforts made a positive contribution of TRY 2.6 billion to the country’s economy.” Mete İmer, the CEO of CEVKO summarized the economic and environmental benefits achieved with the documented recycling of packaging waste in 2017 as follows: The meeting of the CONAI Consortium, which was held on 4 May 2018, approved the CONAI Management Report and the Balance Sheet for the year 2017. According to preliminary data, more than 10 million packaging waste was recovered in 2017, amounting to 77.7% of the total packaging put on the Italian market. The result confirms and exceeds, as already happened in the past, the objective set by European and national legislation. 8.7 million tons of used packaging were recycled, thus achieving 67.1% of packaging put on the market. Waste packaging of urban origin sent for recycling increased by 5.3% compared to the previous year. Download the document (Italian version): A symbol of sustainability, recycling and circular economy On the 17th of May 2018 the glass bin will be 40 years old. As part of the anniversary edition of the Glas in 't Bakkie campaign, Studio Lernert & Sander, in collaboration with creative agency Arttenders, designed five jubilee cakes in the form of five recognizable glass bins. In a large national campaign, the bottle bank gets the status it deserves: a Dutch icon. lass collection now seems so logical, but it has not always been. On 17 May it is exactly 40 years ago that the first municipal glass container was placed in 's-Hertogenbosch. A milestone, because thanks to the glass container, separate glass collection has become an everyday ritual. Together (citizens, municipalities, waste services and companies) we have been achieving excellent results in glass collection and recycling in the Netherlands for years. The national campaign calls for this to be celebrated ('busy') and also introduces the verb “glass binning” in the sense of 'going to the bottle bank'. Because such a beautiful and familiar act, deserves its own verb. Ideal circular product Packaging glass is an ideal circular product. Every time a bottle or jar in the glass container disappears, the glass is recycled without loss of quality. In principle, every jar or bottle can be placed on the table as a different product within a week. The current recycling percentage of glass in the Netherlands is very high. Approximately 84% of the packaging glass is in the circular loop. The target is even higher: 90%. By emphasizing what we have already achieved, Glas in 't Bakkie will give a positive boost to glass collection and recycling in the Netherlands in 2018. About Glas in 't Bakkie Glas in 't Bakkie is a Dutch campaign to stimulate glass collection and glass recycling in the Netherlands. Glas in 't Bakkie is part of the Action Plan on Glass, an initiative of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen. Green Dot Cyprus, the Collective Scheme for the management of Packaging and Waste in Cyprus is pleased to announce that following overall collaboration the 2017 targets for the recycling of packaging have been attained! The year saw the recycling of 56,200 tonnes of packaging, meaning that the target set by the legislation (41,600 tonnes) was more than covered; in fact, it was covered to a degree of 135%, even though the recycling target was raised by 5% in 2017. This success is deemed even more important when taking into consideration that there is no institutional framework for the obligatory participation of citizens in recycling. When compared to 2016, 2017 saw an increase of approximately 5% in the collection of PMD, Paper and Glass materials. In total, 63,931 tonnes of materials were collected (60,871 tonnes in 2016), from residencies and business premises. By the end of 2017, the programme for the collection of recyclable packaging served about 82% of the population of the country, covering the needs of residents in 26 Municipalities and 50 Communities with regard to recycling related infrastructure. At the same time, in 2017 the special programme for the collection of empty packaging for plant protection products that was developed in collaboration with the Cyprus Crop Protection Association continued to progress with a 52% increase in the amount of collected packaging compared to 2016. It should be noted that the Green Dot Cyprus Recycling programmes rely on the participation and financial support of 959 companies – members and shareholders of the Organisation, which in this way show their support for and trust in the Collective System. Green Dot Cyprus thanks most warmly all citizens for their voluntary participation in the recycling programmes. Without the contribution and support of the public we would have been unable to meet our recycling targets. 1m2 por la Naturaleza ' is once again the great civic collaborative collection at a national level promoted by LIBERA, a day that from the collaboration of all seeks to help clean and raise awareness of the problem of trash in the natural spaces of our country. On June 16 we will all go out to any natural space that we want to keep and free from the garbage that one day was thrown away and remains abandoned, and pick it up. A day to clean, but above all to raise awareness. This year your collaboration and the sum of efforts of all is more important than ever, because you have already seen what is out there and have the ability to convince, as you have done before, others that add their m2. That's why we can not stop counting on you, the backbone of Libera, the #HeroesLibera. For this reason we encourage you to participate once again in '1m2 for Nature' by creating a collection point or encouraging your neighbors to believe or join established points. Read the full Pres relase The app won the first place at the App Store within 36 hours, 200,000+ downloads Who said separate collection of used packages can not be fun? Welcome to Catomolo game developed by TAMIR based on the used packaging cycle. An innovative and entertaining way to learn about the separation of recyclable packaging which should be collected in the orange bin in Israel. This funny and at the same time educational game is fit for all ages. TAMIR’s strategy included choosing a character to represent the company and its messages. From the very start, TAMIR’s character was named most beloved and memorable commercial character by Globes, one of Israel’s leading financial magazines. The character is Dedi, a silly animated ginger cat that lives atop an orange bin at an apartment building. Dedi conveys the messages with humor and wit, interacts with the tenants in the building’s trash room and explains to them how to separate the trash for the orange and regular bin. The orange bin is situated near the regular bin and is intended for packaging waste like plastic, metal and drink cartons. Dedi’s commercials does not include preaching or desperate cries to save the planet; they simply describe the new Israeli reality. Dedi stars in the company’s commercials, billboards and on-site campaigns. The latest TAMIR campaign even included a mobile app starring Dedi, called CATOMOLO (“orange or not”). Launched in April 2018, the app stars Dedi the cat who teaches us how to separate trash as packages fall down from the sky. In the app, Dedi uses her paw to direct packages into the bin, or away from it, as needed. The application is humorously narrated by a well-known Israeli comedian, which undoubtedly contributes to its success. The app includes many levels, with dangerous bombs threatening Dedi’s wellbeing – each bomb or incorrect package disposal results in Dedi losing a life. TAMIR also chose to reward top winners with a daily prize of headphones and a weekly draw for a drone. The app reached no. 1 in the apple and google app stores during its first 36 hours. Within three weeks of marketing, the app had 300,000 downloads, with over 5,000,000 games played. The launch campaign included TV ads, billboards, social media advertising, digital advertising and more. TAMIR succeeded in creating a device that educates the public on how to separate trash, and did so in a playful manner in line with the Fun Theory strategy that had been preferred. Furthermore, the app and other innovative activities led by TAMIR established the issue as a cool, modern issue that is easily identifiable. Recycling organzation's CEO Kobi Dar had this to say, “Over the past six years, since the legislation was passed, orange bins have been placed in many local authorities. This swift and gradual adoption has now reached 3.2 million people, of a total 8.6 million Israeli residents. We expect an 80% exposure rate over the next five years, enabling many Israeli households to join the recycling process.” “The Fun Theory marketing strategy raised great awareness, made recycling a daily agenda and posed TAMIR and recycling as something one can happily identify with. I believe this has motivated action among Israelis who enjoy having an orange bin by their home, and motivates countless others to join the environmental conservation revolution by separating packaging at home.” The payors are invited to sort the packages as soon as possible, decide what enters the orange trash and what not. You can see more . Another year under the sign of the Circular Economy Package and especially the Waste Legislative Proposals is near its end! Two years after their publication, in the early hours of 18 December, the Estonian Presidency reached a provisional agreement with representatives of the European Parliament on all four legislative proposals of the waste package. The trialogue result is a strong political commitment, still it is provisional - as the Council made it clear in their press release: they will ‘assess’ the proposal and confirm it before the vote in both institutions. In due course the formal adoption process will unfold, with votes required both in the Parliament and Council, possibly within Q1/Q2 of 2018, after which the translation process will follow. Of course, the right legislation in place is of crucial importance. It is yet to be seen in more details what final agreements have been reached. We could only say that If appropriately developed and implemented, this revised waste legislation could prove a unique opportunity for Europe to achieve its transition to a fully circular economy – conserving our precious natural resources, creating jobs, and generating growth for years to come. While the CEP was THE TOPIC of the last two years, the last two months were also full of events and other developments for us. EXPRA is actively participating in different initiatives and projects, as for example the Advisory Board of LIFE+ EPS SURE project (for transforming fish boxes into new food packages) the Steering Committee of Food SCP RT and the Steering Committee of the CEFLEX Project, to name some, contributing with our expertise and knowledge and trying to find efficient solutions. During the fall General Assembly meeting in November, EXPRA welcomed its 26th member, namely the Icelandic Recycling Fund. As you can see in our News from members’ section, apart from the recovery and recycling targets implementation, there are numerous national and local information and public awareness campaigns implemented every year by each EXPRA member. We at EXPRA see these activities as a major prerequisite for the implementation of our mission: to save resources and care for the environment, without making a profit out of it. As we are looking forward to the new challenges, awaiting us in 2018, I would like to wish you relaxed holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your reading! The agreed waste legislative proposals establish and to decrease waste generation, ensure a better control of waste management, encourage the reuse of products and improve recycling in all EU countries. In the early hours of 18 December 2017, the Estonian presidency reached a provisional agreement with representatives of the European Parliament on all four legislative proposals of the waste package. EU ambassadors will be briefed on the outcome on 20 December, but the final analysis and endorsement on behalf of the Council is planned for the first quarter of next year. You can read the Press release The latest draft College of Commissioners agenda indicates that the Plastics Strategy publication date should be 16 January 2018. There are multiple reasons for the delay, one of which is the CEP negotiations lagging behind. The upcoming strategy makes references to the new waste legislation that is being still discussed by Member States and the European Parliament. In addition, the strategy will be published alongside other pieces of legislation such as the communication on the interface between chemicals, products and waste legislation. From 1 January to 30 June 2018, Bulgaria will hold the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) for the first time ever. Coming between the Estonian and Austrian Presidencies, the country will be responsible for steering negotiations over the last new initiatives of the Juncker Commission, as the EU policy cycle gradually moves toward its end, with European elections scheduled for June 2019. For the past few months, the circular economy has been high on the environmental policy agenda, and this is unlikely to change with the advent of the Bulgarian Presidency. The Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water has already announced their intention to encourage Member States to keep high environmental protection standards, improve air quality, and promote sustainable growth and the green economy. The Bulgarian Presidency will seek to focus on the transition to a circular economy with resource efficiency and mitigation to achieve sustainable growth across the European Union. Active work will be done to create a supportive environment and conditions for implementing eco-innovative solutions. The main priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the field of environmental policy will be the circular economy and eco-innovation. Focus will be placed on improving the quality of the ambient air and better regulation. In the Programme of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU (adopted on 6 December 2017) it is specifically stated that: • The Bulgarian Presidency will continue to work on the ongoing initiatives - part of the "Circular Economy" Package, ready for their completion. With the adoption of the Waste Legislative Package, clear and long-term goals will be set. aiming to increase recycling, reduce landfilling and improve waste management. • The Bulgarian Presidency will launch discussions on the so-called "Circular Economy Minipackage". Recognizing the importance of the initiatives included in the minipackage, the Presidency plans to hold a political debate on the EU Plastics Strategy and on the interface between chemicals, products and waste legislation at the EU Environment Council in March 2018. • Related to this initiative are also the assessment of the implementation of the REACH Regulation and the stocktaking of chemicals regulation: Fitness check of the most relevant chemicals legislation (excluding REACH), the results of which will be addressed during the Bulgarian Presidency. More information you can find in the on the Bulgarian Presidency Priorities The 24 stakeholders selected to form the Coordination Group of the EU’s Circular Economy Platform, under which Ms Esther Colino Caro from EXPRA’s Spanish member Ecoembes represents our systems, held their first-ever meeting in Brussels alongside Council and Commission representatives. The meeting aim was for the stakeholders to meet each other and share their views on the Platform’s goals. In a nutshell, three work streams are to be covered by the Platform: 1. Sharing knowledge, 2. Boosting dialogue among stakeholders, and 3. Exchanging good practices. The Platform will have a space during the Circular Economy Conference scheduled for 20 and 21st February in which some of the members will share a number of initiatives under the Platform’s remit. Ecoembes will present one: ‘Smart waste?/Big data?’, under the “sharing knowledge” work stream. The second meeting will take place after Easter 2018. EXPRA held its fall General Assembly on 30 November to discuss the current hot topics and to listen and discuss with external speakers issues of major importance. The Assembly was preceded by a common dinner where also external guests from EUROPEN, WEE Forum and EucoLight were welcomed. During the General Assembly, EXPRA MD, Joachim Quoden gave a short report on the achievements of EXPRA and major events organized in 2017 as well as the outlook for 2018. These were of course related to the recent developments rgarding the CEP and especially the Waste legislative proposals and the respecive activities planned under EXPRA 2.0 project, which were presented by WeberSchandwick consultanats and acively discussed by the members. A new Cooperation member, the 26th one - IRF (Iceland) was approved by the General Assembly, thus further enlarging the EXPRA family in the north direction. The General Assembly also approved unanimously the budget 2017, the budget distribution method and the membership fees which are staying on the same level as in the last three years. Very interesting were the presentations of the external guests: Sander Defruyt, Lead Manager, New Plastics Economy, EMF and Pascal Leroy, MD of the WEEE Forum. In his presentation, Mr. Defruyt explained the recent development of the New Plastic initiative and noted that the industry has taken the initiative with respective commitments, and that they are currently trying to involve the governments as well. He recognized the benefits of the EPR systems and underlined that more harmonization would increase those. Mr. Leroy presented the challenges of internet sales, EPR and free riding, with an active discussion following. It was agreed to consider ways to join forces and exert some pressure on the institutions as this is a problem of vastly growing impact. During its General Assembly meeting on 30 November, EXPRA welcomed a new Cooperation partner - The Icelandic Recycling Fund, thus extending its presence in Northern Europe. Upon the industry’s initiative, Iceland's authorities have tasked the Icelandic Recycling Fund (IRF) with encouraging reuse and recovery, minimising waste going into final disposal and ensuring the proper disposal of hazardous substances and also the management of packaging waste. The Board of IRF is composed of representatives of all stakeholders, i.e. representatives of municipalities and those putting products and packaging on the Icelandic market. “We look forward to working with EXPRA and its members”, said Ólafur Kjartansson, Managing Director of IRF. “The cooperation and exchange of best practices with colleagues from Europe and across the world will allow us to further improve our performance and face the challenges ahead”. “I believe that the need for mutual support and learning from the good examples of others will grow as the demands of legislators and other stakeholders increase”, said Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA. “Such cooperation works both ways – we will not only support IRF but also benefit from its successful experiences with tracking free riders and monitoring online sales”. The EPS SURE project (Project for Plastic Recycling transforming fish boxes into new food packages), coordinated by Cicloplast, will run for three years (July 2017 – July 2020) and will have a budget of €1.5 million. Anape, Coexpan, Cicloplast, El Corte Inglés and Total Petrochemicals are the entities that make up the consortium behind this ground-breaking sustainable project in Europe that has received the LIFE grant from the European Commission. Boxes made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), known as airpop, are commonly used to package, transport, and display fresh products such as fish, thanks to their excellent properties of thermal insulation, protection, and food safety. However, a large share of these boxes end up in landfills throughout Europe. The Consortium formed by ANAPE (National Association for Expanded Polystyrene), COEXPAN, CICLOPLAST, EL CORTE INGLES and TOTAL PETROCHEMICALS IBERICA have just started a research project slated to run for 3 years (July 2017 - July 2020), called EPS-SURE, to offer a technically, environmentally, and economically viable solution to convert this waste into a valuable resource. A highly innovative project on the Circular Economy of Plastics The pilot plant in the facilities of TOTAL PETROCHEMICALS IBERICA in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) will demonstrate that it is possible to manufacture recycled polystyrene (rPS) with suitable quality to satisfy the high demanding requirements for applications in food contact. This ambitious and innovative project that will transform fish boxes into food packages, has been supported by the European Commission as part of its LIFE Programme for Environment, and is part of the EU’s new strategy to move towards a Circular Economy. The EPS SURE project will be developed in Spain. Also it can be expected to transfer and replicate the results in other European countries, with the support of prestigious international experts in the subject. It is estimated that the number of EPS boxes sent to landfill in Europe could be reduced by 80% by promoting recycling. The issue of free riding is one of growing concern in light of distance sales already representing up to 20 and 30 per cent of the market across various waste streams in certain Member States. In a bid to solve this problem, the three organizations propose online sellers and fulfilment houses to be required to take on the duties of a ‘producer’ under the Directive dealing with the product they sell or stock. The three organizations strongly believe that the EU waste proposals represent a unique opportunity to enhance the transparency and data accuracy in waste management practice across the EU. This is why online sales should be explicitly covered under the new EU waste legislation. You can read the full document The annual reporting of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (Packaging Waste Fund) shows that in 2016 73% of all packaging placed on the market is being recycled. Again a growth and above the Dutch objective of 70%. Also the Netherlands let the EU target of 55% far behind. Result 2015 EU target 2016 Dutch target 2016 83% 60% 90% 85% 60% 75% 50% 22.5% 46% 95% 50% 85% 48% 15% 33% 72% 55% 70% you can find the publication in Dutch Environmentalist Cat ÇEVKİ Children’s Theatre continues to be performed with its renewed script in various cities of Turkey, and with the collaboration of municipalities and District National Education Directorates. This musical play informs children on recycling through the eyes of ÇEVKİ and his friends with fun adventures. ÇEVKİ and the packaging wastes try to get Ateş, who is rather a rascal, and his own cat to be more considerate on the subject of recycling. The play, which was put on stage in Körfez and Derince at the beginning of November, was performed for thousands of children in Döşemealtı, Manavgat, Alanya, Muratpaşa, and Konyaaltı districts of Antalya. Green Dot Cyprus continues the promotion of the recently launched recycling kit through utilizing its dynamics and the concept of Inbound Marketing. The main goal of the Organization is to aware more, stay connected and enhance its relationships with the people that are or have the tendency to be environmentally friendly. Through inbound marketing people are been informed about the idea of wellbeing as a way of life through articles, videos, etc. Through these articles anyone interested can download the E-Book, which contains selected and interesting articles for a more ecofriendly and healthy way of living. Also, through these articles anyone interested can order the ‘Recycling Kit’ which contains PMD and Paper recycling bags, brochures for packaging, batteries and electrical and electronic devices recycling and small gifts that remind or inform citizens to participate in the recycling programs. Green Dot Cyprus aims at utilizing the tools of inbound marketing in their maximum and enhancing even more its awareness raising campaigns in 2018 with online activities. GreenPak will be giving away €100 every day as part of a new Crush and Win campaign aimed at incentivising recycling of plastic bottles and containers. Addressing a joint press conference with Environment Minister Jose Herrera at the National Aquarium in Qawra, GreenPak CEO Mario Schembri said the primary objective of the Crush and Win campaign was to target littering and reduce the amount of plastic irresponsibly discarded in our environment and oceans. Anyone can take part in the campaign simply by writing their telephone number on a plastic container they find outdoors or have at home, crushing it, and disposing of the item in one of GreenPak’s blue recycling bins which can be found at various locations around Malta. Every day, GreenPak will select one of these discarded bottles or containers and inform the winner that they can collect €100 in cash. The campaign will run for a year. According to the most recent figures, almost 60,000 tons of packaging material comes onto the local market on an annual basis and 32 per cent of plastic containers are recycled. It is not known how much plastic waste ends up in the Mediterranean, but studies are currently underway. GreenPak CEO Mario Schembri said: “We opted to hold this press conference at the National Aquarium specifically to highlight the threat of litter to our environment and to the marine life in the sea around us. “While plastic packaging is essential for the preservation of our food and drink, it is being misused. We have invested large amounts of money in facilitating recycling for the public and participation in these initiatives has increased, but we collectively need to step up the anti-littering effort. The Crush and Win campaign is one way of doing this. “We, of course, support any initiative that seeks to recover as much plastic bottles as possible. But we all need to understand that plastic bottles are not limited to beverages only and that the use of plastics goes far beyond just bottles. It takes a collective effort on behalf of everyone to increase recycling in a meaningful way.” Crush and Win follows on from the highly successful Crush campaign launched by GreenPak earlier this year, in which some of Malta's best-known personalities took part in a fun video aimed at encouraging the public to crush and recycle plastic bottles. The Orchestra of recycled instruments of Cateura comes to Spain to perform two concerts, organized with the support of Ecoembes. First, they will perform in the city of Gijón (Asturias) on 22th of December with famous Spanish singers and a lyric choir. The second concert will be at Teatro Real of Madrid with a famous singer and other music groups on 28th of December. This musical group is formed by children at risk of social exclusion from a marginal neighborhood of the Paraguayan city of Asunción, built on top of a landfill. Thanks to their ingenuity and illusion, they have created a unique formation with instruments built from waste materials. These children show how a project of personal improvement and hope for the future can arise from the union of apparently disparate elements such as music and recycling. This is a magical project that connects education, culture, protect of the environment and hope. This new system both simplifies sorting for the general public and represents a major step forward towards a recycling solution for all packaging put on the market. The aim is to gradually extend the new system throughout Belgium over a two-year period between 1 January 2019 and 2021. This development will make it possible to collect an additional 8 kg/year/inhabitant which, according to Fost Plus, should be processed in a limited number of state-of-the-art sorting centres enabling sustainable and high-value recycling. Belgium will therefore be able to achieve a recycling rate of 64%, well above the European recommendations (currently 22.5%, with 45-55% expected from 2025). By means of this development, Fost Plus intends to promote the circular economy and ultimately aims to offer a recycling solution for all packaging put on the market. You can read the Press Release The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Macedonia and the national Coordinating Body on Corporate Social Responsibility (CBCSR) hosted the 10th traditional annual event - the National Award for Best Corporate Social Responsibility Practices of Macedonia's enterprises, realized during the last year. Pakomak was awarded with a plaque for successfully implemented socially responsible practice in 2017 for the project Green Planet – a theatre play for education of the young children. Through the theater play children had an opportunity to learn about the benefits of recycling and the sustainable treatment of waste. During the period of 6 months, at least 10,000 children from 10 cities in Macedonia have seen the play. Pakomak demonstrated commitment in creating positive influence in the society and environment, promoting educational methods for raising awareness of environmental issues among the children and the wide public. This year, on the occasion of the jubilee, besides the regular awards, The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Macedonia and the national Coordinating Body on Corporate Social Responsibility (CBCSR) announced jubilee awards as a special recognition for the companies that have won the most prizes. Additionally, Pakomak won the jubilee recognition of a continuously successful socially responsible practice in the period 2007-2017, as a company that is among the companies with the most awards for the best CSR practices in Macedonia. CONAI has drawn up the "Specific Plan for the Prevention and Management of packaging and packaging waste" containing the forecasts of recycling and recovery of packaging waste for the years 2017 and 2018. In the Specific Prevention Plan are shown the main lines for the Consortium packaging strategies for 2018, the expected results of recycling and recovery packaging waste and the main tools to achieve them, with a particular focus on the current year. In 2018, around 9 million tonnes of packaging waste are expected to be recycled, equal to 68.2 tonnes of the total packaging put on the market. You can download the document Thanks to the efforts of Ekopak for promoting transparent, professional and ethical business, and upon its proposal, in November 2017 the Federal Ministry of Environment published Amendment to the framework Law on Waste Management. There, for the first time a definition of a PRO is introduced as follows: "PRO is a legal entity which, according to the principle of extended producer responsibility, meets the targets for recycling and recovery of special categories of waste; it can be established exclusively by legal entities that perform their business activities by placing on the market products that become special categories of waste". This is really a great achievement, considering that in 2016 the Federal Ministry of Environment published Ordinance on the abrogation of the Ordinance on the Management of packaging waste, thus abolishing the genuine EPR system and introducing nationalization of PROs, not only for packaging but for all specific waste streams. Ekopak, supported by the Bosnian industry immediately submitted a complaint to the Competition Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which after studying the case, stated that” “The Ministry has violated the provision of the Article 4 (1) of the Competition Law...” and as a result, the ordinance was withdrawn. "The Week of recycling with ECOPACK" was held for the first time in more than 50 schools in Sofia. The initiative was announced in the presence of the Minister of Education and Science, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Waters, representatives of the Sofia municipality and the schools. The initiative was developed by ECOPACK Bulgaria, the leading organization licensed by MOEW for the recovery of packaging waste. During the week, the students' attention will be focused on the issues of separate collection, recycling and recovery of waste, environmental protection and sustainable development. Lessons, events and competitions will be held in or outside classes. The idea is to bring together the efforts of teachers, pupils and parents in the separate collection of packaging waste and the acquisition of knowledge about recycling. "The program will be implemented over 3 years. The start was in November when the European Waste Reduction Week (21-29 November 2017) took place. We started with the schools in Sofia and next year the initiative will be held in other 12 municipalities, starting from Bourgas ", explained the Executive Director of ECOPACK Bulgaria Todor Burgudjiev. He thanked the partners for the initiative and expressed the hope that more kids in schools would acquire a responsible attitude towards the environment. ECOPACK Bulgaria provides the schools included in the initiative with an educational package to help the teacher - a guide for the eco hours of the class teacher for students from 1st to 7th and from 8th to 12th grade; video games, instructions, educational boards and posters. The tutorials are developed by Together in Time and present the theme in an attractive way for children The investment in the initiative is 200 000 BGN (100 000 Euro). The Romanian central environment authorities are on the final phase to approving the National Waste Management Plan as part of the obligation according to the Waste Framework Directive and as part of EU institutions report completing this measure The document analyzes the current situation using the data from 2010-2014, makes projections for 2015-2025 and designs plans to be undertaken for 2018-2025. The main objectives refer to those of the Circular Economy Package, i.e. the preparation for reutilization and recycling of 65% of municipal waste by 2030 and the preparation for reutilization and recycling of 65% of total packaging placed annually on the market by 2025 and 75% by 2030 respectively. In the packaging and packaging waste chapter, there are several provisions supporting clear roles of all the stakeholders participating in the system, efficient functioning of the EPR organizations and improving the reporting system. The document includes EPR as a financial instrument in household waste management compared to the previous national plan 2007-2013. In order to identify essential elements and basic principles in future legislative measures to improve the Romanian system, in the last three months (during the last quarter of 2017) Eco-Rom Ambalaje organized two experience exchanges with peers from Austria (ARA) and Italy (COREPLA) respectively. The delegations’ visits to Romania consisted of presentations to obliged-industry associations and EPR schemes, dedicated meetings with central environmental authorities and site visits to local waste management operators. Both experiences were well received by stakeholders and revealed common solid principals as well as different approaches that hopefully will inspire the policy makers and obliged-industry representatives in the coming period when several legislation changes are expected to occur in the Romanian packaging waste management system. The Hellenic Recycling Recovery Coorporation (Herrco) has received significant distinctions at this year's Waste and Recycling Awards, for the important results in organising packaging waste recycling in Greece and for the actions that were taken by the company to promote packaging recycling to the younger generation and the educational community. Herrco was awarded for both categories that was a candidate. In particular, it received the first Award in the category: Waste Management Business – Recycling Business for the effective Packaging Waste Recycling System of the Blue Bins and Blue Bells that is implemented in collaboration with Local Authorities and the High Distinction for the educational programs which are planned and executed by Herrco and are approved by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, such as the "Recycling-Changing Behaviors" program and "Learning to Recycle Properly in Blue Bins". These programs aim to encourage pupils of primary and secondary schools to understand the value of participating in the recycling through the blue bins and also educate them about the multiple benefits of recycling. The Waste and Recycling Awards are organized every year and aim to award best waste management practices. The prize-winning jury was attended by scientists, academics and executives working in the areas of sustainability and environmental protection. DEADR READER, This year, the work started as of day one and it seems that it will continue in this way and not only by the end of the year, but for few years more to come. For us in Europe THE TOPIC is the new waste legislation, which seems to be close to its finalization. Copies of the legal texts (still to be voted by the Council) are already available and has been already discussed in the European Parliament. Overall, we may proudly say that many of our demands and proposals are there. For this success we have been working for the last 6 years and we are happy that our expertise and practical knowledge has been recognized by the EU stakeholders. Nevertheless, I would like to note that the real work is actually starting now, with the new guidelines, specifications, interpretations and related documents, to be further developed by the EC, as well as in helping our members meeting the challenges of the new legislation’s implementation. In addition, the EU Plastic Strategy published in January, will for sure require our full attention, just to name the possible reopening of the essential Requirements under the PPWD and especially intended legislation on “single use plastics”. I would like to conclude my short introduction noting that the representatives of the European Commission are already are speaking/thinking of CEP 2.0 just to give you an idea what lays ahead! Enjoy your reading! In the Workshop participated EXPRA’s Packaging and sustainability WG members from EXPRA, CONAI, Ecoembes, Fost Plus, GD Norway and via skype the colleagues from Éco Entreprises Québec - Marie-Julie Bégin and Mario Patenaude. Representatives of the paper and cardboard industry and multinational companies also took part in the Workshop. Amanda Fuso Nerini (Chair of S&P WG) presented the Packaging recyclability toolkit R4R: www.packaging4recycling.eu. She informed the industry representatives about the overall objective of this initiative, namely to provide practical and useful information to obliged industry regarding packaging in an unbiased way. In the following discussion the industry representatives appreciated the project and Mr James Ede, Kellogg’s, suggested that it could be interesting to add also information on voluntary guidelines. Mr Massimo Ramunni, ATICELCA presented the Method of Paper and cardboard recyclability assessment: The Aticelca standard 501-17. He informed the participants that Comieco and Innovhub were the first to highlight a growing need to have a tool to provide objective and measurable elements to eco-design. This first driver was followed by a growing request to demonstrate cothe need to better inform the consumer was also highlighted. The technical standard reproduces at laboratory scale what happens at industrial scale when a paper mill recycles the paper. Pulping, fibre cleaning and sheet formation are performed and the following parameters are measured: Coarse rejects, Flake content, Macrostickies area, Sheet formation and adhesiveness, Optical inhomogeneities and Ash content (optional). The Results are scaled in 4 levels of recyclability: A+, A, B, C (and not recyclable) Willem van Veen, INDUFED FETRA and Marc Bailli, INDUDEF/COBELPA presented their views on the topic. Mr Vn Veen underlined that packaging has a role to play and its functionalities always have priority over end-of-life management. In additionm he also suggested some further advice as: to look at the whole picture, minimize, Strive for mono materials, use renewable/recycled materials where possible and optimise logistics. Mr Jan Cardon, FILPAP presented the Eco-design guidelines of FILPAP: Recommendations for an optimised use of paper and board packaging in a circular economy. The guidelines provide for a practical advice how to ensure subsequent easier recycling, such as: to use homogenous material, to aim at easy separation of different materials used, optimise weight and format, provide clear intuitive communication, etc. Nicolas Egri (FOST PLUS, member of S&P WG) presented practical examples of packaging, nominated for the Greener Packaging Awards (organized by Fost Plus and VAL I PAC) designed in a most effective and sustainable way. He shortly informed the participants on the Fost Plus contribution and support to companies, as for example the site www.preventpack.be were industries’ representatives can find relevant information and assess the environmental impact of their packaging. Two years after the adoption of EU Circular Economy Package in December 2015, more than half of the initiatives included in the Action Plan have been delivered by the European Commission. To discuss upcoming deliverables, explore new areas of action, and share the first achievements of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, the Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee hosted a Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference with a participation of over 300 people on day one and around 200 people during day 2. During the first day, the speakers from the European Commission, inter alia 4 Commissioners (Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and finally Jyrki Katainen, Vice-President of the European Commission for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness) highlighted the importance to move into a Circular Economy, partly concentrating very much on plastics. Here, Timmermans confirmed that the Commission is working on a new piece of legislation, namely on the single use plastics, which should be ready in May 2018. All plastics should be made reusable or recyclable until 2030 and would otherwise be banned. The topic of litter and marine litter was highlighted by Katainen who admitted that the marine litter problem can only be solved internationally and that the European Union will have to engage more. Moreover, several stakeholders reported about their voluntary commitments which the European Commission is demanding especially from industry to avoid further legislative measures. The second day consisted of several “Participatory circles”, inter alia a It could be noted also during the discussion, that no one of the stakeholders is doubting the right of existence of EPR anymore. Of course, everyone knows how to do it in practice, especially how to do it better than in certain countries. Mr Jentoft for example developed the idea that all packaging which is not recyclable should be excluded from the collective systems to avoid that these packaging benefits from those packaging which is recycled. Especially the eco modulation of the EPR fees is on the focus of many people, with a lot of concerns of obliged industry that the internal market might be disturbed. Overall, it was a very lively debate where it was not possible to ask and answer all questions of the audience. Waste Package Vote on the provisional agreement resulting from interinstitutional negotiations. Following the provisional agreement reached on the 4 parts of the so called “waste package” on 18 December 2017 the COREPER adopted on 23 February the agreed text. Following the provisional agreement reached on the 4 parts of the so called “waste package” on 18 December 2017 the COREPER adopted on 23 February the agreed text. The provisional agreed text on Directive amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste introduces a target for re-use and recycling of municipal waste in 2025 and 2035 (with the possiblity to review these latter) and the related calculation methods. Clarification on the waste definition have been also introduced. The provisional agreed text on the Directive amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging wasteintroduces specific targets and calculation methods for re-use or recycling of packaging materials for 2025 and 2030 with some limited derogations. The provional agreement of Directive amending Directives on end-oflife vehicles, on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators, and on waste electrical and electronic equipment has introduced clarification and measured related to secondary legislation in the context of the provisional agreeement taken for the Waste Framework Directive. Thanks to the provisional agreement on the Directive amending Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste, gor the first time a limit in waste sent to landfill has been agreed for 2035. source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/envi/newsletters.html Vote on draft report. The report assesses the implementation of the 7th EAP so far and the likelihood of achieving its objectives by 2020 and offers recommendations for improved implementation and suggestions for any future EAP. In her draft report, the Rapporteur calls in particular for improving the research on areas such as environmental thresholds, nanomaterials, the impacts of microplastics, the interaction between systemic risks and other health determinants, soil and land use and invasive alien species. Source: The European Parliament’s Environment Committee has decided to work on an own-initiative report on the Plastics Strategy. The leading role in drafting the report will be taken by the ECR Group. It can be expected that MEP Demesmaeker will be the rapporteur for the file. The Industry Committee will also work on an accompanying opinion on the Plastics Strategy. The own-initiative report is a non-binding piece of European legislation that allows Members to the European Parliament to express their opinion and wishes for the binding legislation stemming from the communication. This will give us an indication of what measures the EP would like to add to the list of the Plastics Strategy actions. In coming weeks the Environment Committee will announce names of shadow-rapporteurs who will need to agree on the timeline for the delivery of the own-initiative report. On Tuesday 21 February 2018, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee held an exchange of views with Commissioner for Growth and Investment Katainen on the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan. The Commissioner presented the Plastics Strategy to the Committee outlining its key points. He was clear that new legal initiatives are possible to support the Communication in coming months. In course of the debate, MEP Mark Demesmaeker (ECR, BE), ENVI Rapporteur on the own-initiative report on the Plastics Strategy, inquired whether there would be any funds for research and innovation in sorting and recycling technologies earmarked after 2020. MEP was concerned whether the EU would be prepared to further develop its capacity to recycle plastics after the introduction of the China ban. When it comes to the China ban, Commissioner Katainen hopes that the EU will be fast enough to develop capacity and needed innovation to deal with plastic waste. In addition, this topic, in the framework of the Plastics Strategy, is to be included on the agenda of the high level economic dialogue with China and, hopefully, Japan later this year. Commissioner Katainen mentioned the Commission’s plans to develop standards for sorted and recycled plastics. MEP Jo Leinen (S&D, DE) also highlighted the importance of developing these measures. In his intervention, the Commissioner explained that the Commission would need more time to look into how to introduce a plastic tax. This is because one could tax those buying plastic products, but it could also be possible to tax fossil fuels which are used to make plastic. Last, but not least, Commissioner Katainen challenged the ENVI Committee to introduce an “internal plastics strategy” in the European Parliament, similarly to the new rules in the Commission. The institution has pledged to limit the use of e.g. plastic water bottles. Speaking at the Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform meeting in Brussels, Commission’s Vice-President Timmermans said that the Plastics Strategy could be undermined if China’s decision to ban waste imports leads to more incineration. The Commissioner called for “urgent work” to avoid people becoming “discouraged”. This is because he is afraid that consumers would stop separate collection of waste if they learn that all materials are in fact incinerated. Speaking later at the same conference, Commissioner Bieńkowska, responsible for Internal Market and Industry, said that the agenda, which will help orient research funding beyond 2020, addressing plastics production and use, could also include “boosting the market” for recycled plastics. This should consequently encourage and facilitate plastic recycling in the EU. In addition, the “strategic research innovation agenda” for plastics due to be published later this year should encourage standardisation of recyclates. On the other hand, the Commission would also consider “fiscal measures on plastics”, she said, to limit the use of plastics. At street or district level, the “Ambassadeurs de la Propreté/Ambassadors of Cleanliness” will regularly and voluntarily collect litter. Thousand of citizens, associations and enterprises go into action across Wallonia. The craze is unprecedented. Close on 1.400 teams have already signed up on the website of “Wallonie Plus Propre”. Put another way, more than 7,000 people, everyday citizens or members of a company or association team, have already volunteered to collect litter dropped in public spaces. To do ‘the job’, the ambassadors receive specific equipment. The package being sent to their home will contain a fluorescent jacket and an armband stamped ‘Ambassadeur de la Propreté’ together with a pair of gloves. Add to this a grabber claw for three people, to allow them to collect small waste such as cigarette butts without having to bend down. Finally, each team will also receive a roll of 10 blue bags and one of 10 transparent bags, recognisable by the inscription ‘Ambassadeur de la Propreté’, making it possible to limit potential abuses. When the ambassadors are short on bags, they can re-order some through their account on the website. Each municipality has a complete vision of the teams of ambassadors in action on its territory. It knows the details of the team leaders, the number of volunteers and the precise delineation of the cleaning zone chosen by these ambassadors. The municipal coordinator will contact the ambassadors to agree on how to collect the bags once they have been filled. In general, these areas are well known to the volunteers, and they are keen to keep them clean for the long term. ‘Some Walloon municipalities are very extensive. Municipal workers concentrate on where there are the most problems. They don’t have the opportunity to visit every corner of the municipality. It’s a matter of human resources and cost,’ explains Benoit Bastien, coordinator of the Be WaPP unit. ‘Thus, the citizen-ambassadors will support the municipal workers by picking up small waste such as bits of paper, cans, cardboard, plastic and cigarette butts. As regards illegal deposits, their simple notification to the municipality is sufficient to ensure that arrangements are made for their removal. There is no doubt that this citizen’s momentum will help maintain public cleanliness and allow the link between the municipality and its constituents to be strengthened.’ Plastkretsen has signed a contract with the German sorting system supplier Sutco. The contract includes production and installation of a turnkey sorting system for plastic packaging in the Motala facility. The system has been designed, production has started and assembly will commence at the facility in the summer. The value of the contract is just over EUR 17 M. The facility will be test run in 2018 and have sorting capacity for all of the plastic packaging from Swedish households. The sorting facility will be designed to handle all types of plastic packaging. In just a few steps, the plastic bales will be split, sorted and separated. The investment is an important step in Plastkretsen’s efforts to increase the recycling of plastic packaging. Plastkretsen expects about 50 people to be employed at the facility, and recruitments to various positions will take place gradually during the year. You cna read the full PR In 2017, Pakomak fulfilled the national goals for the seventh consecutive year defined by the Ministry of Environment in accordance with the Law on Packaging Management and Packaging Waste. Pakomak is the only Packaging Recovery Orgnaizations in Macedonia that meets the national goals. Last year, the company made large investments to strengthen the glass collection infrastructure. The new version of the "Guide to the adhesion and application of the CONAI Environmental Contribution" 2018 is available. The CONAI 2018 Guide consists of two volumes: the first illustrates the obligations and the consortium procedures; the second contains all the forms and related instructions. The new edition has fully accepted the contents of the Technical Guide, regarding impacts of the contribution diversification for the plastic packaging on some procedures of application, declaration and exemption of the environmental Contribution, also for others materials. From 1 January 2018, the values of the three Contribution levels for plastic packaging will come into effect, defined as follows: of the three contributory bands for plastic packaging: from 1 January, € 179.00 / t for band A, € 208.00 / t for B-band and € 228.00 / t for the band C. Changes in the Environmental Contribution (increasing or decreasing) for four other materials: from 1 January, for paper packaging (from 4.00 to 10.00 € / t), in steel (from 13.00 at € 8.00 / t) and glass (from € 16.30 to € 13.30 / t) and from 1 June for packaging in aluminum (from 45.00 to 35.00 € / t). In 2017, Green Dot Cyprus, aiming at raising public awareness, approached the importance and necessity of recycling within the wider context of the “Quality of Life” concept. "Quality of Life" is a way of living that improves the individual and the society in which he/she lives. Health is an essential component of "Quality of Life" whether it be physical, mental, or emotional. More specifically, "Quality of Life" is the cultivation of a healthy body and spirit through proper nutrition, physical exercise, entertainment, good social relations, positive psychology, respect for the environment and younger generations. It involves anything that can improve the quality of our lives today without lowering the quality of our lives tomorrow. Proper recycling therefore contributes to a clean and healthy environment, protects our health and thus makes a significant contribution to our quality of life. The "Quality of Life" message was launched in 2017 by Green Dot Cyprus at Nicosia and Limassol Environment & Recycling Festivals through a special section with activities on healthy eating, sports and mental and emotional health. It was also promoted through a TV Commercial, the support of sports events, as well as through articles on the Organization’s website. At GreenPak, we are offering the public, the chance to win €100 DAILY, with our Crush & Win Campaign! The primary objective of the Crush and Win campaign is to target littering and reduce the amount of plastic irresponsibly discarded in our environment and oceans. This campaign was launched on 21st November 2017, and it follows on from the highly successful Crush campaign launched by GreenPak earlier last year, in which some of Malta's best known personalities took part in a fun video aimed at encouraging the public to crush and recycle plastic bottles. Empty plastic bottles and containers take up valuable space in the rubbish bins. Crushing and then disposing of these containers in recycling bags or bins saves space and will make it possible for our country to recycle more and more plastic. Anyone can take part in the campaign simply by writing their telephone number on a plastic container they find outdoors or have at home, crushing it, and disposing of the item in one of GreenPak’s blue recycling bins which can be found at various locations around Malta & Gozo. Winners are announced every week on GreenPak’s facebook page. In the wake of China’s decision to close its borders to the import of recyclable materials, Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is working with all of the value chain partners, particularity sorting centres and recyclers, to turn this crisis into an opportunity for Québec’s recycling industry. Among other things, we have given several presentations and written numerous articles in key publications on the subject. Working in concert with the local government to raise awareness among the environmental community and provide insight for a call to action, we have built a strategic approach aimed at increasing the quality of the sorted material and fostering the development of end markets:  Hold networking meeting to facilitate business development between MRFs and local recyclers and the understanding of specs  Coaching amongst MRFs to implement best practices  3 million CDN$ in investments by the Québec government  Meetings with elected officials This challenge is a great opportunity to develop and strengthen our circular economy. As the accredited eco organization for packaging EPR, we are taking the lead to mobilize the industry and working towards the optimization of the curbside recycling system. Check out our news release on the Chinese ban ECOPACK Bulgaria’s educational program “Recycling School. Teachers for Clean Environment” kicked off on February 21st, in the conference room of Vratsa Municipality and in the attendance of the headmasters of all the schools in town. The aim of the program is to assist teachers in conducting environmental education in school. ECOPACK created a special educational package that was distributed free of charge to schools. It includes lesson plans developed for students in grades 1 through 12th on topics such as the decomposition of waste in nature and the consequences for human health, flora and fauna, waste types, separate collection and recycling, the ecological footprint. The lessons include videos, presentations, eco game and competition ideas, and information boards. The methods and techniques used are interactive and build on the knowledge and specific experience of children of the respective age. “The focus of our educational project is on teachers. So much depends on them. They are the ones who can competently pass on to our children the knowledge about the processes and benefits of recycling. But above all, they are the ones who can spark their interest and love for nature. With their personal example, with their authority, they are also a key factor in making sure children grow up into individuals with a responsible and proactive attitude to the problems of the modern world," noted Mariana Petkova, Public Relations and Communications Manager at ECOPACK Bulgaria. The initiative “Recycling School. Teachers for Clean Environment” is of national scope and is carried out with the support of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment and Water. Vratsa is the first city in which all local schools are part of it. Its successful implementation in the city will be a good example for the whole country of effective environmental education for the benefit of society and nature. The benefits of recycling to society and the environment are undeniable. Separate waste collection and the responsible attitude to nature are a duty of each and every one of us, and therefore turning them into sustainable habits should start at an early age. And in this respect, the role of the school, and especially of the teachers, is irreplaceable. As ÇEVKO Foundation, we will continue with our Trainer Training program, which has been going on since 2009, with the support of the Ministry of National Education in 2018. With the co-operation protocol signed between the Directorate General For Basic Education and ÇEVKO Foundation, the project will go on for 3 years and the activities will be carried out in 36 provinces. Primarily, seminars will be held in the provinces to which one responsible teacher from every primary school will be sent; afterwards at their schools, these teachers will establish awareness of recycling, and carry out studies regarding the separate collection of packaging waste. Interior collection boxes will be placed in schools according to the number of classrooms. Our aim is to create awareness of recycling in primary school students by providing them with educational books, informative films, and environmental education presentations prepared specially for them by our foundation. For the first year we have targeted an estimated 82.000 students, whose knowledge on recycling will be consolidated through our musical play for children called "Recycling Will Do Us Good." Producer responsibility for packaging has been a voluntary system in Norway since 1994. Despite this, approximately 85% of all packaging has been counted for through the Groent Punkt Norge (Green Dot Norway) system. Thus we used to view the voluntary system a success. With entrance of competition soon 3 years ago we – and the environmental authorities experienced competition to be on different terms with different agendas. It became possible to collect members (and fees) without necessarily taking control and responsibility for a functioning return scheme and traceable recycling. As solution the environmental agency suggested that the producer responsibility for packaging should be regulated by law, got approval by the environmental department and implemented a new chapter in the existing waste regulation. In full effect from January 1st every producer bringing more than 1000 kilo packaging (in sum) to the market is responsible for the recycling of this through an approved PRO. This fall has been busy applying for approval for all our packaging schemes and February 1st it was announced that the schemes included in the Groent Punkt Norge membership is the sole ones approved (the five different material companies). Our competitor (established producer responsibility for EE and expanding to packaging and batteries) did not get approval for any of the packaging materials. We suppose they have filed a complaint, but without a national coverage and collection scheme all through the year we do not expect that the decision is changed. We are of course satisfied that our nationwide, proper and transparent system is acknowledged by the authorities, but we do not believe that the competition is gone. In the new waste regulation responsibility for wooden packaging is included. These days we´re creating a new national recycling reporting scheme for repair and recycling of pallets and expect this to meet the targets and will apply for approval within few weeks. The memberships fees are expected to be NOK 0,04/kilo effective from June 1st. In order to provide more relevant and timely information, as well, as based on your positive feedback, we decided to move from quarterly to bi-montly publication of our Newsletter. I have the pleasure to share with you the first September/October 2017 EXPRA Newsletter. As usual, the autumn season if full of major developments and events: the Trialogue on the CEP is evolving, as well as another important EC project: the EU Plastic Strategy, planned to be published in the beginning of December 2017. EXPRA and its members are of course actively involved in these developments: not only as members of Expert group on financing the Circular Economy and the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (CESP), but also in promoting unique and innovative solutions as well as excellence in EPR performance. As said, in Europe, The Trialogue, or the Interinstitutional negotiations between the three EU institutions: the Parliament, the Council and the Commission on legislative proposals are entering their final stage. On 25 October, the EU institutions met for the fourth round of negotiations on the waste package. During the meeting they agreed on some technical provisions within the Waste Framework Directive such as: disposal operations, waste hierarchy and hazardous waste, including dilution and mixing of hazardous waste. They also made a progress to varying degrees on extended producer responsibility schemes, backfilling, food waste, waste management plans and waste oils. Worldwide, a major event for all waste management professionals was the ISWA 2017 World Congress that took place on 25–27 September 2017, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Proper functioning waste management is more and more on the agenda of countries around the world. Increasing health issues to the public by illegal dumpsites, even caused by legal but badly managed landfills, and especially marine litter, the plastic soup, the fact that we might have more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050 has alarmed governments in nearly every country of the world. They all look for the right action to start, they all look for solutions which are working in some countries. In this regard, the Canadian and European EPR systems are gaining a lot of interest from other parts of the world. Therefore, the ISWA Working Group on Governance and Legal Issues, which I have the pleasure to chair since 4 years, has been asked to organize 3 sessions on EPR: on the Role of Extended Producer Responsibility in the Circular Economy; The view of International Adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility and on the real life Implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility in Various Countries for Various Products. This interest in functioning European solutions with regard to proper waste management was also the reason that EXPRA and our Spanish member Ecoembes have been invited to participate in the EC Circular Economy Mission to Colombia, organised by DG ENVI and aiming to increase the cooperation between EU and Colombia on environmental issues through a political dialogue that allows for an exchange of good practices and experiences. At National level, there are many important and interesting developments: As you can see in our News from members section, EXPRA members are involved in many and diverse activities – from supporting eco design and prevention to raising public awareness and promoting environmentally responsible behavior of consumers. Enjoy your reading! On October 2, EXPRA’s MD attended the first meeting of the EU Expert Group on financing the Circular Economy. The European Commission has chosen around 30 experts from all industry, authority and stakeholder sectors; from our broader sector, SUEZ, EURIC and one recycler were chosen in addition to EXPRA. The objective of the expert group will be to support the generation and financing of circular economy projects in the EU Member States. To this end, the expert group will provide recommendations regarding concrete measures to facilitate the circular economy project financing. The recommendations will take the form of an interim and final report. This report will be split into 4 chapters dealing with • Section 0: Background and big picture • Section I: Recommendations oriented to regulators • Section II: Recommendations oriented to financial institutions • Section III: Recommendations oriented to project promoters Commissioner Katainen participated in the beginning of the full day meeting and highlighted the need of guidance and recommendations to the European Commission. There is a lot of European money and funding available but up to now there is no understanding in which way and for which projects these funds should and even could be spend. The event’s goal was to support the exchange of best practice from different European countries and finding useful solutions so as to improve packaging waste management. Special emphasis was placed on the competition between PRO’s and the need to establish clear conditions and rules under which the PRO’s operate. During the event, the recent policy developments regarding the Circular Economy Package and especially the EPR requirements proposed by the Waste Framework Directive that is currently under review were discussed, including the need for an independent authority/clearing house in case of several PROs operating for the same waste stream. Some of the EXPRA members together with other experts presented both best practices in packaging waste management as well as relevant studies on EPR and competition. international experience was shared on which (operational) levels competition should be organized (Fost Plus), how a country is finally organizing competition amongst several PRO’s (EXPRA – Germany) and what to what results leads a comparison between the Czech Republic and the German approach (Ales Rod – CETA). Then, Slopak introduced the current Slovenian situation seconded with a presentation from the public waste management company of Ljubljana and a representative of the Law Faculty of Ljubljana presenting a study about EPR and packaging waste management in Slovenia. The event was attended by Slovenia’ officials such as the Ministry of the environment, Slovenian Competition Protection Agency, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Chamber of Municipal Waste Management Companies, NGO, industry representatives and EXPRA members. During the Working Party on the Environment, held on 5 October, Member States’ representatives discussed compromises ahead of the upcoming technical meetings with the Parliament. When it comes to separate collection, the Presidency proposed that Member States by default would be obliged to ensure separate collection. However, there would be a derogation clause allowing Member States to deviate from this obligation. To this end, the current formulation "if technically, environmentally and economically practicable" would need to be further specified. Different criteria are being discussed. For example, the lack of technical feasibility for separate collation in a Member State could be justified based on an assessment of relevant best practices. On the measurement point, the Presidency explains that in essence both Member States and Parliament define one calculation point. This is why, the Presidency proposes Member States to continue supporting a single calculation rule. But for practical purposes, Member States would be allowed to either measure the input to a recycling operation or the output of a sorting operation under specific conditions. The reason for this is the assumption that if all losses after sorting are deducted, the outcome should be the same. On Wednesday 25 October, the Parliament, the Commission and the Council met for the fourth round of negotiations on the waste package. During the meeting they agreed on some technical provisions within the Waste Framework Directive such as: disposal operations, waste hierarchy and hazardous waste, including dilution and mixing of hazardous waste. They also made a progress to varying degrees on extended producer responsibility schemes, backfilling, food waste, waste management plans and waste oils.. It is worth noting that the discussions on the recycling targets and the calculation methods for recycling rates are still to take place. The next trialogue meeting is scheduled for Monday 27 November. The conference was hosted by the European Commission on 26 September 2017 and focused attention on the upcoming Plastics Strategy, currently being developed by the European Commission. It provided an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the issues, challenges and opportunities that will feature in the new strategy, and to articulate key messages to the European Commission for consideration as it moves towards completion of the strategy. The conference brought together nearly 270 participants from across Europe and beyond, representing a range of stakeholder interests. Over 30 senior figures from government, business, civil society and academia gave expert input through speeches and presentations. The conference participants broadly found consensus that the Plastic Strategy should be ambitious and not shy away from ambitious goals. However it was also recognised that such ambition should be grounded in a reality that would enable all stakeholder to not only support but deliver those goals. FVP Timmermans confirmed that the Plastic Strategy will be “ambitious”, to be pitched at a level “where we think we can get a qualified majority of Member States”. It was widely noted that Europe is being ‘outperformed’ in its actions on plastic by countries without the same degree of financial and socio-political capital as Europe. An ambitious Plastic Strategy should strengthen Europe's role as a global lead. This will both help drive forward action at the global level as well as create market opportunities for European business. The Conference participants agreed on the following key messages: ■ An ambitious Plastics Strategy is widely called for, positioning Europe as a global lead; ■ Market failures are holding back the rate of change, and intervention is necessary to foster the fundamental behaviour changes necessary; ■ A mix of regulatory, economic and voluntary measures are necessary; ■ Stakeholder groups must work in collaboration across the value chain. You can read the full report here: https://eu.eventscloud.com/file_uploads/d30d9f4bc4e86c5fd9267bc2a46524e6_ReinventingPlasticsConferenceReport011117.pdf The World Congress is the biggest annual event organized by the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA). In 2017, WASTECON® co-locates with ISWA’s World Congress to offer two exciting international events in one location, September 25–27 2017, in Baltimore, Maryland. These congresses, attended this time by over 2000 people, provided opportunities to see what’s new in collection, processing, marketing and management of compost, recyclables and solid waste. Among the attendees, representatives from Eco Pack (Bulgaria), Eco Rom (Romania) and EEQ (Quebec, Canada) as well as EXPRA’s Managing Director were actively present. One of the key topics of this year’s ISWA Congress was the fight against marine litter where the respective Task Force of ISWA presented their first findings. In line with the general message of EXPRA, ISWA is calling for massive investments in collection and treatment equipment to avoid that any waste escapes into the nature as well as in design for environment to make all products and packaging easier to collect, to sort and to recycle. Joachim Quoden, EXPRA MD, in his function as chair of the ISWA Working Group on Governance and Legal Issues, organized 3 sessions on EPR, namely • The Role of Extended Producer Responsibility in the Circular Economy • View of International Adoption of Extended Producer Responsibility • Real Life Implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility in Various Countries for Various Products Comprising many leading experts in EPR from all around the world like Prof Reid Lifset, Yale University School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Connecticut who also wrote the governance chapter in the recent EPR report of the OECD and other insiders from Chile, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, US, Germany and Sweden. EPR is currently implemented or minimum strongly discussed in nearly all South American countries as shown by the presentations from Chile and Brazil but also Columbia and Argentina seem to be on this track to EPR for packaging and other materials. On the other side, EPR in the US is still concentrated on WEEE, paint, mattresses etc whereas packaging bills have been up to now not been successful; nevertheless, new discussions and initiatives have been started in California and in Connecticut. EXPRA has been contacted by both respective authorities to provide experience and best practices from Europe. A key part of the discussion in all 3 sessions was the question how to move unrecyclable products (especially packaging) to recyclables within an EPR approach, especially via the modulation of fees. In the practical part, especially the presentations from the neighbor country Canada, namely the new system in British-Columbia and the EXPRA member system from Quebec, EEQ, took a lot of attention amongst the audience. Allen Langdon, Managing Director of Recycle BC, explained how the EPR system is operating in BC within a dual system approach, whereas Mathieu Guillemette, EcoEnterprises Quebec, highlighted the challenges within a shared responsibility system. The next ISWA World Congress will take place October 22 – 24, 2018 in Kuala Lumpur in Malyasia. EXPRA’s MD was invited to speak during a panel “Views from Europe towards the Circular Economy” during the 2017 edition of the Canadian Stewardship Conference, this time in Montreal, hosted by EEQ, EXPRA’s member in Quebec, Canada. Around 600 people from all provinces in Canada but also from the US and Europe attended this event. The topics of the conference are very similar to those that we are discussing in Europe: · How to bring Circular Economy to fly · The role of EPR within Circular Economy · EMF report on plasitcs · Modulated fees and eco design · The upcoming import stop from China for mixed “recyclables” · Enforcement by the government Especially with regard to enforcement, it seems that the Canadian provincial authorities are doing their job as they have established strict procedures and dedicated human resources. Another topic was the start of the EPR system for packaging in British Columbia where the collection and sorting responsibilities are just being shifted from local authorities to RecycleBC, the non-profit industry owned EPR system. A similar approach is currently discussed in Ontario whereas in Quebec, local authorities even control the marketing of the materials. Nevertheless, our EXPRA member EEQ in Quebec has recently started a new consumer campaign with the aim to make the inhabitants aware that EEQ and its members are financing the separate collection and recycling of packaging and printed paper. They have engaged as spokesperson for this campaign the most know radio and TV moderator who also attended the gala dinner during the conference. Dr Michiel de Smet from the Ellen Macarthur Foundation presented the work on the “New Plastics Economy” not only during the panel but also in a more private reception. He was stressing that the 3 year project should develop medium and long term vision and change in the way how we use plastics (packaging) but does not have immediate proposals for action. Joachim took the chance for a lot of discussion with Dr de Smet, especially as both also attended the ISWA congress in the beginning of the week. This Circular Economy Mission (CEM), organized by DG ENVI was the fourth one, after the missions in Chile, China, and South Africa, aiming to increase the cooperation between EU and Colombia on environmental issues through a political dialogue that allows for an exchange of good practices and experiences. In the mission, led by DG Environment Director General Daniel Calleja, over 60 European representatives of companies, associations – business and international ones (UNIDO), etc. participated. Oscar Martin Riva, the CEO of Ecoembes and member of EXPRA’s Board of Directors and Monika Romenska, R&PA Manager of EXPRA took part in the mission. The mission visited two cities in Colombia: Medellin and the capital - Bogota. The intense program included meetings with Colombian businesses in both cities as well as with academia and visits to a general waste facility and warehouse/baling plant for separately collected packaging waste. Matchmaking events between European and local entrepreneurs were also organized, providing them with the opportunity to engage in exchange of views promoting green solutions through business partnerships. EC Environment Director General Daniel Calleja underlined that this is the first mission of the European Union that is organized in Colombia with companies and associations from 14 countries with the main objective to increase cooperation between the EU and Colombia on environmental issues to face the challenges together and seek "green solutions" through agreements. EC Director General Calleja also noted that the EU wants to establish a political dialogue on the environment with Colombia in order to have an exchange of good practices and EU regulatory experiences. Calleja also pointed out the importance of maximizing resources and minimizing waste, considering that the "recycle, reuse and reduce" formula can lead to a "zero waste society". The timing of the CEM was chosen respectively considering that Colombia maintains a trade agreement with the EU block since August 2013 and the opportunities for more sustainable activities provided under the ongoing peace process. Oscar Martin, CEO of Ecoembes, presented the benefits of CE/EPR based on the over 20 years of experience of Ecoembes, and especially the unique project - The CircularLab and the numerous innovative projects being currently implemented in the Rioja region, covering the whole cycle from the production to the collection and recycling of packaging waste. In his statement, Mr. Martin underlined that all policies regarding (packaging) waste management should be based on solid research work and LCA thus guarantying the best solutions from environmental, social and economic point of view. Currently in the Colombia the industry and the government are discussing introducing EPR, a sphere where EXPRA and its members could provide assistance. The specific situation in the country is that there is no well functioning waste management/treatment system and after the peace agreement and the successul fight against the drug cartels, a huge number of people had to find a way to earn their living and currently do so by informal waste picking. Recently there has been a court decision, stating that informal waste sector has proirity in the access to (recycable) waste. In addition, in the draft legislation regualting EPR there are so far no responsibilities (respectively targets) for local authorities. It should be noted that there are some trials to introduce ReverseVending Maschines for PET bottles, mainly by young entreupeneurs, using different incentives including via mobile phone applications. Still, during the discussions in the Univercity EAFIT, it was clear that the business understands that this is an expensive partial solution only for a very small part of PW. During the event “Circular Economy: Opportunities for all”, EXPRA presented the beliefs of the organizaton for successful EPR implementation and its major contribution to achieving genuine circular economy. After EXPRA being appointed as member of the expert group on financing the Circular Economy, Ecoembes has been now appointed as member of the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (CESP). Transitioning our economy from a linear "extract-make-use-dispose" model to a more circular one, where the value of resources is kept within production and consumption loops, is one of the key challenges Europe is facing. The Circular Economy Action Plan the European Commission adopted in December 2015 is a step in the right direction to accelerate this transition and help all stakeholders seize the opportunities it offers. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted its opinion on the Circular Economy Action Plan in April 2016. In March this year, the European Commission and the EESC co-organised a joint stakeholder conference dedicated to the circular economy. This conference presented the latest developments and next steps on the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan and launched a European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (CE StakeholderEU); the second day of the conference, which took place on the premises of the EESC, featured a large participatory brainstorming exercise giving all participants the opportunity to have their say on what the platform should do and what it should look like. The conclusions of this brainstorming exercise were released in May. The European Commission and the EESC have been working since then on the platform setup, in particular on its structure and objectives, based on the conference participants' input. The platform will aim at: • Advancing the circular economy concept in Member States, regional and local governments, civil society and businesses; • Strengthening the cooperation among stakeholders' networks to facilitate the exchange of expertise and good practices; • Contribute to identify social, economic and cultural barriers to the transition towards a circular economy intended for policy makers at all level of governance. The platform will have a coordination group in order to provide guidance, reinforce interaction between stakeholders, manage the exchange of good practices and foster the European debate on obstacles to the transition. This coordination group will have 24 members coming from 4 stakeholder groups, inter alia 6 representing the interests of industry. 1 of these 6 representatives of industry will now be Ecoembes. During the International Congress held at the Cevahir Congress Centre on 5-6th October, the ÇEVKO Foundation focused on the “Circular Economy Package, expected to be adopted in 2018 which will put forward new legal regulations. In his statement, Mr Mete İmer, General Secretary to ÇEVKO Foundation pointed out ÇEVKO wants to carry this new economic approach, namely teh circular economy model to the agenda of Turkey. Mr. İmer said, “With a linear economy, products that follow the pattern ‘Produce!-Use!-Throw away!’ end up in landfill or disposal facilities. As a result of human activities that lead to huge environmental problems such as constantly increasing population, limited natural resources, and global warming, we have realized that things cannot go on like this anymore. The model of “circular economy,” which replaces “linear economy” and deals with “sustainable production,” “sustainable consumption,” “upward conversion” processes as a “circle,” is a new approach for sustainability in the world”. As part of the congress sessions were organized under the headings “EU Circular Economy Package,” “The New Plastics Economy,” “Significance of Circular Economy Combatting Climate Change”,“ Financial Mechanisms for transition to Circular Economy,” and “Circular Economy perceived by Press” prepared by the Association of the Economy Journalists. “Green Dot Press Awards” were given to the winners with a ceremony at the congress. ÇEVKO foundation gave the awards for the 6th time to the media organizations that were environment-sensitive and whose priority was to inform the community on the environment and recycling with the most news articles. More information available Hellenic Recovery Recycling Corporation (HE.R.R.Co) also continued its dynamic performance in 2016, achieving in fact the highest quantitative results since the beginning of its operation Having as its main concern the achievement of the national targets for Packaging Waste, HE.R.R.Co, apart from continuing to develop and expand the Packaging Recycling System, also established sound foundations for the achievement of even higher results in the following years. 94% of the country’s population has up to now been covered by HERRCO’s collaboration with 297 Local Authorities in which 157,000 Blue Bins and more than 7.000 Blue Bells have been placed, while 493 special vehicles have been given to the Municipalities in order to execute daily itineraries to the 32 Recycling Sorting Centers (RSCs). In 2016, almost 550.000 tons of materials were recycled via all HERRCO’s activities, thus achieving a 13% increase in the Packaging Waste quantities processed in comparison to 2015. Despite adverse circumstances, HERRCO’s activities continue to earn Greek society’s trust. Keeping in trust the positive course of the Packaging Recycling System, we dynamically move forward, always with the valuable support of the Local Authorities, the affiliated companies which keep increasing and mostly of the citizens who participate actively in the recycling projects. In the following pages, you will find HERRCO’s total work for 2016, while qualitative and mostly quantitative data is presented for the various projects and the development of the Packaging Recycling System. You can find the full report Green Dot Cyprus, the Collective Packaging and Packaging Waste Management System in Cyprus, as part of its efforts to continuously improve its services and to reduce the confusion among the public about which plastic packaging to recycle and which not, enriched the PMD recycling category with new materials. Specifically, as of July 1 , 2017, the PMD recycling category includes the following packaging: • Plastic Packages of yoghurt, butter, margarine, ice cream • Any other plastic packaging marked PP • Clean Plastic Bags (Supermarkets, Stores, etc.) In addition to the packaging mentioned above, the PMD recycling category also includes plastic bottles and containers, metal containers and Tetra Pak-type containers. In September, FTI launched a new brochure to provide producers with basic information about the producer responsibility and FTI’s offering. It is free to download from FTI’s website. Producer responsibility is regulated by the Ordinance on Producer Responsibility for Packaging (2014:1073), which implements the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. The Swedish Ordinance stipulates that: • The scheme should be appropriate, with accessible collection points that make it easy for anyone who wants to drop-off their packaging waste, without incurring a fee. • The collection should not result in hazard or harm to health or the environment. It should be conducted in a manner that does not prevent material recovery and contribute to the achievement of recycling targets. • The scheme should be nationwide with collection points in each municipality, and a geographic distribution across the municipality that is reasonable in terms of the population density, location of businesses and other circumstances. AS OF 2020, THE RECYCLING SYSTEMS WILL ALSO REQUIRE A PERMIT FROM THE SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. Download the brochure ” ” (PDF) Despite the fact that the bottle bank is historically well known in the Netherlands, we do not yet reach the legal goal of 90% in (83% in 2015). That is why Afvalfonds Verpakkingen – Packaging Waste Fund - started the action plan glass in 2016. With this plan we expect to meet the objective of 90% glass recycling in 2018. With an interim reporting we let the Dutch government know that the implementation of the action plan is on track. In cooperation with municipalities in recent years, consumers are urged with the campaign “Glas in ’t Bakkie” (Glass in the bank) to bring all their glass packaging to the bottle bank. This year we work together with over 40 municipalities where the glass collection lags behind the national average of 20 kilos per inhabitant per year. Along with these municipalities has been viewed what possibilities are suitable to increase the glass collection. For example relocation of the bottle banks or targeted communication towards citizens. All agreed actions started as pilot and are to be evaluated at the end of the year. In case of proven success the initiatives will be rolled out to other municipalities. Also at the hospitality industry is uncollected glass. Research shows that more than 15% of bars and restaurants in city centres still regularly throw away their bottles because there is no good collection ability. Therefore pilots are being organized with their suppliers: when the deliver goods to the bars and restaurants, they take empty bottles back to their warehouse. Campaign website: www.glasscheiden.nl The Environmental Contribution for plastic packaging will no longer be unique but diversified based on three Guiding Criteria: sortability, recyclability and, in the case of packaging that meets these two criteria, the main target circuit once it has become waste In this way, sortable and recyclable packaging from the “Municipal” circuit will benefit from a reduced Environmental Contribution, while sortable and recyclable packaging from the “Commerce & Industry” circuit will benefit from an even lower reduced Environmental Contribution; all other packaging will continue to pay the full Environmental Contribution. The purpose is to encourage the use of more recyclable packaging, linking the Contribution level to the environmental impact of the end-of-life/new-life phases, starting from plastic packaging, the most complex material in terms of variety of types and selection and recycling technologies. With this new approach, three different Contribution levels for as many different categories of plastic packaging are envisaged: sortable and recyclable plastic packaging from the Household circuit will benefit from a reduced CAC, and sortable and recyclable packaging from the Commerce & Industry circuit (hereinafter C&I) will benefit from an even lower reduced CAC, while packaging that presents greater difficulty in end-of-life management will not benefit from any reduced CAC, regardless of its target circuit. From 1 January 2018, the values of the three Contribution levels for plastic packaging will come into effect, defined as follows: • Level A (sortable and recyclable packaging from the commerce and industry circuit): €179.00/t • Level B (sortable and recyclable packaging from the household circuit): €208.00/t • Level C (packaging not sortable/recyclable with current technologies): €228.00/t For determination of the values of the three levels, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach – subjected to a “critical review” by an accredited third entity – was adopted, which identified the environmental impacts of the end-of-life/new life phases of the packaging. For more information: http://www.conai.org/en/businesses/environmental-contribution/contribution-diversification/ EXPRA Executive Director Joachim Quoden was one of dozens of speakers featured at the 7th Conference on Canadian Stewardship, held in Montreal at the end of September Some 600 delegates from industry, government and stewardship programs from Canada, North America and Europe were exposed to a wide variety of perspectives on the topic of EPR and circular economy , this year’s theme for this biannual event. The event also featured keynote speaker Jean Lemire, a biologist, researcher and award-winning documentary filmmaker, who shared his insights on climate change and biodiversity. Delegates also participated in a series of industrial visits, including state-of-the art glass treatment facilities financed by EXPRA member Éco Entreprises Québec, as part of its Glassworks Innovative Plan to ensure a second life to glass collected by Quebec’s curbside recycling system. GreenPak Coop Society, in coordination with GSD Marketing Ltd (GSDM), is leading a campaign on sustainable use of plastic bottles and the increasing importance of recycling. “We need to recycle more and even more. We are urging the public to crush their empty plastic bottles for recycling and stop contributing to plastic waste,” said GreenPak’s CEO Ing Mario Schembri. During the beach campaign held at Ghadira last Sunday, GSDM and GreenPak staff members distributed free Kristal water and encouraged the people present at the beach to crush and recycle their plastic bottles in the appropriate recycling bins, after they drink the water content. GSDM together with GreenPak members explained to consumers who were on the beach the importance of reducing plastic littering especially in the sea, and to recycle more. Three collection points were set up on the bay equipped with bottle crushers. Those who crushed their plastic bottles received a branded keychain with the ‘Crush Plastic Bottles’ message. ‘Crush Plastic Bottles’ focuses on the need to reduce plastic pollution, optimise space in recycling bags and increase collection rates of plastic bottles. Crushing plastic bottles for recycling brings awareness on the need to stop littering and increase resource use. ‘’We have been promoting responsible disposal of our packaging with consumers for many years and the vision for our business is simple: our packaging is a valuable resource and we continuously strive to ensure that most of our packaging is recovered after use and recycled. As a company, we are constantly working to increase recycling as well as champion continuous improvement for the recovery of packaging’’ said George Douglas Saliba, Public Affairs and Communications Manager of GSD Marketing Ltd. “As Malta is already facing some serious landfill issues, we are optimistic that the ‘Crush Plastic Bottles’ campaign serves to reduce plastic littering across Malta and Gozo, and encourages the public to take positive action and reduce waste sent to landfills,” added Ing Schembri. It looks like this summer will be again quite busy for all of us packaging and waste professionals as the Trilogue started on 30 May, after the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) agreed on a mandate to start negotiations with the European Parliament on the legislative proposals on waste. Alongside the Trilogue, numerous events related to the CEP, organized by stakeholders have taken place. On the same day, 30 May, EXPRA organised a workshop ‘Towards European EPR requirements in new waste legislation: a blueprint for success’ with the goal to drive a discussion around good European practice that could help set the right framework for these requirements to operate in future. Another issue of major interest is the Plastic Strategy project of the EC, which is fast gaining speed: in January 2017 the Commission published the and currently targeted public consultation led by DG ENV is taking place. In September this year a Commission’s Stakeholder Conference is being planned and the by the end of the year the publication of the strategy on plastics is expected. EXPRA and its members have organized several meetings with DG Environment representatives and will remain actively involved in shaping the developments, inter alia taking part in the targeted consultation. No need to say that EXPRA will remain actively involved in shaping the developments around legislative proposals on waste. We strongly believe that EPR is a key tool to ensure both economically and environmentally sound waste management. This is why we will continue with our efforts to convince the policymakers to safeguard and reinforce the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle and to ensure its streamlined implementation across the bloc, including the setting of strong and clear general requirements for EPR schemes. Enjoy your reading! The event’s goal was to drive a discussion around good European practice, or specific national needs (depending on the situation), that could help set the right framework for these requirements to operate in future. During the one day event, opened by the Maltese Presidency, EXPRA’s members shared their experience in navigating some of the EPR requirements proposed by the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) that is currently under review. The EPR requirements presented related, in particular, to stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities, good governance, data and reporting, the need for the so-called clearing house or central authority, as well as cost-efficiency. In course of the discussions, the European Commission representative explained that the proposal was to set criteria in Article 8a that ensure good functioning of EPR, but at the same time leave a level of flexibility for implementation to Member States. As for the transparency rules under Article 8a, the Commission will try to defend them in course of negotiations. When it comes to the calculation method, it was acknowledged that both institutions are proposing changes that are different to the initial proposal. The event was well attended by industry representatives including EUROPEN, ACE, Tetra Pak and FEFCO, Member States’ officials such as the Dutch Permanent Representation and EXPRA members. In June 2017 EXPRA started a new initiative – publication of news and best practices from EXPRA members, aiming to inform and support all stakeholders in the packaging value chain in the process of developing more sustainable packaging, incorporating design for recycling/ eco-design. The publication will be issued on quarterly basis, from where comes the name “drops” and will provide summarized/short information with respective links to detailed documents and/or sources, implemented with the support of the EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging Working Group. In the first issue, the experts from CONAI, Ecoembes, ÈEQ, GreenDot Norway, The Netherlands Institute for Sustainable packaging (KIDV) and Fost Plus share their best practices in supporting their members in developing more sustainable packaging. You can read the new publication . On 19 May 2017, the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) agreed on a negotiating mandate to start negotiations with the European Parliament on all four legislative proposals on waste, which are part of the Circular economy package submitted by the Commission on 3 December 2015. The four legislative proposals introduce additional measures to reduce waste generation, control waste management, boost recycling and cut resource use. They aim at bringing benefits to our economy, environment and health. These new proposals amend six waste related legislation as follows: The Council mandate is the result of intensive work and discussions on all four proposals during three Council Presidencies (NL, SK and MT). The Maltese Presidency obtained support to initiate talks with the European Parliament with a view to a possible first reading agreement and the first trilogue meeting was scheduled on 30 May. Negotiations are expected to focus on a number of outstanding elements, including the definitions, the setting of binding targets and their calculation rules, end-of-waste criteria, extended producer responsibility schemes and waste prevention. You can read the full Press release of the Council of the EU Estonia took over the Presidency from Malta on 1 July 2017. The Estonian Presidency is willing to push forward EU policy to deliver on the Paris targets. Therefore, it committed to make substantial progress on all climate policy files – emissions trading system (ETS), the effort sharing Regulation (ESR), land-use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF), and ETS aviation. The waste package currently on the table is one of the fundamental pillars of a resource-efficient circular economy. Negotiations are ongoing and the Presidency said it is committed to find an agreement by the end of the Presidency. Other key environment priorities of the Estonian Presidency include: RELEVANT DATES 13-14 July Informal Environment Council in Tallinn 13 October Environment Council in Luxembourg 19 December Environment Council The dedicated plastics strategy of the EC aims to help Europe improve recycling, cut marine litter, and remove potentially dangerous chemicals. The Commission published the of the Communication on Plastics in a Circular Economy (including action on marine litter) on January 2017, which sets out to inform all stakeholders about the Commission’s work, enabling them to participate efficiently in future consultation activities. The working paper states that the roadmap is not definitive and does not prejudge the Commission’s final decision. Currently targeted public consultation with different stakeholders led by DG ENV is taking place. With its strategy for plastics, the EU is not only wishing to set out the problems, but is also intending to put forward possible solutions along the whole plastics value chain. Central topics here are better recycling, waste prevention, eco design and measures to boost markets for secondary raw materials. The concept, which is being worked on by both the and the , is to be finalised by the end of the year. Next steps: • Targeted public consultation led by DG ENV • Commission’s Stakeholder Conference • Publication of the strategy on plastics This report, launched at the World Circular Economy Forum 2017, explores the circular economy from a product perspective, applying a systemic approach and transition theory. Drivers of product design and usage are discussed in the context of emerging consumption trends and business models. For governance to be effective, it has to address the product life-cycle and the societal context determining it. Indicators and assessment tools are proposed that can help fill the current data and knowledge gaps. Building on the concept as presented in the first EEA circular economy report (EEA, 2016a), “Circular economy in Europe: Developing the knowledge base?”, this report highlights the importance of product-related aspects, such as eco-design, innovation incentives, business models and production-consumption trends. The focus is on the systemic drivers of product design and use, and their implications for the governance of the transition to a circular economy. You can read the report . Singapore, currently having a non-binding Packaging and packaging waste Agreement (SPA), announced the mandatory reporting of packaging data and packaging waste reduction plans by 2021. On 5 June 2017, the Singapore National Environment Agency (NEA) organized the 10th Anniversary Packaging Agreement Conference. Theme of the event was « Legislation, technology and partnership : a multi-pronged approach towards sustainable packaging waste management ». The NEA invited international guest speakers from Asia, Australia and Europe to share information on their packaging and packaging waste management plus to discuss sustainable packaging waste management and circularity. Steve Claus, who worked at Fost Plus and currently is running his own consulting business, provided high level insights into EU’s regulations and EXPRA plus indepth info on the Belgian model for household packaging waste management. The latter included inter alia a closer look at how obliged industry reports its packaging data, being a detailed declaration for big companies and simplified declarations for SME. With regards to this packaging data, the Singapore Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, announced at the event the mandatory reporting of packaging data and packaging waste reduction plans by 2021. FTI is planning its own facility for plastic packaging & new information campaign with the singer Titiyo. Sweden has high ambitions for the recycling of plastic packaging. FTI’s goal is not only to achieve but to exceed these targets. Alongside our work to increase the volume of collected packaging and raise awareness of specific recyclable materials, we also need to ensure that the subsequent process functions. Meaning, there are facilities with the capacity to receive and process collected materials, and ensure that there is a market for the sale of the materials. There is currently a major capacity shortage throughout Europe, which will intensify as collection volumes increase. Consequently, FTI has been considering various solutions since 2013. FTI has now chosen to create a business case for launching a proprietary facility with the capacity for daily intakes of some of the plastic packaging collected from Swedish households through recycling stations or curbside collection services. The goal of the facility is to be able to recycle more than 80% of collected plastic packaging as new products. If all decisions can be made as planned, the facility will commence operation in about two years from now, in 2019. On April 7, FTI launched Titiyo as new ambassador for the “Old Things Become New” campaign. She has decided to recycle her 1989 hit – Talking to the Man in the Moon.Between December 16 and February 2, we placed advertisements in Facebook (FB) and YouTube (YT) about matters such as myths. The ad received considerable attention and commenting, with 1.3 million views (exceeding 3 seconds), 359 shares and 291 comments. The production was largely implemented on a voluntary basis. Our remuneration was equivalent to 10% of the normal value. The considerably high quality entailed significantly more and longer viewings, and to date, about 30% more visits to the campaign site than during the corresponding period in autumn. In April and May, the combined exposure of the video/image/text on Facebook, YouTube and Google Network was 8,035,608 views. Since September 23, when the latgammaltblinytt.nu (oldthingsbecomenew) campaign was launched, a total of 90,000 visitors have been generated. Video: Talking the man in the moon (recycled version) You can watch the video Green Dot Cyprus created a Recycling kit to strengthen its relationship with those who are interested in recycling. The Recycling Kit is given as a gift to the winners of the various contests made on Green Dot Cyprus's Facebook page. The Recycling kit includes PMD and Paper recycling bags, brochures for packaging, batteries and electrical and electronic devices recycling and small gifts that remind citizens to participate in the recycling programs. Recycling Kit Recycling in Limassol Carnival Green Dot Cyprus has actively supported the voluntary initiative of Friends of the Earth Cyprus and Let`s Do It Cyprus by collecting 250 bags of recyclable materials from the Carnival of Limassol. The collection of recyclable packaging was carried out by volunteers from both organizations, who followed the parade and collected the recyclable materials. The carnival parade in Limassol is the largest carnival parade in Cyprus that attracts a lot of people every year and thus creates a lot of waste. EXPRA Member Ecoembes launches first Circular Economy innovation, research and testing centre in Europe: TheCircularLab. This is a pioneering project in Europe that,through joint collaborative research within the circular economy framework, seeks to study, conceive, test and apply best practices in the field of packaging and recycling. Based in Logroño, Spanish region of Rioja, TheCircularLab aims to become an international reference in circular economy matters. Its goal is to turn the region into a large real-scale experimentation centre, in close cooperation with companies, the public administration and citizens. It also expects to develop circular economy patterns that are transferable to other areas in Spain, Europe and worldwide. ÇEVKO started a study with the collaboration of the Turkish Republic, Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority-AFAD, and United Nations Development Program-UNDP, to raise awareness of environment and the separate collection of waste to be recycled, among the Syrians under temporary protection and settled in a total of six accommodation centers in Urfa and Kilis. After the signing of the contract on 21st June 2016, and with the contracts between Harran University in Urfa, and the Gazi Kültür A.Ş. – a partner of Metropolitan Municipality of Gaziantep- working teams were formed, and following the trainings field operations commenced with posters. During the trainings firstly the staff at the accommodation centers informed the cleaning personnel of the work to be done, and later they started to give the Syrians the necessary information. The trainings are being given in the “Green Training Container”, which was provided within the scope of the project, and by the staff trained by ÇEVKO, using presentations and films prepared in Arabic. Fifty percent of the population targeted as of the end of 2016 has been reached. In 2017, together with the training of the adults within “the training of the trainer”, there will be seminars for the educators at the centers. All the necessary training material is in Arabic. GreenPak Cooperative was presented with a Special Award during Koperattivi Malta’s 20thAnniversary event. Koperattivi Malta, a non-political organization, promotes the co-operative business model and its social responsibility dimension. GreenPak was judged to merit this award for bringing together a large number of companies to finance vital waste recycling services to the community despite that they are engaged in business competition between them. Other criteria mentioned for granting the award to GreenPak included its consistency in achieving positive results, for championing the merits of education in recycling and for distinguishing itself in the ability to lead other businesses to adopt sustainable practices. Two projects that stood out were GreenPak’s ‘Nirrickla ghall-Istrina’ and ‘Irrickla u Irbah’ educational campaigns. For the past six years, GreenPak has each year promoted schools and businesses to collect plastic caps. Millions of caps are collected and the proceedings go towards a charity campaign called ‘l-Istrina’. The altruistic links between recycling and helping others is a strong feature in this campaign. The ‘Irrickla u Irbah’ campaign, now in its 7th year, promotes recycling by randomly selecting members of the public with token gifts. GreenPak’s innovative approach has led to the wide acceptance of the Extended Producer Responsibility model at many levels and is now an integral element of Malta’s environmental policies. CONAI presented the 2nd edition of the Sustainability Report of the Consorzio Nazionale Imballaggi, which showed with numerical evidence the central role of the Consortium in the Italian circular economy, with the generation of environmental, economic and social benefits for Italy 50 million tonnes of packaging waste, for a total of 130 million cubic meters of packaging and the failure to release 40 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. These are the quantities of waste for which CONAI and the Consortium system have ensured recycling from 1998 to 2016, ranging from just under 190,000 tonnes in 1998 to just over 4 million tonnes in 2016 and avoiding the construction of 130 medium sized landfills. In 20 years, the recycling rate in Italy grew more than double the EU average, filling the gap of 15 percentage points that our country set off, with performance approaches to the reference model in Europe, Germany . In 2016, thanks to the recycling of packaging waste, primary energy was saved for 19 TWh, equivalent to the consumption of 11 power plants above 1 GWh, while energy recovery allowed the production of Electricity for 140 GWh. In addition, carbon dioxide emissions of 3.6 million tonnes have been saved thanks to the recycling start-up, with a total value of 40.6 million tonnes in 20 years. The Sustainability Report is available The 2017 edition of the Fost Plus Academic Session in May was a great success. The Organization presented its impressive results in packaging waste recycling - 87.4% and recovery - 90.1%, achieved in 2016, which reinforce its position of European leader. This event was also an opportunity for Fost Plus to provide exhaustive information and take stock of two major projects: “P +” and public cleanliness. To this end, Belgian and foreign representatives from the public, political, operational and corporate sectors were able to present their views through two separate round tables. The main conclusion from the first round table was that close collaboration between producers and recyclers is necessary if we want to recycle more packaging. The problem of litter is a behavioral problem, the changing of which takes time. To this end, two operational teams, Mooimakers in Flanders (www.mooimakers.be) and Wallonie Plus Propre in Wallonia (www.walloniepluspropre.be), mobilize all parties and carry out targeted actions to fight with littering. Mooimakers (= the public-private initiative for the fight against litter in Flanders, financed and piloted by Belgian packaging industry through Fost Plus), wants to free Flanders from litter. To achieve this, we don’t ask much: just throwing your litter into the waste bin is enough. Just like you do at home actually, because you don’t litter at home, do you? This is the message we want to spread with our new campaign, which started on the 5th of June. The coming weeks we will be on the radio, on social media, on local events, expressways and so on. We try to be everywhere where it matters (so mostly the places out-of-home where littering is a big problem). To stimulate the engagement of the citizens, we also organize a competition for everyone who uses our posters (asking their neighbors or visitors to ‘act as if you were at home, don’t litter’) and they can win a window-cleaner for a whole year! Who wouldn’t like that?! Curious about our campaign: we invite you to visit the or the Facebook-page. ? The Walloon environmental protection organisation Wallonie Plus Propre launched a regional awareness campaign in June, aimed at raising public awareness by showing the reality of daily life. An upsetting reality that should prompt people to change their behaviour in terms of public cleanliness. The campaign includes a radio commercial, a television commercial, an Internet advert and a poster on TEC public transport buses. Everyone is invited to visit the to find examples of practical actions and behaviour that can be used in daily life. These examples are intended not only for the citizens in general, but also especially for schools, local administrations and businesses. The campaign will continue during summer at festivals where Wallonie Plus Propre will fight against cigarette stubs littering. In September, the tone of the campaign will change slightly, aiming to recruit cleanliness ambassadors. Ecopack Bulgaria took the first place in the category Recycling and Waste Management. The company has earned its distinction, apart from its professional work and leadership position in Bulgaria, and its investment of more than BGN 2.5 million in the first glass sorting facility in color, which has the capacity to process 100 tons of glass packaging per day. For the seventh consecutive year on World Environment Day - June 5, the Green Oscars were awarded. The prestigious award was awarded to large and small companies that have made significant changes in their environmental performance over the past year and are developing their business according to environmental standards. In the National Competition "The Greenest Companies in Bulgaria", over 50 companies from all spheres of the economy in Bulgaria competed in 16 categories. Municipalities, state-owned enterprises, non-governmental organizations, and even start-ups were also involved. Dear Reader, I do sincerely hope that you had some time to welcome and enjoy the coming of the spring, despite the busy period and the ongoing debates and discussions around the Circular Economy Package! The spring is the very season, with the nature waking up, which makes us more conscious about how to keep our home, our city or village and our countries green and clean! A very appropriate time, when here in Brussels finally the voting on the WFD and the PPWD in the Plenary of the European Parliament took place and with a big majority gave a strong mandate to MEP Bonafe to negotiate her report with the Council of Member States. The discussions among Member States are also moving faster forward and we hope that the Council would have already a good basis for the trialogue negotiations to be started probably in the middle of this year. EXPRA like all major stakeholders in Brussels, is continuing its efforts in presenting and defending our position and proposals, especially in regards to the EPR general requirements and the measuring of recycling objectively and fairly, ensuring that recycling quality guaranteed by respective standards for the benefit of our members, obliged industry and of course in the end for all our inhabitants. Of course in this process we are relying on networking and joining forces with like minded associations in order to provide for a sound and realistic legal framework which will contribute in practice for a genuine Circular economy and best performing EPR systems. Wishing you a happy Easter Holidays and time to enjoy family and friends! Enjoy your reading! On Wednesday 29 March, an EPR Club event led by EXPRA took place. Stakeholders within the EPR Club agreed to work together towards finding common ground around a new EU-wide calculation method for recycling. The latter must optimise current recycling practices and considerably enhance waste materials’ quality. In so doing, EPR Club stakeholders recognise that the European Commission’s proposal, under the revised waste legislation, is not ideal. In particular, this concerns the suggested ‘default measurement’ which could often take place following a number of preliminary operations in the recycling plant. This calculation would neither be feasible nor reliable. On behalf of EXPRA, Paul Christiaens, Senior Business Analyst / International Relations Manager, Afvalfonds Verpakkingen, gave a presentation on EXPRA’s position on recycling and measurement point. In his presentation he again underlined that following EXPRA’s own assessment of the effect of changing the current recycling calculation on the circular economy, . At the same time, EXPRA is fully aligned behind the need for ensuring that waste materials that are accounted for as recycled have adequate . This is why we are also proposing that, in parallel, be introduced at EU level, building on current national best practice. The discussion that followed reflected a preliminary alignment behind certain premises such as the quality dimension and the need to shift to market-driven recycling. Some examples also emerged on existing national and material-specific quality standards, which could, in fact, be used to back up our approach. The proposal for a certification for recyclers was furthermore acknowledged. Towards a Circular Economy: Extended Producer Responsibility makes a difference, by Joachim Quoden, Managing Director, EXPRA The latest EMF report “A New Plastics Economy: Catalysing action”, which was launched at the World Economic Forum in January, focused, once again, on the global impact of human activities on nature. The report raised a number of questions and suggested concrete actions for a genuine system shift guided by Circular Economy principles. The European Union has been discussing the transition towards a Circular Economy for some years now. The debate pivots around waste legislative proposals defining efficient waste management practices, with a 2030 horizon, and other sustainable patterns of consumption and production required to close the loop. Plastics are at the core of this transformation. This is why the European Commission is set to publish, by the end of this year, a specific EU strategy on plastics. It will focus on decoupling plastics production from virgin fossil feedstock; improving the economics, quality and uptake of plastic recycling and reuse; and reducing plastic leakage into the environment. As mentioned by the EMF report, we also promote a collaborative approach between the public and the private sector, across the whole value chain. The fact that so many leading businesses have committed to working within the New Plastic Economy towards a genuine system shift becomes central to the initiative’s success. This is, precisely, what the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is about - its basic feature is that actors across the packaging value chain - and, in particular, manufacturers, importers and retailers - assume a significant degree of responsibility for the environmental impact of their products throughout their life ­cycle. This includes products’ ‘upstream’ impact linked to the selection of materials, product design and production processes as such, as well as ‘downstream’ impact relating to the products’ use and disposal. EPR moreover provides incentives for eco-design while contributing to sustainable production and consumption policies. The ambitions target for plastic packaging recycling (50 per cent), suggested within the EMF report, is equivalent to the one being currently discussed by the European Parliament and Council of the European Union, albeit with a different timing. We do, actually, believe that harmonisation on the EU level is needed. However, for these efforts to be workable, some policy solutions are yet to be found. Amongst these lies the issue of how best to calculate waste which is actually recycled. Following our own assessment of the effect of recycling measurement on the circular economy, we believe that recycled waste should be measured at the gate of the recycling plant. In fact, reliable data can only be ascertained upon entrance to the recycling plant. At the same time, we are fully aligned behind the need for ensuring that waste materials that are accounted for as recycled have adequate quality attributes. This is why we are also proposing that, in parallel, specific quality standards for waste materials be introduced at EU level, building on current national best practice. On Tuesday 14 March, the European Parliament plenary held a debate on the reports on the legislative proposals on waste. Throughout the debate MEPs thanked the Rapporteur for good job and congratulated on the final ENVI report. By 2030, at least 70% by weight of so-called municipal waste (from households and businesses) should be recycled or prepared for re-use, (i.e. checked, cleaned or repaired), say MEPs. The European Commission proposed 65%. For packaging materials, such as paper and cardboard, plastics, glass, metal and wood, MEPs propose an 80% target for 2030, with interim 2025 targets for each material. The draft law limits the share of municipal waste to be landfilled to 10% by 2030. MEPs propose reducing this to 5%albeit with a possible five-year extension, under certain conditions, for member states which landfilled more than 65% of their municipal waste in 2013. Food waste in the EU is estimated at some 89 million tonnes, or 180 kg per capita per year. MEPs advocate an EU food waste reduction target of 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030, compared to 2014. They also propose a similar target for marine litter. The four adopted reports represent Parliament’s negotiating position, ahead of negotiations with Council of ministers, which yet has to adopt its own position. On Monday 20 March, Commission Vice-President Katainen presented to the Environment Committee the European Commission’s view on the Commission Eco-design Working Plan 2016-2019. The Commissioner made the following points in course of the debate: The Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Directives lay down conditions and criteria for implementing measures that set out binding requirements for specific product groups. Priorities for product groups to be investigated are established through regular Working Plans. On 30 November 2016, the Commission published its communication on the Ecodesign Working Plan, setting out the priorities under the ecodesign and energy labelling framework for 2016 to 2019. The Plan presents ongoing work and upcoming reviews of existing measures, identifies additional product groups to be further examined, and sets out how ecodesign will contribute better to circular economy objectives. In the coming years, the Commission plans to finalise ongoing regulatory work on products identified in previous working plans and to undertake the review of existing measures. The Commission will examine how aspects relevant to the circular economy, such as resource efficiency, reparability, recyclability and durability can be assessed and taken on board. The Commission also wants to start preparatory studies for already 4 identified new product groups. The Communication also addresses international cooperation, convergence of test and measurement methods, and minimum energy performance requirements. Following the European Parliament’s plenary vote, 36 packaging value chain associations agreed on common recommendations for the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) and Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) to the EU institutions. EXPRA also co-signed the statement. The recommended actions, in addition to ensuring full implementation and enforcement of existing EU laws, include: The PCF members can put this document into the work of each individual advocacy efforts. You can read the recommendations After producer responsibility for consumer packaging was transferred from municipalities to producer organisations on 1 January 2016, some sceptics asked if this action would cause consumers to be less keen to recycle. This question was prompted by the policy adopted by RINKI and the producer organisations. Juha-Heikki Tanskanen, the CEO of RINKI stated "After producer responsibility for consumer packaging was transferred from municipalities to producer organisations on 1 January 2016, some sceptics asked if this action would cause consumers to be less keen to recycle. This question was prompted by the policy adopted by RINKI and the producer organisations to focus the Rinki eco take-back points in areas where people go, i.e. near supermarkets. The number of less-frequented points in smaller population centres was reduced at the same time. Based on the experiences of the first year, we can say that people are just as keen to recycle as before, if not more so, thanks to the new Rinki eco take-back points located at supermarkets as well as the opportunity to now recycle plastic packaging. More packaging waste is also collected directly from homes and offices now that municipalities and their waste management companies expand their collection operations" You can read the full article Under the patronage of the President of Malta, GreenPak collects plastic caps for recycling in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF). The more plastic caps collected, the more the donation for Istrina! Running for the seventh consecutive year, this year’s campaign aims to improve on the 2016 campaign, when GreenPak recycled over 14 million caps, having a total weight of almost 43 tonnes. The plastic caps were collected from 144 schools and 52 other entities including scout groups, social organizations, clubs, companies and Local Councils. The sum of €20,000 was raised for the Community Chest Fund Foundation in 2016! You can read more about this initiative The Association for human & social development "Project Happiness" on Pakomak initiative, implemented first theater performance for children from primary schools, shaped as interactive project with useful and educational information about recycling and environment. After the first performance in Prilep the theater caravan continued in Kavadarci, Skopje, Bitola, Bogdanci, Strumica, Kumanovo, Stip and the goal was to reach the kids all over the country and educate them about environment and recycling in fun way, adjusted to their age. Children learn best by playing and this interactive project is full of interesting educational facts that are easily applicable in everyday life. Awakening children's imagination & supporting them to apply the same practices that are used by the young actors in the play, the benefits that the community might feel from their actions are long term and therefore it`s worth all available forces to keep moving in that direction. Competition and environmental protection in waste management: The Italian University LUISS-Guido Carli made a study, promoted by CONAI, entitled "Management of waste packaging in Italy: profiles and critical competitive questions". The aim is to contribute to the identification of solutions to ensure a reasonable balance between the achievement of environmental goals and the increase of competition in the waste management sector. The research analyzes key profiles and competitive organization of the packaging waste management. The Italian model, based on the centrality of the not for profit consortium system operating in the whole territory and respecting the private operators (subsidiarity), ensures the management of packaging waste throughout the national territory and for all types of packaging waste (universality). This model is able to avoid the creation of cherry picking problems leaving uncovered geographic areas or not to recycle or recover parts that do not generate economic returns. You can read the document ÇEVKO Foundation conducted a survey in İstanbul in 11 districts (Ataşehir, Avcılar, Bağcılar, Bakırköy, Beşiktaş, Kadıköy, Kartal, Maltepe, Pendik, Şişli, Zeytinburnu) with 500 face to face, and 1,133 digital interviews involving the general Turkish public. “The Recycling of Packaging Waste Perception Survey With the İstanbul and Turkey General Public Consumers” has ended. The participants of the survey which was conducted by an independent research company were consumers who were over 18; of AB, C, DE socio-economic status with an age average of 35, consisting of 34% women Turkey-wide, and 48% in İstanbul. The consumers answered questions on their consideration for the nature; how they reflected this consideration on their consumption habits; whether they collected packaging waste separetely or not; and if they had enough knowledge about the separate collection of waste by the district municipality they were connected to. Consumer results within İstanbul! The results of the Perception Survey revealed that 23% of the consumers “bought brands that show consideration for the nature”; 15% “preferred to buy brands showing consideration for the nature despite their high prices”; and 32% “collected packaging waste separately and deposited it into the recycling bins” When asked if their district municipality collected packaging waste separately, 47% of the consumers said “they knew that their municipality collected waste separately”; 40% had no information on the subject; and 13% claimed that their municipality did not collect packaging waste separately. The consumers living in İstanbul were also asked whether they collected separately glass packaging waste, which requires special care due to the content. The rate of consumers who said they collected glass packaging waste together with other packaging stuff was 51%. These rates were higher with consumers who attended the surveys made on the internet. The analysis of the results for the whole of Turkey showed that digitally-aware people had a more responsible attitude towards nature, and that there was an increase in the rates of collecting waste separately. 62% of the consumers in this group pointed out that they “bought brands showing consideration for the nature” while the rate of the consumers who “preferred brands that show consideration for the nature despite their high prices” was 44%. The rate of the general consumer collecting packaging waste separately within İstanbul was 32%. However, this rate went up to 70% with users who have digital awareness. In addition, the rate of digitally-aware consumers collecting glass packaging waste separately from other packaging waste was higher with a ratio of 57%. They were also asked if their district municipalities in İstanbul collected glass waste separately. The answer to this was “Yes” with a ratio of 71%, and “No” with a ratio of 29%. In order to recycle packaging waste for the country economy, social consciousness must be increased! Mete İmer pointed out that recycling was of utmost importance in the combat with climate change, which is a great threat for the world, and that social consciousness in all segments of the population should be increased. İmer also drew attention to the fact that in an economic and sustainable recycling system, glass packaging waste should be collected separately from other types of waste and properly dispatched for recycling. Meter İmer went on to say the questions asked to the consumers proved that their works as a foundation to establish in Turkey a sustainable recycling system, which is an indication of being developed, were appreciated by the consumers. İmer added that to be recognised with a rate of 70% was a driving force that motivated them, and said, “As ÇEVKO Foundation we will continue to work for a sustainable recycling system which will increase our prosperity as a nation, bring numerous benefits to the environment, nature, and our economy as long as all parties concerned carry out their responsibilities on this topic.” ECOPACK Bulgaria and FM + Radio joined forces in the name of a cleaner, greener and more beautiful cities. Every day, between 1 and 2 pm., the famous hosts of the radio show will be on the green phone line to take citizen’s eco ideas. Inhabitants are invited to call and share the problems related to waste management and nature protection as an element of the urban environment. They should answer the following question: What three things would you do for your city to become a cleaner, more beautiful and greener? The green ideas and comments will be collected until mid April, 2017, and the grand prize for the best idea will be a weekend break for two in Bulgarian muntain resort. The initiative is named Be WaPP ( llonie lus ropre) and was set up with the aim of improving public cleanness in Wallonia by focusing on behavior change. It is the result of a partnership agreement signed on 1 February 2016 between Wallonia and companies that place packed products on the Belgian market (via the Fost Plus, Fevia, Comeos federations) to combat negative impact of improper behaviour on public cleanness. Public cleanness is a complex societal issue, which requires the involvement and collaboration of all, at all levels. Be WaPP's mission is to become a reference and knowledge center for public cleanliness and a catalyst for action. To this end, it has as its ambition, by providing adequate financial and operational resources, to: You can read more about the initiative The objective of the campaign, which will be present in the mainstream media, is to make tangible the importance to the environment of the recycling of the packaging waste which is deposited in the yellow container. DEAR READER Another year of crucial importance for EXPRA and its members is near its end. Like 2015 this year was full of challenges, but also we can be proud with positive results in promoting our believes among the major stakeholders and especially the EU Institutions: the Commission, the Parliament and the Council. I believe that we could all agree that 2016 was under the sign of the Circular Economy Package. We all witnessed the major interest the package and especially the waste legislative proposals met in the Parliament – over 2000 amendments, submitted by the EP ENVI and ITRE Committees’ members. The discussions in the Council are also taking more time than expected and there are issues, which need to be discussed further like exemptions, the overall level of ambition of the legally binding targets across the legislative package and how to take into account efforts on re-use. And this attention is logical, given the major importance of the Package: still it is not only about legislation or waste management but much more. The Circular Economy concerns also a major change in our every day behavior and our way of thinking as consumers. Do we need to buy new clothes every month, do we need to change/buy new appliances when there is a slight problem, are we saving resources in the office and at home? I believe that the change should start from every one of us! And I would like to note that EXPRA members are promoting environmentally responsible behavior from many years. As you can see in our News from members section, apart from the recovery and recycling targets implementation, there are numerous information and public awareness campaigns implemented every year by each EXPRA member. We at EXPRA see these activities as a major prerequisite for the implementation of our mission: to save resources and care for the environment, without making a profit out of it. We are looking forward to the new challenges in 2017, when we will of course remain actively involved in the discussions and continue to share our thorough knowledge of over 25 years and best practices in end-of-life management of packaging with the European Institutions and other major stakeholders. And last but not least I would like to wish you relaxed holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your reading! The autumn EXPRA General Assembly took place in Brussels on 24 November. The meeting was preceded by the traditional common dinner on 23 November where EXPRA members were joined by external guests from BusinessEurope, ACR+, EucoLight and Tetra Pak. The participants had also the chance to visit the LivingTomorrow museum, where scientists are trying to show how people will live in the future, especially by using the available technology and applications. During the formal part of the General Assembly the budget, the budget distribution method and the membership fees for 2017 were approved. The public part of the General Assembly meeting, where additional guests from Procter & Gamble and EuroCommerce joined, started with a presentation of Mr Julius Langendorff from DG Environment of the European Commission. He explained the main topics of discussion in the Council of Member states with relevance for EXPRA and its members, including: target levels, the calculation method, EPR, re-use and separate collection. The other speakers at the GA meeting included Ms Andrea Nam from CEN – European Committee for Standardization, who presented the development and functioning of CEN standards and Mr Ales Rod, from the Centre for Economic and Market Analyses (CETA), Czechia, who presented the findings of a study comparing a single service PRO solution with multi service PROs solutions, concluding that within the artificial market of EPR for packaging the multiple PROs are not always the most efficient solution. Ms Maryse Vermette, CEO of our Canadian EXPRA member EEQ presented the Innovative Glass Works Plan which will help EEQ tackle the challenges of glass recycling with major investments and a plan driven by green economy principles. The European Parliament is on course to confirm its position on waste proposals in February, according to MEP Simona Bonafè (S&D), who spoke at the conference organised by the Italian embassy in Belgium and the Italian trade agency on 29 November. “But I don’t expect we’ll be able to start negotiating with the Council in March,” the MEP stated. As the MEP steering the talks in the environment committee, she noted that the Council still disagrees on some crucial points, which may prevent Malta, the incoming Council presidency, from making fast progress. A contact within the upcoming Maltese Presidency inferred, however, that the Parliament could directly hold its Plenary vote in March. Ms Bonafè moreover clarified that she expects the environment committee, which is due to vote on the position in January, to take more or less the line of her proposals published in May, including broadly accepting the proposed targets. However, the targets also depend on the methodology chosen, she added. “We also intend to strengthen all the prevention measures,” Ms Bonafè said. “I’m not a big fan of targets – they are a way of seeing how well we’re doing promoting the circular economy,” she said, adding that the landfill target is the key one in terms of reducing waste. During the Council meeting, the Environment Ministers held a public discussion on the progress made by the Slovak Presidency on negotiations on the legislative proposals on waste. The Presidency highlighted that a common understanding has been reached on issues such as by-products, early warning report, reporting and delegation of powers to the Commission. However, further clarifications are needed when it comes to definitions, calculation rules, end-of-waste criteria, economic instruments, EPR schemes and prevention of waste. The Council under the Maltese Presidency will further discuss exemptions, the overall level of ambition of the legally binding targets across the legislative package and how to take into account efforts on re-use. During the Council meeting, the Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change of Malta, Dr Jose Herrera presented Malta’s Presidency priorities at the Council of the European Union on environment in Brussels. Dr Herrera said that Malta would like to focus on initiatives that will promote a competitive, resource-efficient and low-carbon economy within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Regarding the Circular Economy agenda he said that Malta together with its counterparts will further advance the Circular Economy agenda by making substantial progress in negotiating proposals to amend six Waste Directives. Additionally, the Maltese Presidency plans on progressing on a number of other open as well as new files, including the amendment to the scope of the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive, the recast of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation, the Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives, and the Environmental Implementation Review. Last, but not least, Member States, together with the Commission, expressed their desire to swiftly reach the consensus on the outstanding issues under the Maltese Presidency so that the negotiations with the European Parliament can start as soon as possible. The Communication mentions that the Commission will improve the methodological basis for a more systematic adoption of requirements related to material efficiency in product Regulations, both new and due for review. To this end a standardisation request to the European Standardisation Organisations on material efficiency aspects has been adopted (2015). The scope of this request covers, primarily, the following aspects: • Extending product lifetime • Ability to re-use components or recycle materials from products at end-of-life • Use of re-used components and/or recycled materials in product The ongoing work on the Product Environmental Footprint is to also contribute to this objective. This document was released together alongside the following pieces: • Regulation on eco-design requirements for air heating and cooling products and chillers, Annexes 1-5 • Regulation on tolerances in verification procedures for all eco-design measures, Annexes 1-25 • Regulation on tolerances in verification procedures for all eco-labelling measures, Annexes 1-15 • Guidelines on eco-design self-regulation measures for industry, Annex • [available soon] Impact assessment on the regulation on eco-design requirements for heating and cooling products and chillers The Academies Science Advisory Council, which gathers national academies providing independent scientific advice to European policy-makers, launched two new reports on the circular economy: "Priorities for critical materials for a circular economy" and "Indicators for a circular economy". These reports serve as a contribution to the on-going discussion on what the European Union should be measuring to ensure progress towards the circular economy and how to address the shortage of "critical materials" in the future. In its report on critical materials, EASAC offers potential approaches to analysing scarcity and identifying which elements are likely to be at risk of future scarcity. It looks at how to increase the supply of critical materials and how to improve recycling rates for these materials. In the report, EASAC supports the Commission’s proposal to strengthen EPR schemes to incorporate end-of-life costs into product prices and provide incentives for producers to take better into account recyclability and reusability when designing their products. On indicators for the circular economy, EASAC has analysed the ways to assess progress towards the circular economy and will share its insights on the indicators that are most needed in Europe. China and Japan are analysed as case studies. Ebbot Lundberg from The Soundtrack of Our Lives has recycled one of his earlier hits. The music video Passover recycled version no 1 feat. Club Killers is shown on You Tube and on the website www.latgammaltblinytt.nu. We’re taking recycling to a whole new level by also recycling music. Ebbot Lundberg from The Soundtrack of Our Lives has recycled one of his earlier hits. The music video Passover recycled version no 1 feat. Club Killers is shown on You Tube and on the website www.latgammaltblinytt.nu.This campaign has already received a great deal of positive attention and has exceeded several of its targets – but more packaging must be collected to reach our targets for 2020. Right now we are working hard along with producers, municipalities and property owners with the campaign that aims to inspire, inform and motivat households to increase their recycling. The campaign, which kicked off at the end of September, is already gaining a great deal of attention, on Facebook alone we have sofar had a hitrate of 3,700 000 viewings. Therefore, the campaign will continue in 2017. >> See our music video the Passover ) Slovaks do not produce a lot of waste – up to 321 kg per year, but only about 6 % (25 kg) goes for recycling. The new webpage www.triedime.sk can help to consider Slovaks´ attitude towards the environment. If visitors want to know whether they belong to the group of eco-gods, eco-sapiens, eco-lazybones or even to eco-killers, they can go through a test mapping their ecological footprint. Children love waste sorting. On this idea ENVI - PAK created an online “colouring book” that creatively connects the basic colour alphabet with motivating small children to sort waste. It is designed for desktops, tablets and other mobile devices. Forest animals teach little children that if the waste is sorted properly, it will please them and the nature as well. The information children gain at school will be passed to their parents and grandparents. The online colouring book can be found here: . GreenPak Coop Society won first prize in the second edition of the Sustainable Enterprise Awards. The cooperative was awarded this prize for its popular and engaging ‘Nirriċikla għall-Istrina’ campaign. Malta’s largest waste recovery scheme was presented with the coveted honour by the Minister for the Economy, Investment and Small Business, Dr Chris Cardona. The Ministry together with Cleaner Technology Centre from the University of Malta are the main organisers. Now in its 6th edition, ‘Nirriċikla għall-Istrina’, aims to collect funds for the annual l-Istrina charity telethon through gathering and recycling of plastic bottle caps. During the 2015 campaign, GreenPak recycled over 11.5 million caps which would have otherwise ended up in landfills. The plastic caps were collected from 138 schools and 36 other entities such as local councils, scout groups, band clubs and other organisations. The Sustainable Enterprise Awards were developed in 2015 by the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business in collaboration with Cleaner Technology Centre at the University of Malta to promote the business community’s responsibility towards sustainability in the social community. The Awards reward Maltese enterprises, in particular micro, small and medium-sized enterprises for their efforts to change their practices with the aim of increasing economic, social and environmental sustainability. The winning enterprises are awarded prize money together with a trophy and a certificate. The Sustainable Enterprise Award will be holding its third edition in 2017. Pakomak, in cooperation with Children's Drama Studio, which is part of the Macedonian National Theatre, is organizing education of the Primary school children about the importance of recycling through theater play. With the awakening of children's imagination they will learn about sorting waste and long-term benefits that the community might feel from this activity. For the beginning two shows are being played in two full halls with more than 1.200 children from primary schools, where everyone had fun and learned many new things. The plan is to cover children from more than 10 biggest cities from the country. The content is very interesting, and the fact that involved children are actors as peers with the audience, plays an important role in the way that it was accepted. This is a very important part of the educational process of the young audience, and this long-term project will evolve from year to year. Also for 2016 and 2017 Italy confirms a continuous improvement: according to the estimates contained in the CONAI plan in 2016 is expected 12.6 million tonnes packaging put on the market with a recovery of 9.9 million tons of packaging waste (78.9%), of which 8.4 million tons sent to recycling (67.2%). Estimates in 2017 provide 12.8 million tons put on the market with 10.2 million tonnes recovered (79.7%), of which 8.7 million tonnes due to recycling (68.1%). The Consortia system is engaged in an effort increasing the development separate waste collection in the areas of the country still lagging behind. In 2016 is expected an amount of materials to be recycled for over 3.9 million tonnes (+ 3.9% compared to 2015) with a further increase in 2017 (+ 5.1% in one year), such as effects of CONAI and Consortia initiatives to support the development of separate collection especially in areas of the Center-South. Green Dot Cyprus organized for second consecutive year the Environment & Recycling Festival in Limassol, the second largest city in Cyprus. Green Dot Cyprus organized for second consecutive year the Environment & Recycling Festival in Limassol, the second largest city in Cyprus. The Festival provided an informative, educational and entertaining experience to visitors, as it included more than 20 games and sports, 20 informative kiosks of various environmental and youth NGOs and a lot of music, dance and childrens’ shows. More than 6, 000 people visited the Festival this year. Festival at a glance: Green Dot Cyprus created 10 informative, interesting, and funny videos for “Rethink” Campaign. In these videos the Organization gives practical ideas in a funny way on the principles of Reduction, Reuse and Recycling of waste. This Campaign is an awareness raising campaign for the Reduction, Reuse and Recycling of waste in Cyprus. Videos at a glance: ÇEVKO Foundation, having contributed billions of Turkish Lira to the Turkish economy by promoting the recycling of millions of tons of packaging waste every year in collaboration with the industry, celebrated its 25th anniversary at a special night event. Chairman of ÇEVKO Foundation, Mr Okyar Yayalar, General Manager of ÇEVKO Foundation, Mr Yaşar Nadir Atilla, and General Secretary, Mr Mete İmer and senior executives of the ÇEVKO Foundation along with our distinguished guests attended the event, which was held at the Caddebostan Cultural Center (CMK) on 14 November 2016. The master of ceremonies at this special event was the celebrated news anchor Gülay Özdem and the guests indulged in nostalgia as they listened to the most popular songs from the last 25 years, specially arranged and performed by the “Cinema Symphony Orchestra” and lead singer Zuhal Olcay, under the lead of conductor Hakan Şensoy to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ÇEVKO . Working relentlessly to achieve a sustainable recycling system for two and a half decades! Mr Okyar Yayalar, Chairman of ÇEVKO Foundation, which has been working relentlessly for two and a half decades towards the goal of combating climate change that threatens our planet and raising awareness on recycling in the community in order to obtain environmental and economic benefits, presented a plaque as a token of our appreciation to Mr Fuat Kalyoncu, Cultural Director of the Kadıköy Municipality, which collaborated with our Foundation in multiple major projects. At the 25th Anniversary event, highlights of some of the projects undertaken by ÇEVKO Foundation in the last quarter century were presented. • ÇEVKO Foundation is not only involved in training camps and campaigns to promote environmental awareness and a recycling system (special plays for children, training the trainers, door-to-door briefing visits, events at shopping centers and outdoor events, public service movies, use of advertising signboards and Internet, social media posts, etc.), but also publishes periodicals and organizes national and international congresses and seminars to inform the public. • ÇEVKO Foundation was assigned the status of an “Authorized Organization” by the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in 2005 to assume the recovery requirements for packaging waste of packed good manufacturers and today, it represents and fulfills the recycling requirements for 49 companies in the industry. • Our journey started 25 years ago as a collaborative recycling effort with a handful of municipalities in Istanbul and today, ÇEVKO has instilled the recycling awareness to over 23 million people in collaboration with 161 municipalities and thus, has become one of the highest-ranking NGOs in the eyes of the consumers with regard to public recognition and appreciation in the last two and a half decades. • Since 2003, ÇEVKO Foundation has been a member of the Green Dot System and represents the international “Green Dot” brand in Turkey and of Pro-Europe, along with its affiliations with the ISWA since 2010 and EXPRA, of which it is a founding member since 2013. Our Foundation has leveraged its affiliations with these leading professional organizations to transfer good practices and experiences to our country and managed to translate its recycling efforts into unique environmental and economic benefits. Environmental and economic benefits! Since its recognition as an authorized organization in 2005, ÇEVKO Foundation has significantly contributed to energy savings and preservation of natural resources by recovering 4.7 million tons of packaging waste and played a role in providing the following environmental and economic benefits: • Trees: 32.5 million trees; equivalent to 160866 acres of forest land, • Water savings: 50.6 million m3; equivalent to the annual water consumption of 760 thousand individuals, • Power savings: 20.4 billion kWh; equivalent to the annual power consumption of 7.4 Million households, • Storage area: 27.7 million m3; enough to fill 11 thousand Olympic-sized swimming pools, • Fossil fuel: 942.6 million liters; enough to fill 21 million vehicles. New President of Fost Plus & The sustainable management of household packaging in Belgium in numbers Baudouin Van Eeckhout is a civil engineer in construction and a graduate in economics from UCL. He has more than twenty years of experience in retailing. He is currently Honorary Vice President of Delhaize Group where he also served as Vice President Technical & Indirect Procurement - Europe and Technical Director (Delhaize Le Lion). On the occasion of his designation, Mr Van Eeckhout stated: "I accepted this mission with pride because I have always felt that the very pragmatic approach of Fost Plus has proved its efficiency by placing a country as complex as Belgium on the world podium in Recycling. " On the occasion of the European Week of Waste Reduction, Fost Plus takes stock of the contribution to the sustainable development of the Belgian recycling system for packaging, which is at the heart of its mission. The choices made by packaging managers, public authorities and operators make it possible to place Belgium among the best performing countries in Europe in this field and are also beneficial for the environment. These results are possible thanks to the active participation of citizens, who sort their packaging waste according the instructions and the sustained efforts of the companies involved. In addition to funding the system, it should be noted that the obliged industry plays an active role also in the development of eco-designed packaging and in recycling. Given the very high quality of sorted waste sent for recycling, end-of-life packaging should not be considered as a waste, but as a "secondary" raw material. The Fost Plus approach is therefore fully in line with the circular economy, which aims to use resources in a more sustainable way. Indeed, the reuse and recycling of a maximum of materials have a positive impact on the environment: less waste, lower energy consumption, less CO2 emissions, etc. The few indicators listed in the graphic bellow, summarize the contribution of the Belgian management of household packaging for sustainable development. Québec is tackling the challenges of glass recycling with major investments and a plan driven by green economy principles A true first in North America, the Innovative Glass Works Plan set out by Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) puts forward a practical solution for 100% of the glass collected through curbside recycling in Québec. This fall, ÉEQ revealed the names of the five centres that will test cutting-edge glass cleaning and sorting equipment in conditions that are specific to the Québec context. Ten market studies are also underway to determine the potential of different outlet initiatives for the glass collected from co-mingling bins. The Innovative Glass Works Plan is funded with €4.8 M contributed by the companies that market containers, packaging and printed matter in Québec and which finance municipal curbside recycling services. For more information, go to The first-of-its-kind facility in Bulgaria, sorting glass waste by color, upgraded thanks to a BGN 2.5 million investment by ECOPACK Bulgaria, has the capacity to process 100 tons of glass packaging per day. The Ravno Pole facility was officially opened on 11 November 2016 in the presence of Ivelina Vassileva, Minister of the Environment and Water, Yordanka Fandukova, Mayor of Sofia Municipality and Svetoslav Atanasov, CEO of Coca-Cola HBC and Chair of the Board of Directors of Ecopack Bulgaria. Minister Vassileva stressed the benefits for the environment from this investment and more notably, reduced amount of glass packaging waste going to landfills, reduced use of natural resources in the production of new packaging, saved electricity and harmful emissions. The investment in new technologies has doubled the capacity of the facility and has reduced by half the level of contaminants in the ready raw material. It guarantees higher quality and allows automated color sorting of the glass. “This is good news for the recycling plants in Bulgaria, as well as for the manufacturers of products sold in glass containers – they will receive cleaner raw material and hence, higher-quality packaging,” said Todor Bourgoudjiev, Executive Director of ECOPACK Bulgaria, further stressing that “the effective management of the separate waste collection system allows investing in modern technologies”. The upgraded facility has the capacity to sort half of all the glass packaging put in circulation on the Bulgarian market. Such an investment was also necessitated by the established higher quality standards for glass cullet to be classified as a secondary raw material. Furthermore, in the past three years, ECOPACK Bulgaria clients have reported an overall 30% increase in glass packaging as set against only 15% increase in all other types of packaging in circulation. Last but not least, the EC Circular Economy Package proposes increasing glass recycling targets to 75% by 2025 (the current target is 60%). Already September is over and the work has started with full speed again. During the summer we already began to study the proposed amendments by the ITRE Committee of the European Parliament which, together with the amendments tabled by the ENVI Committee now are over 2000. Obviously this is a challenge also for the MEPS, their advisors and assistants as the voting in the ENVI Committee has been postponed from November to January 2017. The forthcoming discussions in Parliament and Council about the new waste legislation of course will continue to be a priority for all major stakeholders in the forthcoming challenging months and possibly years. Based on the vast experience and expertise of its members, EXPRA will continue to provide relevant information to stakeholders on technical matters related to packaging waste management like for example, the measurement point of recycling. Still, alongside with the CEP, a major event for all waste management professionals was the ISWA 2016 World Congress that took place in Novi Sad, Serbia from 19 to 21 September. EXPRA played an important role during the Congress: chairing Sessions on Good Governance and on EPR, delivering presentations during the Deposit Session and the Session on Communication and Behavioural change. During the Session on EPR, the updated OECD Guidance on Extended Producer Responsibility for Efficient Waste Management was officially launched. This report updates the 2001 Guidance Manual for Governments on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and looks at some of the new design and implementation challenges and opportunities of EPR policies, takes into account recent efforts undertaken by governments to better assess the cost and environmental effectiveness of EPR and its overall impact on the market, and addresses some of the specific issues in emerging market economies. For the first time as part of the formal program of the ISWA Congress, Sessions on Informal Sector were included where also EXPRA had a major role. As the informal valuable waste collection is rapidly developing in Europe and has a major impact on the waste management sector, EXPRA EPR Working group has developed a position paper and a project for estimating the impact of the informal sector activities on the EPR systems. Wishing a good start into the busy autumn season, Enjoy your reading! With EU waste legislation currently under discussion in the Parliament and Council, EXPRA is calling on European policymakers to safeguard the primary role Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has to play in transitioning towards a circular economy. It should be acknowledged that producers and the organisations implementing EPR on their behalf perform general interest services by contributing to environmental protection, economic efficiency and social responsibility. Respectively, their non-profit character should be recognised within legislation. EXPRA strongly welcomes the inclusion of common, general requirements for EPR schemes within the revised Waste Framework Directive (WFD). These should be maintained under the Waste Framework Directive, and tailored to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive so as to ensure efficient and effective EPR systems which beneficially serve society. The Alliance recalls that each stakeholder can only be made financially responsible for the costs falling under their remit. In this respect their costs need to be clearly spelt-out and properly demarcated. Furthermore companies are neither the main littering source nor have extended responsibility over it. As litter clean-up is directly linked to consumer misbehaviour, it should therefore be dealt with as a waste preventive measure for which all stakeholders share responsibility. The debate surrounding the circular economy has also highlighted the issue of how best to calculate waste which is actually recycled. EXPRA research suggests that recycled waste should in fact be measured at the gate of the recycling plant to the recycling plant coupled with quality standards for waste materials. This will allow for quality recycling alongside reliable and feasible monitoring. Of major importance is that course Reliable data should be at the core of new waste target levels, which should be justified and technically feasible. If appropriately developed and implemented, this revised waste legislation could prove a unique opportunity for Europe to achieve its transition to a fully circular economy – conserving our precious natural resources, creating jobs, and generating growth for years to come. The ISWA World Congress, the leading event in the field of waste management, brought together over 1300 participants from 72 countries in Novi Sad. EXPRA played an important role during this year’s Congress as EXPRA MD - Joachim Quoden chaired 2 workshops on good governance and on EPR, spoke during the deposit session, EXPRA Regulatory & PA Manager - Monika Romenska presented best practices on communication and Alphan Eroztürk, Governmental and External Affairs Manager of CEVKO and chair of EXPRA EPR Implementation Working Group presented EXPRA common position during the informal sector Round Table. Good governance Session: EXPRA MD chaired a session in which the procedure to come up with good legislation in the waste sector was presented and discussed. Peter Börkey, OECD presented the procedure that was used to develop the resource efficiency guidelines of the OECD, Julius Langendorff, EC, DG Environment presented how the European Commission involved all stakeholders to develop the Circular Economy Package proposal and Peter Eek from Estonia and Ms Dulce Passaro, former Minister for Environment from Portugal, presented how this is done in their countries. EPR Session: 3 key note speakers (Peter Börkey, OECD, Julius Langendorff, EC, DG Environment and Carlos Silva from the Brazilian Waste Management Association presented the status of EPR in their country respective in their organization) started this session which was moderated by EXPRA’s MD Joachim Quoden. During the session were presented: the motivation of the EC to come up with the general requirements for EPR, the status of a Brazilian framework law on reverse logistics which is a very similar idea as EPR. During the updated EPR guidelines of the OECD were officialy launched. It was agreed by all panelists that minimum requirements for EPR are necessary to make any EPR system a success, especially in the case of several service providers, a clearing house or central agency is strongly needed. Informal Sector Session In the session participated representatives of NGOs, informal recyclers and waste collectors, EPR Organizations and consultancy companies. During the sessions the relations between the waste collectors/recyclers, local authorities, WMC and Producer Responsibility Organisations as well as some best practices and solution of current problems were discussed. The situation regarding the informal sector in Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo as well as some international examples on integration of Informal Recycling Sector in Brazil, South Africa and Colombia were presented. Mr. Alphan Eröztürk, CEVKO presented the situation in Turkey and the practical solutions found: the street collectors can work as «individual collectors» in cooperation with WMCs and also showed some estimations on the impact (financial and material losses) of the IS on the operation of EPR systems in the Balkan region. He underlined that all stakeholders should work towards the legalization of the informal sector, as illegal operation is not an option. Communicating Circular Economy, Communication and behavioral change Session The session focused on how communication can play a major role in changing people’s behavior, and how different stakeholders can be used to make a difference. The session included presentations on: successful projects on waste management in social media, resource management and the role of communication in reputation management. The best practices in awareness raising campaigns on promoting separate collection from EXPRA members: Belgium, Israel, Malta, Bulgaria and Turkey were also presented and highly appreciated by the participants. The presented practices demonstrated the wide variety of approaches and means used by EXPRA members not only to create and maintain environmentally friendly behavior, but also to support charity campaigns and social inclusion. This report updates the 2001 Guidance Manual for Governments on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which provided a broad overview of the key issues, general considerations, and the potential benefits and costs associated with producer responsibility for managing the waste generated by their products put on the market. Since then, EPR policies to help improve recycling and reduce landfilling have been widely adopted in most OECD countries; product coverage has been expanded in key sectors such as packaging, electronics, batteries and vehicles; and EPR schemes are spreading in emerging economies in Asia, Africa and South America, making it relevant to address the differing policy contexts in developing countries. In light of all of the changes in the broader global context, this updated review of the guidelines looks at some of the new design and implementation challenges and opportunities of EPR policies, takes into account recent efforts undertaken by governments to better assess the cost and environmental effectiveness of EPR and its overall impact on the market, and addresses some of the specific issues in emerging market economies. The Update to EPR Guidance was officially lounched during the ISWA Congress (19-21 September) Novi Sad, Serbia The waste review package amends the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC, Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 96/62/EC, Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC as well as Directives 2000/53/EC on Endof-life Vehicles, 2006/66/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and 2012/19/EU on Batteries and Accumulators and Waste Batteries and Accumulators. The package is the legislative arm of the Circular Economy Action Plan. 1693 amendments were tabled in addition to 274 amendments by the Rapporteur in the four draft reports, which were discussed in Committee on 15-16 June 2016. 1149 amendments were tabled. Various amendments aim at clarifying the definitions and strengthen the application of the waste hierarchy. Some members proposed to introduce a specific waste hierarchy for food waste. Amendments also touch on the new provisions proposed on by-products and end-of-waste criteria. Many members tabled amendments on the calculation method and the targets for the municipal waste recycling with varying numbers as well as proposed to add new targets on preparation for re-use, recycling of construction and demolition waste, targets for waste intended for incineration and a specific target for the recycling of biowaste and of waste oils. Members also replaced the automatic derogation from the targets with a mechanism based on performance of countries applying for it. Several amendments concern waste prevention and extended producer responsibility schemes. 327 amendments were tabled. The majority of amendments focus on the calculation method and the general targets for packaging waste and for specific packaging materials. Amendments were also tabled to strengthen the life-cycle approach and the application of the waste hierarchy. Promotion of bio-based packaging, multiple-use packaging and recycled packaging materials was also proposed as well as mandatory minimum recycled content. Members also suggested specific measures for return and collection schemes and proposed to modify the essential requirements for packaging, including the specific Annex, to align them with the waste hierarchy. EPR is also addressed in the amendments. 135 amendments were tabled, focusing on new targets for the reduction and phase-out of landfilling, Member State specific exemptions from these targets, Member State and Commission reporting obligations, and on acceptance criteria for waste to be landfilled. 82 amendments were tabled, focusing on the proper treatment of WEEE, and on the harmonisation of reporting obligations and statistical data in all three directives. Rapporteur: Bonafé, (S&D) Shadows: Florenz (EPP), Demesmaeker (ECR), Torvalds (ALDE), Abaun z (GUE/NGL), Pedicini (EFDD), Škrlec (Greens/EFA), Jalkh (ENF) Environmental taxes can contribute to a healthier planet and healthier people. They also spur jobs and growth, are easy to administer and difficult to evade. However, meeting EU climate and other environmental policy targets will erode the existing base for these sort of taxes. This and other systemic factors have implications for the design of future tax systems in Europe, according to an EEA report published today. The report, ‘Environmental taxation and EU environmental policies’ gives an overview of market-based instruments (MBIs), such as taxes, recycling fees, polluter-pays schemes or emissions trading permits, created under EU environmental legislation. It also analyses the current design and application of environmental taxes in EEA member countries and considers future prospects. The report stresses the value that environmental taxes play in decoupling pollution and resource use from economic development. For example, in Sweden, GDP has grown by 58% between 1990 and 2013 since the introduction of a carbon dioxide tax that contributed to a 23% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over the same period. The report, stemming from a public consultation on the functioning of waste markets in the EU, looks at the main obstacles and regulatory failures impacting waste markets in the EU, and provides recommendations on how to address them. The stakeholders in question include EXPRA, the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), CEWEP, European Battery Recycling Association (EBRA), EuRIC, Eurometaux, FEAD, Municipal Waste Europe, PRO-Europe, RReuse, and WEEE Forum. Obstacles and regulatory failures across the EU occur despite the fact that the EU waste shipment regulation (WSR) contains provisions for free movement of waste destined for recovery within the EU. The obstacles identified include differing definitions of ‘waste’ across the Member States, different classification approaches to hazardous and non-hazardous waste, as well as the diverging application of end-of-waste criteria. Non-harmonisation of EPR schemes was also singled out as one of the key obstacles, alongside insufficient capacities for waste treatment, lack of EU-wide enforcement of waste legislation and some specific rules contained in the EU’s WSR. Among its recommendations, the report proposes actions at both EU and national levels. Overall, the analysis produced 54 recommendations. In particular, the first recommendation on a Schengen area for recycling and recovery addresses the administrative burden created by the WSR. Such a zone should ensure free movement of waste for recovery and recycling to environmentally sound facilities, accompanied by strict controls at its borders. According to the authors of the report, this would address most of the identified market distortions, and necessitates changes to the waste shipment regulation (specifically Article 3) in order to abolish the notification requirements for waste for recovery and recycling in the EU. All currently notifiable waste, e.g. hazardous, unlisted and mixed municipal waste, should be included in the zone. To do so, the report highlights the need to first tackle issues related to traceability, ESM, safeguards in exceptional circumstances, as well as considering the broader context of international requirements. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/studies/pdf/waste_market_study.pdf „Pakomak“ won a first prize on traditional urban competition „Days of Spring - Days of ecology“ as greenest company with the 3D interactive training project for students and teachers „3D Ekobus“. The project aimed at raising eco-awareness of students and promoting recycling among the younger generation, as a global mission. Through an interactive 3D training lecture, screening of a 3D film and interactive game-test more than 49,000 children were able to learn more about the importance of sorting and recycling of waste, exchanging eco-messages conveyed thoughtful Pakomak eco-heroes. The interesting and interactive program for children took place within the Eco bus that visited all primary schools in Skopje and a significant part of other local communities in the provinces in Macedonia. Social responsibility for Pakomak is a business imperative, seen as a strategic long-term goal, with the ultimate aim of improving the overall quality of life. According to data published in the final balance and General Programme of prevention and management of packaging and packaging waste, in 2015 a total of more than 9.000.000 tons of packaging waste were recovered, constituting 78,6% of the total packaging placed for consumption. 8.200.000 tons of used packaging have been recycled – nearly half of it being directly managed by CONAI and Consortium system – thereby making up 66,9% of packaging placed on the market in 2015. Quantities of packaging waste sent for recycling has been quadrupled in the last twenty years, the urban waste sent for recycling grew from 900 thousand tons in 1998 to 4.2 million in 2015. As in the past, the result meets and exceeds the goal established by the European Union and national regulations. 3 out of 4 packages today are retrieved, in 1998 were 1 of 3. Green Dot Cyprus has recently developed and launch the interactive game 'Recycling Mania'. The interactive game 'Recycling Mania'. The main purpose of the game is to educate the public and especially young people on the proper sorting of their packaging. The game takes advantage of new technologies with motion detection to make sorting options interactive and therefore interesting for the e-generation. The game combines a similar application for household battery recycling. “ReCYcling CY”: Αn app for Recycling The ‘Green Dot Cyprus’ free mobile guide (for tablets and mobile phones) has recently been upgraded and renamed to “ReCycling Cy”. It has become a more comprehensive recycling guide with information not only for packaging recycling, but also for household batteries and WEEE. The application is available for free from the Windows Phone Store, Apple Store and Google Play Store. The Eco Labyrinth is a unique innovative educational instrument with which in an entertaining and memorable way children acquire new knowledge about beverage cartons and their recyclability. The event is taking place at the central town square on Saturday or Sunday. In order to enter the labyrinth each child, with or without a parent, should provide “entrance fee” – one UBC. In each chamber in the labyrinth there are two gates each of them covered with curtain with a question and an answer one of them right, the other – wrong. The right answers lead the way out of the labyrinth, the wrong answers – to a dead end. Upon exiting the child receives a present. All questions are related to UBC. On the walls of the dead end chambers there are posters with the right answer and some additional information on the respective issue. The labyrinth (which is inflatable, i.e. easy to deploy and transport) is the central attraction in the event. There are also a plastic recycling workshop and UBC recycling presentation. 3 367 children from 90 schools passed through the labyrinth and more than 4 000 UBC were collected during the events in 8 Bulgarian cities in the period September – October 2015. Awards • First Place, Green Communications and Urban Environment category, PR Priz, Bulgarian Public Relations Society, Sofia 2016. Over the past decades, the amount of solid waste in Malta has grown alongside the growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This linkage needs to be broken and the quantities of waste generated by increased commercial activity needs to be decoupled from the growth in GDP. The ‘Sustainable Practices Award’ introduced during GreenPak Annual Awards 2016 ceremony, promotes this forward-looking concept. Birkirkara won this new award having registered the most sustainable waste practices for 2015. The quantity of waste collected from Birkirkara in the black bags decreased by an impressive 37%. At the same time, waste packaging recycling in this locality increased to 45kg per capita last year. This was announced by GreenPak’s Coop Society CEO Ing Mario Schembri during GreenPak’s Annual Awards ceremony, held at the Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucia. The prestigious award for ‘Best Overall Performance’ was presented to the community of Sliema. This award is presented to the community that registers the highest amount of waste recyclables collected. In 2015, Sliema registered a 65% increase in the collections of recyclable waste. Mosta won the ‘Most Responsive Community Award’ for registering a sustained increase of 30% recycling following a two-month educational campaign run by GreenPak in January 2015. The Ħal Balzan Local Council scooped the ‘Most Supportive Locality’ award for the Council’s continued commitment in mobilizing its residential and business community to recycle more. The ‘Most Glass Collected Award’ went to the community of Żurrieq. In 2015, the environmental NGO Nature Trust Malta and GreenPak led a campaign to promote the protection of Malta’s wildlife through the recycling of used clothes. In recognition to this collaboration, Mr. Vince Attrad, CEO of Nature Trust, presented a special award to Qrendi Local Council after its residents were judged to have participated mostly in the used clothes campaign in aid of Nature Trust’s Wildlife Rescue Unit. Besides receiving the trophy and certificate of achievement, the winning local councils were presented with the prize money of €1,000 to support ongoing environmental projects within their respective locality for the benefit of its residents. The project is implemented by GreenPak Malta in cooperation with the local council and the Cleansing Department and aims to take effective action against inhabitants who dump illegally waste (bags full of rubbish, metal bed-frames, construction debris and even animal carcasses) next to the recycling bins, this littering the area. With the help of the installed CCTV cameras at two of the eight bring-in sites in Żebbuġ, and the support from the police, the perpetrators were identified. As a result at least 50 people are expected to be taken to court in October after being caught on camera committing over 100 illegal dumping-related offences at Żebbuġ bring-in sites in a span of 10 weeks. The project was developed after numerous complaints about the abuse were sent by the inhabitants to GreenPak Malta. DEAR READER, Europe is now in turmoil, after the Brexit became a reality on 24 June…We will see in the coming months and years its impact both on the United Kingdom and the European Union, of course spreading over all sectors, including the waste management one. While trying to gasp all consequences and uncertainties we are of course aware that this could deviate the attention of the EU institutions from the topic of major importance to us: the Circular Economy Package and especially the proposed waste legislation. Of course as this legislation will govern and regulate our day to day work in the next 15 years and beyond, EXPRA like all major stakeholders in Brussels, is focusing its efforts in presenting and defending our position and proposals, especially in regards to the European Parliament where the two reports on the Waste directives, namely the Bonafe report from the ENVI Committee and the Poche report from the ITRE Committee are being discussed. Of course in this process we are relying on networking and joining forces with like minded associations in order to provide for a sound and realistic legal framework which will contribute in practice for a genuine Circular economy and best performing EPR systems. As an Alliance representing non-profit packaging waste recovery and recycling organizations, owned and run by the obliged industry, we will continue to support stronger EPR provisions enabling a level playing field for the various actors involved, including explicit roles and responsibilities for key players within the supply chain. Based on the vast practical experience of our members coming from 23 Countries, including 17 Member states, we will also continue to promote our proposals for measuring the recycling objectively and fairly, ensuring recycling quality guaranteed by respective standards. We are also happy to present our updated Brochure with information for all our 25 members and share best practices and recent interesting news from our members. Wishing you a good start into the summer, although it looks again that it will be quite busy for all of us. Enjoy your reading! The updated EXPRA Membership Brochure provides information on EXPRA’s principles and values, its structure and activities. EXPRA currently embraces 25 members from 23 countries. These include 17 EU Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Israel, Macedonia, Norway and Turkey. Every year, our members, on behalf of the obliged industry, recover and recycle over 19 million tons of packaging, and provide over 200 million inhabitants with packaging collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure. The Brochure also provides updated key facts and figures for 2014 relating to members’ activities as well as EPR best practice. On 20 June 2016, the Environment Council held a public debate on the Circular Economy Action Plan. The plan aims to reduce waste and keep the value of products, materials and resources in the economy for as long as possible. The conclusions support this aim and demonstrate commitment to this transition towards a more sustainable model, for instance by cutting resource use, boosting recycling and better managing waste. You can read the conclusions . During the debate, the Commissioner for Environment and Maritime Affairs, Karmenu Vella, briefly introduced the Action Plan, noting that some of the measures listed in the document are already being dealt with by the Commission, European Parliament and Council (such as the Fertilisers Regulation, the Green Public Procurement and the legislative proposals on waste). Eco-design, a strategy on plastics and the creation of a functioning secondary raw materials market were mentioned as immediate upcoming challenges for policy-makers. The Commissioner welcomed the fact that the work on the legislative proposals on waste will be one of the Slovak Presidency's priorities. The Ministers welcomed the Action Plan and complimented the Netherlands Presidency on their work on finding a compromise on the conclusions text. The public debate was short and concise as key elements of the Action Plan were already discussed in detail at previous Council meetings. On 15 June, the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee met to consider the draft reports on the waste legislative proposals by the Rapporteur Simona Bonafe (S&D, IT). The draft report on the proposal for a contains 165 amendments. Inter alia the proposed amendments include: • Increase of the recycling target for 2030 to 70% and keeping only one method for calculating the attainment of the recycling targets based on input into final recycling (re-use excluded); • Introduction of a new recycling target for bio-waste of 65% by 2025, to be preceded by obligatory separate collection of bio-waste as of 2020; • In addition, wood and textiles should also be separately collected. In the future, the Commission should examine the possibility of setting up preparing for re-use and recycling targets for commercial and industrial waste to be met by 2025 and 2030. • The rapporteur enhanced the transparency of EPR schemes and the oversight as regards the implementation of the minimum requirements for EPR as well as introduced an obligation for Member States to ensure that any producer has extended responsibility and that EPR schemes are established at least for packaging, WEEE and batteries and accumulators. She also proposed a number of provisions as regards prevention with the aim of reducing overall waste generation as well as of food waste and land-based marine litter in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The draft report on the proposal for contains 63 amendments. The rapporteur proposed to increase overall targets for recycling of packaging waste to 70% in 2025 and to 80% in 2030 as well as to increase targets for material streams. The attainment of these targets should be calculated using one method based on input into final recycling. Re-use of packaging cannot be calculated as recycling but should be subject to new reuse targets: 5% by 2025 and 10% by 2030. Amendments also introduce obligation on the Commission to present proposals to strengthen enforcement, in particular for measures concerning non-recyclable packaging, packaging with hazardous substances, single-use packaging and excess packaging. Member States should take measures to encourage the use of bio-based packaging. On Tuesday 14 June 2016 the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee held a consideration of draft opinions on the legislative proposals on waste. Mr Poche (S&D) worked on the Amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste. He contributed 70 amendments, that range from the introduction of a clearer definition of municipal waste and a definition for extended producer responsibility, to the proposal that the Commission shall consider the possibility of setting separate recycling targets for inert non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste by 2025 (at least for paper, metal, and bio-waste). He also suggests that by 2030, the preparing for re-use and the recycling of municipal waste shall be increased to a minimum of 70% by weight, instead of the current 65% proposed by the Commission. Mr Ferreira (GUE) is responsible for the "packaging and packaging waste" file and has introduced 15 amendments. These include the need to recognise the different starting positions in each of the Member States with regard to the targets that are being set. As different levels of effort will be required to achieve these goals by Member States, the possibility of the Union to support Member States in making the necessary investments should be considered. The draft opinion also calls on Member States to include in their national prevention initiatives environmental awareness-raising activities aimed at the general public and the integration of environmental education activities in school curricula. Communication has a key role in supporting the implementation of environmental legislation, spurring public participation and can help foster environment-friendly behaviours to build a sustainable future. The European Environment Agency (EEA) study published on 14 June 2016 explores how communication can support legal and economic policy tools. The EEA report "Communication, environment and behaviour",acknowledges that integrating communication in environmental policy processes could improve implementation of legislation and ultimately contribute to facilitating a transition to a resource-efficient, green economy. Used alongside other policy tools, communication can prove to be a very effective — and in many cases, cost-efficient — policy tool. The study, which draws on communication experiences and best practices used by the network of communicators in environmental protection agencies across Europe, explores the role of communication in environmental policy, identifies emerging tools and approaches to communicate policy messages, and looks at recent research in behavioural science to assess how it can assist in communicating environmental policies. The study also includes a set of recommendations on how public policy communication can be improved for more effective results on the ground. You can find the publication . „The Greenest Companies in Bulgaria" is a national competition, the emblem of responsible business in the country, which evaluates the greenest companies operating in Bulgaria. Small and big companies showed and proved that they are making changes to their environment indicators and develop their business in a responsible way for the environment. The study is unique for Bulgaria, taking into account the achievement of 'green' targets and corporate strategies. Every year in 13 categories, companies from all sectors of the economy in Bulgaria present their "green" policies and messages. ECOPACK Bulgaria Ltd won the "Green Oscar" I-st place in the category "Recycling industry, waste management." Bulgarian Society for Public Relations also awards ECOPACK BULGARIA in the category "Green communications and urban environments" of the annual competition PR PRIZ- 1st place for the campaign "Ekolabirint" and the 2nd place for " Become an eco hero, learn all at home to collect separately! " Under the current Swedish regulation dated 1th of November 2014, the recycling targets for producers in Sweden will be raised from 2020. We therefor reinforced the work whitin our 5-point program and also conducted a campaign to highlight the impact of the Government’s recycling targets on your customers, the producers in Sweden. The 5-point program has been adopted by the Board of FTI as our roadmap for meeting the new and raised recycling objectives. We monthly present reports on our website regarding developments within the framework of the program. We hope to reach more people in order to make our work transparent. Our information about the 5-point program is in Swedish only but if you have any questions you are welcome to contact our CEO Kent Carlsson. In an effort to secure quality of life for all, Pakomak initiates simple measures that result with lasting improvements, efficiencie and sustainable benefits for society. One of those initiatives is the eco-school project "Clean environment, clean school, clean hands", which runs from September, 2012, continuing every following year Over 43,500 pupils from 66 primary schools were collecting plastic bottles through the year in exchange for liquid soap for the needs of the schools and learned about the selection of packaging waste, the time of decomposition of materials in nature, energy efficiency and renewable energy in order to realize the benefits of proper behavior with packaging waste. In the school year 2014/2015, students collected 1.500.000 PET bottles or 37.400 kilograms of plastic packaging. This huge quantity of packaging waste indicates that they understand the challenges of today's life and learn how to cause minimum possible impact on the environment and nature. Green Dot Cyprus is one of the main partners of the European Life+ Program “Rethink – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, that aims to promote waste reduction, reuse and recycling in Cyprus, through an awareness raising campaign. The program started ιn June 2014, it will finish ιn April 2017 with a total budget close to 2 million euros. Besides our Organization, the other project partners are, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, the Cyprus News Agency, the Department of the Environment, the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute and Fost Plus Belgium. The main objective of the program is to raise awareness and inform the public, as well as targeted audiences, through TV and radio campaigns and documentaries, social media, printed press, festivals, workshops and guides for best practices for the 3Rs. You can visit the program’s website: www.rethink.com.cy and the pages on Facebook: liferethink and youtube: Rethink Campaign for more information. For the second consecutive year, Ecoembes organized a market for products made from recycled materials Presentation of Ecoembes’ results for 2015 Santa Barbara Palace in Madrid was the place chosen to organise the market. More than 2.000 visitors had the opportunity to experience the latest trends in decor, jewelry or fashion from an exclusive selection of brands committed to the environment. Visitors also enjoyed workshops for all audiences: from building recycled instruments to making homemade soap as well as tasting beers... Undoubtedly the best way to discover the recycling world and its opportunities! On 17 May, on World Recycling Day, Ecoembes presented the household packaging figures for Spain in 2015 to the media, announcing that Spaniards recycled 1,300,339 tons of packaging, up 3.3% from 2014, representing 74.8% of the containers managed by Ecoembes. This achievement was possible thanks to the commitment demonstrated by citizens and the efforts made by both governments and companies, which combined to reduce our impact on the environment by preventing the release of 1.2 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere – equivalent to removing 25.88% of Madrid's cars from the road. A total of 29 journalists attended, including professionals from the leading Spanish media outlets operating nationwide and specializing in economic issues. Ecoembes took advantage of the press conference to also divulge its positions about packaging deposits, refunds and returns Over 90 primary students were invited to join the international eco-conserving community and celebrate World Oceans Day at the Malta National Aquarium. The students were welcomed by Prof. Alan Deidun, a marine biologist and resident academic at the University of Malta, who introduced them to the citizen science campaign ‘Spot the Jellyfish’. The students learnt about the phenomenon of jellyfish blooms in Malta and how marine litter affects the Maltese marine environment. A craft-making workshop was organised, whereby the students were invited to create marine species rendition by using an assortment of plastic and other non-organic material waste. Her Excellency the Acting President of Malta, Dolores Cristina, presented a memento of participation to each student, whilst the best three displays were given a special gift each. The World Oceans Day activity was supported by GreenPak Coop Society as part of its ongoing education and awareness programmes. More information can be found On 16 June this year, Fost Plus received the Lean and Green Award for its five-year plan, which aims to reduce the CO2 emissions of the logistics activities it coordinates and supports by 20% by the year 2020. The Lean and Green Award is presented by the Vlaams Instituut voor de Logistiek/Flemish Logistics Institute (VIL) to companies that take concrete steps to reduce the environmental footprint of their transport and logistics activities. Seventy-four companies in Belgium can now pride themselves on having won this major environmental award. To obtain this recognition, Fost Plus drew up a detailed action plan based largely on the close cooperation it has established with its operating partners (intermunicipalities and garbage collection companies), since it is through these players that many of the planned actions will be undertaken.The actions focused on four main axes: - Optimisation of collection methods: optimisation of collection routes, skip fill levels and collection frequencies. - Eco-friendly driving and technological progress: incentive to modernise fleets of lorries on the roads (engine that meets the most stringent environmental standards, use of alternative fuel, etc.) and support for eco-friendly driving courses for drivers. - Night collection and alternative transport: where justified, promoting collection in the evening and at night; feasibility study on increased use of transport by train and by water. - Communicating, inspiring, educating: increasing awareness among all partners of the importance of a sustainable approach to collection and transport, at the same time showing them how they can contribute to this and spread best practices. Fost Plus is also planning to develop a website on which the operating partners would be able to calculate their CO2 emissions per round, per fraction collected or per type of lorry. The Environmentalist Cat Çevki meets up with his audience with a new Play ÇEVKO Foundation General Assembly Held Çevki is performing his new play for his young audience, in which Earth and Water - our affable characters from our books are also taking part. In the play, which was written and directed by Fulya Şirin, a little boy called Fire, who is a bit naughty, and his lovable cat become environmentalists with the efforts of Çevki, Earth and Water. The play has been performed since May, and during this time it was shown fifteen times and watched by 6350 students. Our play, called “Recycling Will Do Good” will continue to meet up with students when the next, 2016/2017 academic year starts. The 25th Regular General Assembly of ÇEVKO Foundation was held on 13th May at Green Park Pendik Hotel. ÇEVKO Foundation is renowned for works such as protecting the environment, contributing to social development and economy by improving a sustainable recovery system on behalf of the leadership of industry in Turkey. The meeting began with the election of the members of the Presidential Board. The Board Annual Report was presented by Mete İmer, General Secretary of ÇEVKO Foundation. In the second sitting of the meeting, the balance sheet, income and expense accounts, and the audit report dating up to 31st December 2015 were presented to the Board; also permanent and alternate members for the Board of Directors and Supervisory Board were elected. The 25th Regular General Assembly of ÇEVKO Foundation ended with a photo sesion for all members. DEAR READER, I believe that the extremely busy working start of this year, almost immediately after the holidays, will mark the whole 2016. After the publication of the Circular Economy Package in December 2015 by the EC, the focus now is on the European Parliament and the Council, which will finally define the legal framework to govern our activities in the next 15 years. The work in both EU institutions has already started in full speed. Member States already discussed within the Environment and the Competitiveness Councils the Circular Economy Action Plan and the CE Package was presented by EC representatives in the EP ENVI and ITTRE Committees, which already had announced the names of the rapporteurs and shadow-rapporteurs for legislative proposals on waste. Of course we in EXPRA, like all major stakeholders are preparing and fine tuning our positions regarding the new Circular Economy package and especially, of course on the revised Waste Directives. Again like all stakeholders we believe that transition to a circular economy is needed and it is needed very soon. We further truly believe that EPR is a major tool in this process and we are happy to share our vast experience of over 20 years and to partner with the EU institutions and other stakeholders in a bid to enable a genuine circular economy and best performing EPR systems. I am happy to state that now EXPRA is positioned as the thought leader in EPR matters and the hub for know-how and information around all technical matters like statistics, measuring and reporting. We had again a prominent role in one of the most important forums for the packaging waste sector - Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum 2016, 1-3 March, where I had the honor to chair the special seminar dedicated to the Extended Producer Responsibility, The EPR Toolkit Seminar. We were well represented during the two days of the forum as well: our President and members of the Board of Directors participated in the different panels. The broad spread of participants from across the packaging value chain, the European Commission and NGO community, the engaging presentations and debates all contributed to making the event a success. Enjoy your reading! The Managing Director of EXPRA chaired the 2016 edition of the EPR Toolkit seminar which was organized by Informa Agra alongside the Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum with a strong involvement of EXPRA on content and speakers. It was attended by over 50 participants, mainly representatives of packaging recovery organizations, business organizations and others. The focus of the event was on the proposed Minimum requirements for EPR in the New Circular Economy package. Mr. Julius Langendorff, Deputy Head of the Waste Management and Recycling Unit, EC informed briefly the participants about the ideas and intentions of the Commission when developing the Waste legislative proposal. In his statement MEP Greens/EFA) noted that further work on the definitions of EPR and EPR Organization is needed as this might cause misinterpretation by the MS and other stakeholders and added that these and other topics should be further discussed between the EP and the MS. He underlined that the need of reliable and comparable EU statistics is of major importance. The major topics of the discussions in the 2 following panels were: the proposed transparency of EPR Scheme(s) with regards to its ownership and membership, the financial contributions paid by the producers and the selection procedure for waste management operators (Art 8a.3 (d)) and the proposed cost coverage of the waste management for the products put on the market by the obliged industry (Art.8a. 4). In the lively debate on transparency different points of view were presented ranging from stating that compliance is a normal business so that transparency with regard to costs, ownership, scope, fees etc would not be necessary (Reclay) and underlining that the public mission and the importance of transparency to ensure credibility and reliability by EXPRA representatives. Similar was the debate on the cost coverage, with widely ranging opinions. During the second half of the Workshop the participants discussed the situation in countries, where the EPR systems are based on competition between PROs. The discussion was focused on whether the proposed Minimum requirements help to to guarantee fair competition and will make possible to compare different EPR systems in EU. Mr. Peter Borkey, Senior Economist, OECD, presented an overview of the key elements of the updated guidance (based on the 2001 OECD guidance on EPR) that focuses on four areas: governance, competition, design-for-environment incentives, and the role of the informal sector. Mr. Matthias Klein of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety presented The Planned German "Wertstoffgesetz", involving extension of EPR to Non-Packaging Household Waste from Plastics and Metals. In total, the 1 day seminar was a very lively event with a lot of discussion and interaction between the panellists and also with the audience Alongside the Informa Agra Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum, EXPRA organized its traditional annual reception, attended by over 50 participants from all relevant stakeholders including many representatives from packaging recovery organizations including several non EXPRA members. MEP Davor Škrlec, shadow-rapporteur of the Greens, gave the key note speech during the reception, highlighting that the European society has to move to a circular economy and that EPR plays a crucial role on this way. He endorsed the efforts of EXPRA to spread know how and expertise based on the 20 year experience of its members. In the next two days the presentations and panel discussions dealt with the proposed revision of the Waste Framework and Packaging Directive and the resulting need to change the entire economic model & philosophy. The Forum this year was attended by around 100 participants. In his key note speech, Mr. Daniel Calleja Crespo, the European Commission focused on the new Circular Economy Package and the key actions to be carried out under the current Commission. Among the issues discussed were the current and future actions of stakeholders along the supply chain, aiming to reduce packaging waste levels and bring about greater sustainability achievements. The improvement of the packaging design, functionality and marketing was also discussed. Delegates had the opportunity to hear the positions of the European Commission, MEPs and Councils Presidency regarding the proposed new targets in the Waste Legislative proposals, further improvement of the separate collection systems, how to improve the quality of reported data, etc. Inter alia, Paul Christiaens from the EXPRA Dutch member Nedvang presented the findings on the reliability of the data that the member states are reporting to EUROSTAT and which are the basis for the European Commission to justify the new proposed targets. He demonstrated very clearly that many of the data are questionable and would minimum need further explanation and that there is a great need to first harmonize the reporting of all member states to understand where the 28 member states of the European Union will start to reach the newly proposed very ambitious targets. EXPRA developed an EPR leaflet which describes Extended Producer Responsibility in an easy and understandable way, with practical examples of the functioning/organization of the different systems. This is of course a living document that will be further updated and improved. During its meeting on 16 March, the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) held an exchange of views with on, among others, the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan. This debate will feed into the decision-making process whether the ENVI Committee is going to work on an own-initiative report on the Circular Economy Action Plan focused on the fact that theEU is already a global leader in green technologies. In order to become more innovative the Commission makes Structural Funds and different financing streams available to prospective investors. On the monitoring and reporting, the Commission Vice-President claimed that the Commission is already working with Eurostat in order to improve the quality of collected data. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) welcomed the Circular Economy Action Plan. However, , Shadow-rapporteur on the legislative proposals on waste, claimed that the Commission proposal could be more ambitious. The priorities of the ENVI Committee members include also reduction of marine litter, including micro-plastics and food waste. Some MEPs were inquiring about a possibility to introduce financial incentives, such as tax reductions or product price reductions for investors in order to facilitate transition towards the circular economy. On Friday 4 March 2016, the Environment Council held a public debate on the Circular Economy Action Plan. Member States’ statements focused on three questions prepared by the Netherlands Presidency. Delegations were asked to identify which actions proposed by the Commission should be prioritised, what measures could be taken by Member States to promote the transition to a circular economy and to present what type of governance should be set up, in addition to the announced monitoring framework. The debate was opened by the who explained that the outcome of both the discussions of the Competitiveness Council on Monday 29 February 2016 and Environment Ministers will feed into the work on the Environment Council Conclusions on the Action Plan. The document is to be adopted in June 2016. Afterwards, , briefly introduced the Action Plan, noting that all Member States need to make efforts to enable the transition to a circular economy. The latter embraces targeted green investments and new business models that will be supported by a stable policy framework. Ministers welcomed the Action Plan. Member States tend to agree that its focus should be placed on developing a secondary raw materials market, encouraging eco-design measures and ensuring the use of the Green Public Procurement. When it comes to the legislative proposals on waste, Eastern European countries would like these to be awarded a greater policy flexibility to achieve the targets. Luxembourg would like to focus on plastic waste reduction, while Sweden and France would like to prioritise marine litter reduction and phase out microplastics used by the cosmetics industry. Some countries, including Sweden and Finland, highlighted that the waste legislation should not contradict other policies such as the chemicals legislation. There was also agreement on the need to fight food waste. Action on EPR schemes should be taken at the EU level, according to France. Member States would be willing to increase exchange of best practices and take initiatives aimed at raising citizens’ awareness. They stressed importance of additional fiscal and economic incentives to support the industry to transition to a circular economy. On the governance model, ministers asked for new indicators and benchmarks to be development in order to monitor the progress that was made. The results could be a part of the European Semester or be regularly reported and discussed by the Environment Council. However, it was stressed that this should be done without creating any further administrative burden on Member States. On 16 March 2016, , Deputy Director General, DG GROW, European Commission, presented the Circular Economy Package in the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE). It was the first time when members of the Committee had a change to exchange views on the Circular Economy Package (CEP). The debate was opened by European Commission, who presented the CEP. He explained that the legislative proposals on waste set out ambitious and achievable targets which are to improve waste management in Europe. The Commission will make sure that the proposed instruments are implemented across the EU in a coherent way. In addition, the Commission would like to facilitate the use of bio-based products through the Green Public Procurement. Eco-design will be used as a tool to focus on properties of specific products. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) welcomed the CEP by highlighting that the circular economy creates new business opportunities for the European industry. A creation of a single market of the secondary raw materials and establishment of appropriate standards for these seem to be priorities of the ITRE Committee. There were concerns raised by some MEPs about the lack of clarity on definitions, calculation methodologies and statistics used by the Commission to set targets. The issue of whether the level of targets is ambitious enough was discussed. In addition, MEPs would like the Commission to propose financial incentives for the industry to encourage investments in innovative and outline available European funds which can be used to support investments in the circular economy. Last January, Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) launched the Innovative Glass Works Plan, a concrete solution for recycling 100% of glass in Quebec. Thanks to its Innovative Glass Works Plan, Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is introducing a concrete solution to recycle 100% of glass in Quebec. A total of $6.7 million will be invested in the first three parts of the plan to modernize sorting centres and support the development of new market outlets for recycled glass. Following a rigorous two-year initiative and the input of external experts, ÉEQ established a strategic Quebec-Great Britain partnership between equipment manufacturer Machinex and Krysteline Technologies to make the Innovative Glass Works Plan a reality. The field demonstration segment launched last January drew the interest of 80% of sorting centres. The second part consisting in financial support for the marketing of new applications for recovered glass will begin on March 15, 2016. For more information, go to: Pakomakis a leading waste management company in Macedonia and the only one that has achieved the national goals in four consecutive years. The Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning assessed Pakomak’s application positively and extended our waste management license for the next 5 years. This is a result of all the activities that Pakomak has done over the years on infrastructure level (donations of containers and bins for selective waste collection) and for the numerous campaigns that the company has started to raise the public awareness about the importance of waste recycling. More than 800 companies and 16 municipalities of Republic of Macedonia are part of the waste management system of Pakomak and together we have collected over 49.000 tons of packaging waste. The company this year received a national award for socially responsible practices by the Ministry of Economy. Green Dot Cyprus organized for 5 consecutive year the . The aim of these awards is to promote and encourage initiatives that protect the environment and improve the quality of life in Cyprus, by recognizing people, institutions and organizations that are environmental pioneers. The winners were jointly selected with votes of the public and an Evaluation Committee. In total, 10 Awards and 2 honorary recognitions were awarded. To promote packaging recycling at pubs and restaurants, we joined the . We established a special Award to recognize the facility with the most active participation in recycling in 2015. Time Out Eating Awards is the most prestigious food industry awards in Cyprus, recognizing every year the best restaurants in Cyprus. With our initiative to join the Awards; we want to encourage the catering industry to excel in recycling as well. In order to tackle the litter problem, of which packaging unfortunately is part of, Fost Plus has elaborated an ambitious litter plan in 2015. This plan aims at changing the citizen’s behaviour and attitude. As it happens, littering is first and foremost a behavioural, and not a product-related problem. At the same time, the plan is also an efficient alternative to a deposit return system, which is being presented as a miracle solution for the litter problem, both in Flanders and Wallonia. The official launch of the concretization of the packaging business companies’ involvement in the struggle against litter in Flanders and Wallonia, was given with the signature of the agreement with the respective ministers end of January There is a total annual budget of about 17 million euros available to finance the plan. This significant amount of funding is invested by the members of Fost Plus. It is however the intention to possibly have other sectors, of which products are also found in public spaces, to contribute in the short term both financially and participatory to this plan. The elaboration of concrete actions for the coming years, as well as the discussions about the cooperation modalities between the public and private sector to solve this problem in an efficient manner, are in a final stage. CONAI announces the launch of the Environmental Contribution diversification project for plastic packaging. A fundamental step, since 18 years since the establishment of the Consortium, who sees the overcoming of the unique Environmental Contribution for the same packing material, rewarding the efforts of companies for the eco-designed packaging with environmental and sustainable features. The new Environmental Contribution will be modulated on the basis of three criteria: easy selection after the collection, recycling capability - assessed on the basis of available industrial technologies - and the target circuit (domestic or trade / industry). To get to this important milestone were analyzed about 60 types of plastic packaging, and then classified into three categories to which correspond different values ​​of the Environmental Contribution: will enjoy lower charges ​​the easier to recycle packaging and will pay higher charges the "difficult” to recycle packages. The implementation of the project will accrue presumably within 12 months after the necessary testing period for the companies. ECOPACK Bulgaria organized a competition for municipalities to launch a broad consultation, promote responsible green behavior and create conditions for sound and sustainable waste recovery. The first edition of the Greenest Municipality competition brought together 24 partner municipalities of ECOPACK from across the country. The goal was to award the best eco projects, as well as to encourage active green policies on the part of the municipalities, to improve the efficiency of the systems for separate waste collection, and to inform and educate the public about its uses and benefits. The prizes provided by ECOPACK Bulgaria will finance green and sustainable projects of social importance in each municipality. Plovdiv and Peshtera Municipalities won the Greenest Municipality of 2015 Award in the competition, respectively in the categories of large and medium-size municipality. The prizes of 25 000 BGN (Plovdiv) and 15 000 BGN (Peshtera) will finance projects for the development of systems for separate collection of waste in both municipalities. In 2016 was launched the new edition of "The Greenest Municipality": Engaged in activities to develop a sustainable recovery system in Turkey under the leadership of the industry for environmental protection, social development and economic contribution for the last 25 years, the ÇEVKO foundation achieved significant environmental and economic benefits for our country in 2015 as well. Reaching a population of nearly 24 million this year through a cooperation with 154 municipalities and 62 licensed companies, the ÇEVKO Foundation increased the amount of packaging waste collected thanks to the support it provided in bins, containers, recycling boxes for interior use, and separation bags to improve separate collection at the source. While environmental resources were conserved as a result of the recovery of these wastes, the country’s economy, too, gained thanks to the savings achieved in energy and resource consumption. Secretary General of the ÇEVKO Foundation Mr. Mete İmer said it was technically and economically possible to recover all packaging waste made of glass, metal, plastic, paper-cardboard, composites and wood many times, and summarized the extent of the environmental and economic benefits they delivered in 2015 by way of their recovery activities as follows: “As a result of the recovery activities we carried out in 2015, we contributed TRY 1,855,000,000 to our country, factoring in both the saved fossil fuel, water and energy, and the economic value of recycled materials as well as a reduction in landfill costs. It is quite possible to further increase this figure by ensuring the society acquires the habit of separating at the source, and by establishing a culture of recycling – provided that we see and safeguard these benefits. For instance, recycled plastic packaging waste can be used to manufacture fiber-containing textiles, wastewater pipes, furniture byproducts, vinyl flooring and other materials, which results in lower costs in terms of oil and energy used compared to their production using original raw materials. Recovering all packaging waste not only prevents environmental pollution, but also contributes significantly to the saving of original raw material, energy and water, and helps to lower greenhouse gas emissions. At the ÇEVKO Foundation, which has been safeguarding these benefits for 25 years, we will maintain our activities in 2016 with the aim of contributing to our country environmentally and economically through recycling, and of supporting a green world.” Another year, full of challenges, difficult moments but also luckily sometimes great results is near its end. It was a year of crucial importance for EXPRA and its members as the discussions about the new CEP evolved and finally the proposal of the European Commission, that will mark our work for the next 15 years and beyond, was published. But then we could say that the whole year worldwide/globally was the Year of Sustainability: In September, in New York, the was announced, aiming to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets of the Agenda are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental. Then on 12 December, a historic agreement to combat climate change and unleash actions and investment towards a low carbon, resilient and sustainable future was agreed by 195 nations for the first time brought all nations into a common cause based on their historic, current and future responsibilities, namely to keep a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. And I am happy to say that with our work we significantly contribute to the preservation of natural resources. And this is not only work, but also our mission as all of us believe in what we do: save resources and care for the environment, without making a profit out of it. At European level, almost one year after withdrawing the Circular Economy package, the Commission kept its promise and published the on 2 December. As you know, EXPRA actively participated in the process as one of the key stakeholders and I think that we can see a lot of positive proposals, especially concerning the Extended Producer Responsibility in it, that are also based on our common efforts and input. Still there is a lot of work ahead for EXPRA members, and especially for our Working Groups, which will further assess the waste legislative proposal and of course provide EC, EP and Council experts with accurate and detailed data, further share our experience and generally continue to be useful partners in the entire process. With the forthcoming co-decision procedure, I can assure you that EXPRA will remain actively involved in the discussions and we will continue to share our thorough knowledge and experience in end-of-life management of packaging with the European Institutions and other major stakeholders. And last but not least I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your reading! The autumn EXPRA General Assembly took place in Brussels on 26 November. As in this period Brussels was in the highest security alert - 4, around 10 members of EXPRA and several guests joined the meeting in person and several others joined by phone. During the formal part of the General Assembly the budget and the membership fees for 2016 were approved as well as the membership applications from SLOPAK (Slovenia) and EKOPAK Bosnia. EXPRA represents now 25 Packaging Recovery Organizations from 23 countries, including 17 EU Member States. During the public part of the General Assembly meeting guest speakers joined like Julio Garcia Burguez (DG Envi), Said El Khadraoui, European Political Strategy Centre, EC and Marc Giraud from EucoLight. We also had the pleasure to welcome several guests from obliged industry like Mustan Lalani from Tetra Pak, Andrew Fisk from P&G as well as Virginia Janssens and Francois Paquet from EUROPEN. As the new Circilar Economy package was expected in the beginning of December, the Commission representatives were not able to disclose any details about the proposal for a revised WFD and PPWD; nevertheless, it was possible to have an interesting discussion covering the elements of the new CE proposal, the objectives and the vision of the Commission as well as the rationale behind the package. In his presentation Mr. Marc Giraud presented EucoLight, new association, comprising European WEEE compliance schemes specialized in managing the collection and recycling of WEEE lighting. The Association has very similar believes as EXPRA and supports EXPRA key messages and proposals for amendments The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) extends its reach into the Balkans:Two new members, SLOPAK Slovenia and EKOPAK Bosnia and Herzegovina, join the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Network During its General Assembly meeting, EXPRA, the umbrella organisation for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by the obligated industry and work on a non-profit basis, welcomed two new members - SLOPAK from Slovenia and EKOPAK from Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby extending its presence in the Balkans. The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) welcomes the European Commission’s acknowledgement that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes form an essential part of an efficient waste management process, and their potential could be put to use as long as the right framework is applied. Given that EPR is implemented in a variety of ways across the bloc, the proposed common requirements for EPR are likely to ensure a level-playing field for producers, Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) and other actors in the waste management chain. EXPRA, however, demands that these criteria are enhanced, in particular as concerns the roles and responsibilities of the various EPR players, and formalised in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD), which is the key Directive for the packaging sector. This would facilitate the functioning of EPR within this specific waste stream, that involves a high number of companies from various industry sectors and requires a dense waste management infrastructure. The Circular Economy Package will be a key environmental dossier for the Dutch Presidency. The Netherlands has announced that they will prioritise the discussions on this Package within the Environment and the Competitiveness Council. Their challenge will be to shape a legislative text that strikes the right balance between the environmental and industrial dimensions. With regards to the process, the internal debate will kick off immediately by addressing the technical matters upfront. In so doing, the Presidency expects to hold working group meetings every three weeks. Some sources have moreover hinted that a number of technical meetings between experts, rather than attachés, could take place in-between these working group gatherings. This would help to accelerate progress around the technical details. On 16 December, the Environmental Council held a Public Debate on the Circular Economy Package. Following a brief presentation by , nine Member States (Italy, Cyprus, Germany, Poland, Romania, France, UK, Belgium, Sweden) took the floor, providing their first impressions. Overall, Environment ministers believe that the Commission’s updated Package is an improvement on its predecessor. Most of them moreover underlined the importance of integrating Circular Economy elements into the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Several ministers particularly welcomed the fact that the new proposal makes different demands of different member states depending on their circumstances, particularly their current recycling rates. On 21 December, the ENVI Committee held an EoV with Commissioner Vella on the Circular Economy Package replacing the one presented last year, during which the various items of legislation in the Commission’s proposal were debated. In the beginning of the month, during plenary debate, the MEPs generally welcomed the draft rules, but nevertheless criticized those on waste recycling, reducing food waste and landfill for aiming too low. Commissioner Vella presented briefly the Package, noting that the Commission aimed to be realistic in its ambition and that it wanted to achieve real results, fine tuned to the economic circumstances in Member States, and not just put aspirations that look nice on paper. He added that the Commission also proposes an ambitious and comprehensive framework that comes in the shape of an action plan, defining areas that need to be addressed and covering the full lifecycle of products. He also informed MEPs that the Commission is currently testing an environmental footprint methodology that could be used in the future to better measure and to better inform the public on the environmental performance of products. There were mixed responses from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs): they appreciated the proposal as including the whole circle, but many again criticized the reduced targets and lack of concrete legislative action on food waste and resource efficiency while others questioned whether the new CEP was ambitious enough. EPP MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, noted that he does not think that the package is more ambitions. He added that it is broader, but thus there are more loopholes built in. He said “ S&D MEP Simona Bonafè, responsible for the waste package in the European Parliament, noted that the Commission kept its promise to deliver the package before the end of the year. She added “ ”. Among the areas that need further attention she pointed out the lack of specific targets on prevention, tackling food waste, making separate collection of waste mandatory and with clear deadlines. ALDE MEP Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy joined his colleagues noting that the proposal did not meet all expectations. Still he noted that there are points that are better like the definition of extended producer responsibility. He urged the Commission to come with much stronger legislative part of the action plan, which should be also much more concrete. The European Environmental Agency (EEA) published their second review entitled ‘ . The report provides a review of 27 national and regional waste prevention programmes in 24 countries which were implemented until the end of 2014. All of the reviewed programmes look into different sectors (including household and public services) and waste types such as food/organic waste, municipal/household waste, electrical equipment, packaging waste and hazardous waste. While the report concludes that the actual effectiveness of these waste prevention programmes cannot yet be assessed, it highlights the following: Repak is a not for profit company set up by Irish business and owned by its members. Our mission is to deliver on behalf of our members, the best environmentally sustainable packaging recovery compliance scheme for Ireland. Repak member fees have remained fixed at 2008 levels, and are intended to remain so up to December 2018. A fee rebate scheme for members commenced in January 2015. Early developments in this programme were very positive, with a strong take up by member companies. The programme is expected to return an estimated €1m to members in 2015 who comply with payment and statistical return deadlines. Repak's recovery and recycling performance was also strong for the year. Repak members supported the recovery of 812,046 tonnes of packaging waste in 2014, up 14% from 712,054 tonnes in 2013. This was achieved at a cost of €20.279m, better than budget by €103k. Ireland’s overall recovery and recycling rates for 2014, based on EPA estimated figures, will be of the order of 95% and 71% respectively. These rates are well ahead of our approval targets and will maintain Ireland’s position as one of the top performers in Europe for packaging recovery and recycling. Repak is confident it will achieve all packaging waste targets as set out in the Circular Economy Package issued by the EU Commission. The only material of concern is plastic, the current recycling rate is 40% and the 2025 target is 55%. Repak is taking measures to ensure that this target is met. Managing plastic packaging waste on building sites is often difficult. Waste should be correctly sorted, collected and removed in collection bags. There is an innovative solution to solve this problem, a solution which is also economical and environmentally friendly : Clean Site System. This initiative was launched by VAL-I-PAC several years ago. Building contractors can buy Clean Site System collection bags from their building materials wholesaler for € 1,65/each (400 litre bags). Each bag can contain approximately 15 kilos of plastic packaging waste. They can fill the bags with the plastic packaging waste on their building sites (film, covers, bags etc.). Afterwards the filled bags can be dropped at one of the participating wholesalers, free of charge. A cleaner and more professional building site gives a good impression to clients and architects. It is also a way to combine work with safety as plastic waste on building sites is often cause of accidents. A clean, well-organised site improves safety. And increased safety means improved quality and efficiency. As we know, plastic waste is bulky and hard to condense. It takes up unnecessary space in mixed containers. By collecting his plastic packaging waste, the building contractor no longer wastes time at container terminals and pays lower charges for his containers. Last but not least, Clean Site System is a way to protect the environment : the collected plastic is recycled and used as a raw material to make other products. To sum up, for a very attractive price Clean Site System offers a practical solution for plastic packaging waste on construction sites, making the building site cleaner and safer. At the same time, cutting costs, saving time and protecting the environment. Last year, 1.800 ton plastic waste was recycled and more than 143.000 Clean Site bags were sold. Since the launch of this project in 2005, almost 250 wholesalers are now participating in the system and 11.200 ton of plastic packaging waste entered into recycling. Do not leave plastic packaging waste on building sites. More information : 02/456.83.10 - www.cleansitesystem.be Pakomak, together with some of the coffee bars and restaurants in Skopje, started the project „ recycl g?“. The employees in these eco locations are collecting their glass packaging waste that Pakomak then takes it to the recycling facilities. The project started with 15 popular coffee bars and restaurants and only after two years it has more than 100. In every one of them, Pakomak has placed interesting eco branding in order to raise the public awareness about the importance of the separate waste collection and recycling. More than 33 tons of glass packaging waste is collected every month from these eco locations in Skopje. The goal of the project is to include as many bars and restaurants as possible and together with all of them - to create a positive environmental impact on the city in which we all live. In 2015, our Organization focused specifically on achieving the glass recycling targets and thus promoted glass recycling through among others the following actions The videos of the competition can be found Currently the collection of light packaging in Belgium is organized around the blue PMD bag for lastic bottles and flasks, etal cans and rinks cartons. Six pilot projects that will involve 120 000 inhabitants will start in early 2016. They are designed to test the new collection scenarios to see if it is possible to recycle plastic packagings other than bottles. These projects reflect the shared will of Fost Plus and the public authorities to increase the rate of recycling of plastic packaging waste in Belgium. For the municipalities taking part in these innovative projects this will involve the replacement of the blue PMD bag with a purple P MD bag that could also be used for rigid plastic packaging such as tubs, punnets and pots, and sometimes, according to the collection scenario, even for flexible plastic packaging, i.e., foils, bags and sachets. After their completion, these projects will be thoroughly assessed in order to determine whether the purple P MD bag might be extended throughout the whole of Belgium in the short or medium term. CONAI announced the winning companies of the second edition of "Award for innovation and sustainable packaging – 2015 edition”, which rewards the most innovative and sustainable packaging solutions of italian companies. CONAI announced the winning companies of the second edition of "Award for innovation and sustainable packaging – 2015 edition”, which rewards the most innovative and sustainable packaging solutions of italian companies. 56 projects admitted - on 91 and 38 cases presented winners from 39 companies. The 56 cases admitted have achieved an actual reduction of the environmental impact of packaging of 49% in CO2 emissions, the saving in energy consumption of 50%, and reducing water consumption by 51% . The sectors concerned by the actions of prevention are many, with greater incidence of food industries, detergents and personal care, and also electric and electronics and handling. Best practice concerning the six packaging materials: steel, aluminum, paper, wood, plastic and glass. Packaging eco-design and prevention actions made by companies are: reuse, save raw materials, optimization of logistics, facilitation of recycling activities, use of materials from recycling, simplification of the system packaging and optimization of production processes. The Rinki eco take-back point network is almost complete in Finland. It will be a substantial and successful network once ready. All of the 1,850 take-back points as defined in the packaging decree will be completed and finished during 2016. The cost of the full producer responsibility will be clarified as the operations begin. We have invested in consumer advice in order to get well-sorted and clean material to the Rinki eco take-back points, so that the recycling process will go according to plan. The rise of the recycling fee highlights the need to involve all organisations with producer responsibility obligations in Rinki's operations. We conducted a survey and found out that around 120,000 tonnes of packaging waste do not appear in the statistics. Around EUR 3.5 million that should be paid to the producer responsibility system remain uncollected. All Rinki member organisations should ensure that their partners are dealing with their producer responsibility obligations properly. This year is a jubilee year for EKO KOM - the system for recycling of packaging waste in the Czech Republic. Within these 15 years, the system achieved the aimed goals in the amount of the sorted waste, collection bins and the number of people who are willing to sort their waste - 72% of Czech citizens actively sort the waste and 75% of all packages in the EKO-KOM system are recycled. More than 253,000 recycling bins are available across the country for people to sort their waste. Each collection point serves an average of 141 people, which is an excellent results by EU standards. In other countries, one collection point serves hundreds or even thousands of people. The growing density of the recycling network also decreases the average distance people have to go to get to the nearest recycling bins. This distance has been cut in half over the last decade, and has now dropped below the magic number of 100 meters. More importantly, the closer people have their recycling bins, the more they recycle! It is already September and the work has started with full speed again. Of course during the summer we did not slow our speed too much, while preparing the contributions for the public consultations started by the European Commission. The first one, on Circular Economy, collected over 1400 stakeholders’ views on the main policy options for developing the ambitious new approach on the Circular Economy. The other EC consultation of importance to our sector was the Public Consultation on the Functioning of Waste Markets in the European Union. Its objective was to gain a better understanding of the exact nature and extent of regulatory failures causing distortions to EU waste markets for recycling and recovery. As the Commission is processing the received information, we look forward to see the final result: the new action plan to be published at the end of the year. A major event for all waste management professionals was the 2015 World Congress that took place in Antwerp from 7 to 9 September. The motto of the Congress was “Let's make the most of our resources and waste!”and I am happy to say that EXPRA was actively involved, inter alia chairing a special EPR session. EXPRA was also one of the stakeholders that joined a meeting on Informal waste collectors, organized in parallel with the Congress. The informal valuable waste collection is rapidly developing in Europe and has a major impact on the waste management sector. This fact has been acknowledged by and during the next 2016 Congress in Novi Sad, one full day of the event will be dedicated to this topic. I believe that until the end of the year and even after our attention will be fully focused on EC and the new Circular Economy proposal. Already 20 European associations, members of the Packaging Chain Forum developed an updated joint statement on the legislative proposal part of the Circular Economy package, giving a cross industry message to the European Commission and to other stakeholders. Needless to say, EXPRA and its 23 member Organizations will continue to be actively involved in shaping the developments around the new Circular Economy package. Wishing a good start into the busy autumn season, Enjoy your reading! Following the issue paper on EPR which was developed by the ISWA Working Group on governance and legal issues, the working group organized a special session about EPR during the ISWA World Congress. The special session concentrated on the question how to organize competition if a government has decided to grant accreditations to several Packaging Recovery Organizations. The session was chaired by EXPRA’s Managing Director Joachim Quoden. Mr. Mathieu Hestin, from BIO by Deloitte presented the conclusions from the study commissioned by the EC, noting that EPR paves the way to resource efficient economy and that in cases of several PROs operating in one country, there is a need for centralized system or mechanism that should allocate the responsibilities among the stakeholders. Mr. Peter Börkey from OECD presented the current work regarding the updating of the 2001 OECD EPR Guidelines and noted inter alia that when there is a competition among PROs, a very strong regulation is needed. Mr. Christoph Scharff, ARA and Mr. Fritz Flanderka, RECLAY presented the current situations, the expectations and experiences regarding centralized organization/clearing house in Austria and Germany. Mr. Alphan Eröztürk, CEVKO and Chair of the EXPRA EPR Implementation WG presented the position of EXPRA, that is strongly supporting the introduction of a clearing house respective a dedicated central organization in case of competing PROs. The panelists and the participants in the session discussed different issues, including whether competition on the PRO level is relevant or it should be at the WM operational level. As a conclusion it was agreed that the functioning of several PRO’s add complexity to the EPR system and therefore more control and enforcement of legislation by the government is needed. Moreover, all agreed that a central organization is absolutely necessary as it should ensure a level playing field and that that all PRO’s follow the same rules and have the same responsibilities. In parallel with the ISWA 2015 Congress in Antwerp a meeting of European Informal Recyclers was organized by Springloop Cooperative U.A., NWMC and DTI. In the meeting participated 25 representatives of NGOs, informal recyclers and waste collectors and consultancy companies. EXPRA participated in the meeting where were discussed the relations between the waste collectors/recyclers, local authorities, WMC and Producer Responsibility Organisations. Related social issues were also presented by the representative of Italian informal waste collectors. It is still not fully clear, especially for the informal waste collectors what is legal and what is illegal. Representatives of the French association of waste pickers, Ameloir, the only member from Europe of the Global Alliance of Waste pickers, presented the problems their members have with local authorities and the police. They believe that the authorities should offer an alternative for earning of their living as well as affordable training in other skills. The chair of EXPRA EPR Implementation Working group Mr. Alphan Eröztürk presented the situation in Turkey, concerning the development of relevant waste management legislation (since 1991) as well as the changes in line with EU legislation introduced in 2005 and 2007. Pursuant to these changes all informal waste collectors should be licensed (not as individuals but as companies) in order to continue to work legally. He informed the participants that it is estimated that in Turkey operate 70-75 000 waste collectors (30 000 in Istanbul) and noted that efforts should be made to integrate them in the formal system. He underlined that solutions should be discussed with and not for them. CEVKO is working in this direction with the help of NGOs and has organized several meetings with informal waste collectors, local authorities and NGOs. During the meeting different project under implementation were presented, including a comprehensive waste monitoring and benchmarking system that is currently being tested in Colombia. As the issues related to informal waste collectors are becoming more important, the topic will be a part of the next ISWA Congress 2016 in Novi Sad, where a full day meeting and discussion will be organized. EXPRA has been invited by the European Commission to participate in their newly founded packaging working group. The goal of this working group (WG) is to provide guidance on packaging related modelling and data issues in the running Environmental Footprint pilot phase. EXPRA has been invited by the European Commission to participate in their newly founded packaging working group. The goal of this working group (WG) is to provide guidance on packaging related modelling and data issues in the running Environmental Footprint pilot phase. The first meeting took place on September 9 in Brussels. The main topic of the meeting was to discuss and approve the mandate of this working group. Around 20 people mainly from all packaging material associations but also from EUROPEN participated in this meeting. The goal of the Crosscutting Packaging Working Group (PWG) is to provide guidance on packaging related modelling and data issues in the running Environmental Footprint pilot phase. In particular, the WG will propose requirements to be implemented in the final PEFCRs/OEFSRs and, to the extent possible, to be tested by the pilots in the supporting studies. It will ensure material neutrality1 in all activities of PWG and avoid discrimination of packaging materials or systems. The following tasks of the WG are foreseen: a) To identify a number of ‘default' secondary datasets for packaging systems2 (cradle to gate) and packaging related activities, available in public/commercial databases, or newly created; b) To provide further guidance on reuse rates3 for the relevant packaging system, where reuse is an option; c) To provide further guidance on packaging specific transportation aspects (e.g. connected to re-use systems or cube utilization); d) To provide further guidance on the application and definition of recycled content; e) To identify a number of ‘default' secondary End of Life datasets, available in public/commercial databases, or newly created. The intentions of the WG are to finalize the work until April 2016, having 1 full day meeting per month. With the growing of EXPRA and joining of new members we decided that it is time to update our leaflet. We hope that the new design of the leaflet will also help for the better transmission of our messages to external and internal audiences. EXPRA joined the updated statement on the Circular Economy Package (CEP) signed by 29 members of the Packaging Chain Forum (PCF) - European industry associations from the whole packaging value chain and single PROs. The joint statement relates to the legislative proposal that would be a part of Circular Economy Package. Its aim is to leverage a joint, strong and cross industry message to the European Commission ahead of the published CEP on 2 December, and to other stakeholders. Among the recommended actions to further enable the transition towards a resource-efficient and competitive Circular Economy, are the need to ensure full implementation and enforcement of the Waste Framework Directive and PPWD and strengthening of the legal framework for EPR, that should further include introducing a clear definition of EPR in the PPWD and stipulating binding EU minimum performance requirements for EPR schemes. The need for establishing a comparable and harmonized calculation method and setting realistic and achievable packaging recycling targets is also highlighted in the document The European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) published latest industry data showing that the EU28 average recycling rate for glass packaging hits the 73% mark for the first time. Over 25 billion glass containers continue to be recycled in a bottle to bottle closed loop making glass a model of the circular economy. Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria and Germany continue to be the best performers and to record striking rates (1). Italy, the Netherlands and Malta improved on previous years. However, it is Eastern Europe that is catching up as the industry begins to address the glass recycling challenges in these countries. Estonia, Slovenia, Slovak Republic and Croatia – recorded promising growth rates (2). The increased recycling efforts make Europe the continent with the highest glass recycling rates in the world. Glass recycling enables the container glass industry to dramatically reduce its environmental footprint by saving energy and raw materials (3), and it helps maintaining 125,000 stable and local jobs in the EU. Glass plants deliver more than half of their products within 300km and more than 70% of raw materials travel less than 300km (4). A report on collection and recycling of post-consumer PET in Europe carried out by PCI PET Packaging Resin & Recycling Ltd for Petcore Europe reveals success and challenges. The equivalent of 66 billion 1.5L PET bottles were collected and recycled in 2014, representing 57% of bottles and containers placed in the market. This conclusion comes from a report carried out by PCI PET Packaging Resin & Recycling Ltd for Petcore Europe from a Europe-wide survey among actors involved in the collection, sorting and recycling of PET. Looking at the 2014 collection rates in Europe shows that with 1,8 million metric tons of bottles and containers, PET collection has grown by 6.8% compared to 2013. Comparing this number to an estimated 3,1 million metric tons demand for bottles and containers placed in the market during this period suggests a 57% collection rate. In 2014, the growth in PET demand itself increased by 4.8%. In 2014, 1,7 million metric tons of PET were recycled in Europe. With an installed processing capacity estimated of circa 2,1 million metric, the recycling industry operating rate reached only 79%, lower than the 83% rate of 2013. This decrease illustrates the challenges that the PET industry had to face in 2014, in particular the pricing throughout the RPET (recycled PET) chain and pressure from low virgin PET resin prices that occurred during the last quarter of the year. Furthermore, the processed PET volume in 2014 was also below the collection volume. According to the survey participants, this difference is due to process losses, maintenance shut downs as well as shift programmed and production schedules adjusted to available bale supplies. The latter, issues related to bale supplies, was cited as one of the main contributing factors to lower productivity in 2014. The evolution of PET resin pricing and demand for recycled PET remain uncertain for the future. The results of the report will be presented during the Petcore Europe Conference in Brussels on 24 November. The European Environmental Agency published a Technical report on Assessment of global megatrends — extended background analysis. The purpose of this technical report is to complement the SOER 2015's Assessment of global megatrends by providing substantially more in-depth information and data on each megatrend. It provides background information on the research framework and processes that have underpinned EEA work on megatrends since 2009. The goal of this report is to stimulate thinking, spark discussion and thought, and encourage strategic decision-makers in Europe to consider emerging threats and opportunities, and ensure that policy is 'fit for the long term'. Essentially, the report aims to trigger questions about what global developments should be accounted for in order to ensure that environmental policy is relevant, adequate and resilient. Slopak organized internal workshop for Slovene officials who are preparing the legislation amendments regarding the waste management and packaging waste in particular in Slovenia. The aim of the workshop was to present how the packaging waste management is organized in some European countries. The workshop should facilitate the decision which solutions to implement in new Slovene legislation regarding the EPR principles and how the packaging recovery organizations should operate. In attendance were officials from Ministry for the Environment and Spatial Planning, Slovenian Environment Agency and Inspectorate for Environment and Spatial Planning. EXPRA members from Austria (ARA), France (EcoEmballages) and Spain (Ecoembes) were among the speakers as well as Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA who provided the overview of different EPR implementations in European countries. His presentation was followed by presentations from Esther Colino from Ecoembes, Alexandra Lange from EcoEmballages and Heribert Löcker from Ara. Each presented valuable insight about different systems that are implemented in respective countries and its strengths and weaknesses. The workshop provided valuable overview of different EPR implementations as well as good opportunity to the participants and speakers to discuss open questions and concerns about which solutions to implement in Slovenia. The representative of the Ministry expressed appreciation to speakers and Slopak for their valuable contribution. Ekopak is the first and leading packaging recovery organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose goal is establishment and development of an efficient and integrated system for the management of all types of packaging waste: glass, paper, metal, plastic, wood, packaging contaminated with hazardous substances and multilayer materials. Ekopak takes responsibility for the fulfillment of legal obligations on behalf of its clients, producers of packaging, importers, fillers, distributors and retailers, with the lowest sustainable cost and for the benefit of the entire community. In the period 2012-2014 Ekopak fulfilled recycling/recovery targets and increased the number of recycling tones of packaging waste along with the increase of number of clients. According to the Ordinance on packaging and packaging waste management, specific targets came into force in 2014. Ekopak had a big challenge - in terms of lack of municipal infrastructure and capacity for separate collection and recycling of packaging waste, to provide collection and recycling/recovery of all types of packaging materials: plastic, paper, metal, glass, wood, multilayers and packaging containing and/or the contaminated with hazardous substances. Thanks to network of collectors from all over the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina that Ekopak established, activities on the field were implemented and targets were achieved. Besides, as Ekopak operates on the non-for-profit principle, Ekopak invests in the local community with an aim of the system development. Consumers are now able to actively participate in the disposal of packaging waste in the 14 municipalities in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina where Ekopak established the system which develops constantly. Ekopak has significant role in the promotional and educational activities. Targeted group are kids from kindergartens and schools, and so far about 40,000 children participated in different Ekopak projects. Activities of Ekopak can be followed on the link: . Today Ekopak operates on behalf of more than 500 packaging companies. For the three years of its operations Ekopak organized collection and recycling/recovery of more than 20,000 tons of packaging waste. Ekopak is dedicated to further develop transparent, long-term and sustainable business what is real challenge in the circumstances of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 1980s, scientific evidence of global climate change and its consequences became a growing concern among scientists, politicians and the public. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Convention defined a series of obligations for all countries, mostly concerning the development and implementation of a policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As the response from developed countries (which are the main “producers” of greenhouse gases) turned out to be very poor, the Berlin Mandate was presented in 1995, establishing a negotiations process in order to strengthen commitment to UNFCCC for the period after 2000. This process finally resulted in the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol (KP) in 1997. The Kyoto Protocol (KP) is a very important step towards limiting the emissions of 6 greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, N20, HFCs, PFCs and SF6), as legally binding commitment was specified for the first time. Under KP, developed countries have special obligations: during the first commitment period (i.e. from 2008 to 2012), they needed to lower their total emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 5% compared to 1990 levels. The agreed goals were differentiated between the developed countries (e.g. the U.S. was obliged to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 7%, the European Union (EU) as a whole by 8%, Japan and Canada by 6%), while the same principle was applied within the European Union among member states in accordance with an internally adopted agreement on dividing the obligations. Recently, the U.S. pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, to the frustration of the entire global community. The Republic of Serbia, while still not a KP signatory, is following the effects of climate change and is working to decrease emissions of the 6 gases together with the rest of the world. The experiences of EU countries, which adopted the principle of “extended producer responsibility” (EPR), showed that a significant reduction in the amount of CO2 emissions was possible by introducing a sustainable system of primary selection of packaging waste at the place of its creation, as well as through recycling, i.e. reusing packaging waste. The separation of packaging waste directly decreases the amount of material deposited in unsanitary landfills, which are the majority in the territory of the Republic of Serbia. Citizens of the Republic of Serbia generate about 2.3 billion tonnes of waste a year, of which in 2014 packaging waste accounted for about 320 thousand tonnes. Sekopak, which represents over 40% of the Serbian economy, had a share of 65% in total CO2 emission savings (7,831 tonnes of CO2) in 2013, and a share of 67% (10,763 tonnes of CO2) in 2014. From this it is clear that the rising trend of CO2 emissions savings, observed through the prism of the EPR system, can be secured only by continuing and intensifying the separate collection of packaging waste at its place of creation, to which all citizens of the Republic of Serbia can contribute, as well as all other entities within the packaging waste management system, above all the responsible system operators, through compulsory investments in the primary selection system. On 16 September 2015, Sekopak will hold the “Green Economy and Recycling Infrastructure” in the conference centre of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Belgrade, in cooperation with the Danas Conference Centre and with the support of the Serbian Environmental Protection Agency, at which the CO2 calculator will be presented for the first time. Sekopak is obliged on behalf of its clients to provide packaging waste management in accordance with the Regulation on Determining the Plan of Reduction of Packaging Waste for the Period from 2014 to 2019 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, no. 144/2014) which sets the general goal of 38% of all packaging waste in 2015 to be reused in accordance with the Contract on Assuming Obligations Based on the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste, as well as specific goals for the recycling of individual packaging materials. In this regard, we are able to confirm to all clients that Sekopak’s performance in 2015, as of today, successfully meets the national goals for reusing packaging waste in 2015, as can be seen in the table below. Table - Fulfilment of national goals for reusing packaging waste - January to August 2015 We would like to say thank you for trust placed in us and we look forward to continued successful cooperation. This year Sekopak also supported the Eco-Festival held as part of the Eco Regions of Serbia - Banat and Šumadija project, which is implemented by the company A.S.A through its educational programme titled “Čistunko”. Sekopak participated in the festivals in Batočina on 22 May 2015 and in Topola on 5 June 2016, where the final eco-festivals were held and the “Eco Grand Prix” awards were handed out. Almost 1000 children from schools in 30 municipalities in Serbia entered their artworks in A.S.A’s competition called “Best Čistunko Mascot”. The awards this year were given to schools, not individuals. The goal of the festival is to develop in children of all ages a positive relationship with the environment, cleanliness and health, while raising awareness of culture and the environment, through creativity, fun and socialising. The purpose is to change the long-term behaviour of our younger generations and for them to transfer their knowledge and habits to their parents. Sekopak participated in this cultural event together with its promo team who showed the children how to separate packaging waste. The companies Bambi and Knjaz Miloš, supported the festival with a donation of their products, while Sekopak distributed books to primary schools. Eco-Festival was also supported by many public personalities, such as the children’s writers Ljubivoje Ršumović, Moša Odalović and Minja Subota, and the actors Boda Ninković, Manda and Raša Popov, amongst many others. The Eco-Olympiad of the Olympic Committee of Serbia, supported by Coca-Cola, Sekopak and the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, was held in several towns and cities in Serbia, including: Mali Zvornik, Novi Pazar, Subotica and Pirot. The goal of the Eco-Olympiad is to develop an Olympic spirit and instil the importance of looking after the environment in primary school children through sport, fun and participation in various workshops. Part of the programme also included the planting of 5 trees in selected schools. The trees represent the 5 Olympic values which the young should adopt in their everyday lives: joy of effort, fair play, respect, pursuit of excellence and balance of spirit, body and mind. Coca-Cola gifted footballs, basketballs and handballs to schools with the aim of encouraging pupils to take up sport. Various sports players, judo players, shooters, athletes and others took part in the Eco Olympiad Playground environmental workshop together with the school children. The slogan of this action was “My School Yard”. The main idea of this action was to tidy up the school yard by raising young people’s awareness of recycling and waste separation. For this purpose, Sekopak donated recyclable waste sorting bins to schools. The Nordic Business Alliance in Serbia organised the educational event “Nordic Design and Innovation” on 1 June 2015 in the Radisson Blue Hotel. Sekopak participated as a member of the Nordic Alliance. IKEA, Telenor, Volvo, DSV, Triplan, Astra Zeneca, SFK and others also participated in the Fair alongside Sekopak. At the opening of the event, Nordic Business Alliance Executive Director Andreja Pavlović underscored that the NBA, as a non-for-profit association that promotes Nordic business ethics, corporate values and principles, serves as an incubator of ideas and projects important for the local business community. Apart from companies which are geographically from the Nordic countries, the members of the Nordic Business Alliance also include local companies which do business with Nordic corporations. They have by and large adopted the values of Nordic companies, and because of this they can serve as a model, which through joint efforts can offer an example of good practice for the entire local business community. Sekopak garnered huge interest from visitors with its original appearance and interesting stall. For the first time this summer the sorting of packaging waste for recycling was organised and promoted in Novi Sad at the Štrand beach. The primary waste selection action was initiated by the Gradsko Zelenilo public utility company in cooperation with Sekopak and the plastics recycling company Greentech. For this purpose Sekopak donated 35 bins for disposing of packaging waste. The company began with the environment-themed performance titled “Dirty or Clean - Not the Same Thing” on 4 June 2015, featuring the actors Slobodan Boda Ninković, Marija Maki Veljković and Jovica Jocke Tišma. The actors answered the following questions for the youngest visitors to the Štrand: What is ecology, and what is recycling, where is rubbish disposed and can it be useful? The next day, on 5 June 2015, Sekopak and the companies Greentech and Recan organised a joint action to mark World Environment Day. Through a series of interesting and education activities and talks with company promoters, visitors to the Štrand had the opportunity to learn why recycling is important, how to recycle packaging waste and how they, themselves, can contribute to the recycling of waste. In July and August, a further two actions were organised where Sekopak promoters were tasked with teaching visitors to the Štrand as much as possible about recycling, packaging waste and Green Point. In ly 2015, Sekopak in collaboration with the Gradska Čistoća public utility enterprise, set up 2 recycling containers for glass packaging. The containers were placed in the centre of Belgrade in Obilićev Venac near the entrance to the public car parking garage. The plan is to set up a further 80 recycling containers in all important locations in Belgrade in the upcoming period. The placement of recycling containers is important for both us and Gradska Čistoća and the capital city of Serbia, since this is one in a series of projects which we are implementing in order to establish primary packaging waste selection in Belgrade together with the public utility enterprise Gradska Čitsoća. “This is one part of the puzzle which will in the end lead to our capital standing shoulder to shoulder with other metropolises,” said Violeta Belanović Kokir, the general manager of Sekopak. The goal of the action is to raise citizens’ awareness of the importance of recycling and looking after the environment. The first containers were placed in the centre of Belgrade in Obilićev Venac near the entrance to the public car parking garage. A further 43 containers were placed in 29 locations over the weekend: Ada Huja, Cvetni Trg, the corner of Njegoševa and Kralja Milutina streets, the corner of Resavska and Kralja Milutina, the corner of Tadeuša Koščuška, Strahinjića Bana, Milan Gale Muskatirović Sports Centre, Beton Hala, Savamala, the park opposite Palace Hotel, the island by the Pevac cafe-bar (corner of Gračanička and Cara Lazara streets), Ušće under Branko’s Bridge (Brankov Most), Asterix Restaurant at Ušće, Zemun Quay Grand Casino, Zemun Quay Lido, Venecija Restaurant, Zemun Green Market (Gospodska street), Glavna street opposite Robna Kuća in Zemun, Belville settlement, the corner of Kralja Petra and Cara Lazara streets, 27. mart street at the Business College, ZeleniVenac, Brankova street no. Topalovićeva street, Makedonska street by Piraeus Bank, the fountain on Terazije, Kej Oslobođenja at the terminus for bus 82, Terazije outside Kasina bar, the roundabout in Vračar by Kalenić traditional restaurant and Republic Square. The Government Offices of Sweden announced in June that Mia Torpe will serve as the head of the upcoming waste management and recycling inquiries. An extensive inquiry has been appointed to investigate whether the municipalization of packaging and newspaper collection will make it possible to meet the environmental targets set for 2020, while also stipulating in the statutory waste hierarchy that combustion is not the preferred option and that re-use and recycling are to be prioritized. FTI´s analyses back in 2012 in connection with the proposals of the earlier waste management inquiry indicated that leaving the responsibility for collection as it is would be the best option for those who recycle, for the market and for the environment. Essentially nothing has changed since then. The new inquiry will start in September and results are due in March 2016. FTI look forward to discussing the matter once again. In 2015, our Organization completes 10 years’ presence in Cyprus. A special honorary ceremony was organized to praise the 29 pioneering companies that were the founding shareholders of the Organization. The main speaker of the event was the Minister of Finance of Cyprus who concentrated especially on the successful coupling of economy and ecology for a more sustainable development. The Organization’s achievements and awards in its 10 year life were also presented during the event. Green Dot Cyprus organized for 5 consecutive year the Environment and Recycling Festival. The Festival provides an informative, educational and entertaining experience to visitors. More than 10,000 people visit the Festival every year, making it by far the largest environmental event in Cyprus. Event at 4850 children participated in the third national campaign "Old paper for a new book" For the third consecutive year ECOPACK together with paper Center Greenwich organized campaign "Old paper for a new book." This year it took place not only in the capital Sofia, but also in two other cities: Plovdiv and Rousse. Delivered to stations transmitting paper curled long queues of children and parents. They were there to show their commitment and responsibility towards the environment and love of reading. Children from Plovdiv, Rousse and Sofia exchanged 26.5 tons of old paper for 6000 new books and thus saved 345 trees. Any child with accompanying adulst who brought five kilograms of old paper was given the opportunity to choose from among 300 book titles. The organizers and campaign partners united around the idea that it is important that each child from an early age should learn to take care of nature, to collect waste separately and to have particular regard to books and reading. The initiative was accompanied by a children's festival - the eko play "Tale of little heros with empty bellies - Papereater, Plasticeater and Glass eater" presented in the park, and with a lots of music, dancing, games and quizzes. There were eko workshop for making jewelry, flowers and souvenirs from recycable packaging waste materials. R Prizes, the MFSHOW Laboratory by Ecoembes and Upcycling Ecoembes appreciate and value every initiative that helps to care for the environment. That’s why this year we will again recognize those initiatives that promote recycling and sustainability. From 2 September to 12 October, entries for all those wishing are will be accepting of the five categories: “Best corporate measure”, “Best journalism work”, “Best social initiative”, “Best awareness campaign by a government agency” and, new this year, “Best innovation and/or entrepreneurial project”. And, to top it off, we have a special “Ecoembes 2015 Honorable Mention” and the “Best ambassador for the environment award”. Ecoembes presented “The MFSHOW Laboratory by Ecoembes”, an innovative project for young eco designers to develop sustainable collections with recycled material. Through this initiative Ecoembes aims to inspire recycling in the fashion world and to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the environment by promoting innovation. In this first edition we will recognize the best young designers who are using recycled material for at least 80% of their collections. The winner of the MFSHOW Laboratory by Ecoembes will get to create a capsule collection using textiles made from recycled materials, to be presented at the February 2016 edition of the MFSHOW WOMEN. For the third year running Ecoembes, the fashion company Ecoalf, and the Photography school Efti are organizing the 3 Annual Photography and Video Upcycling Contest on recycling. The goal of this initiative, launched two years ago, is to come up with ideas on caring for the environment and capturing them in photographs. Following the success of the previous two years, this year’s edition features a new category: video. This will make it possible to reach a wider audience and to show recycling from a positive, emotional and committed viewpoint. The 2015 Annual GreenPak Local Council Awards organised by GreenPak Cooperative Society saw the introduction of a new award entitled ‘Waste to Recyclables Award’ which is intended to stimulate the diversion of waste away from the refuse bag and towards the recycling bag. Every year GreenPak organizes this event as a way to award those local councils that have striven most to improve their green credentials. Three local councils were nominated as finalists in each of the six categories i.e. Most Supportive Locality, Most Improved Locality, Best Performance: Glass Recycling, Best Performance Overall and The Inspire Foundation Award. Ing. Mario Schembri, GreenPak ‘s CEO, said: “With satisfaction, one notices that amongst the runner ups and winners are local councils who have joined GreenPak in recent years for the purpose of improving their environmental credentials. In the space of a few years, these local councils have improved so much that they are now enjoying both benefits and rewards and are an example for others to follow. ” The award ceremony was attended by more than 80 local council Mayors, Executive Secretaries and Councillors as well as Government Minister Mr. Leo Brincat and Parliamentary Secretary Dr Stefan Buontempo. Besides receiving the trophy and certificate of achievement, the winning local councils were each awarded a cash prize to support ongoing environmental projects within their localities. Start-up discussion on circular economy in Romania and Debate on authorization waste management operators and control procedures of PROs in Romania President of Commission for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Giovanni La Via, was present in Romania at a conference on circular economy organized on September 1 in Bucharest. President La Via talked about the new way of thinking of the circular economy that will reshape the perceptions and approach about materials and products. “We have to do better with less and we have to do more about waste” he mentioned. He stressed that the new proposal on circular economy will represent the cooperation and a compromise between the proposals of European Council and the Parliament. William Vermeir, EXPRA Chairman, present at the event, talked about the important role of EPR in increasing the recycling sector in EU. He mentioned that imposing higher goals is not sufficient and will have to analyses how the EU institutions will manage the paradox of ‘European legislation versus subsidiarity’. Romania has a low level of recycling of municipal waste while is succeeds to reach the packaging waste recycling obligation mainly from the commercial flow. The separate collection from the household will need to be based on real costs and not the lowest ones promoted by the sanitation companies and accepted according with the law of public acquisitions. The representative of Eco-Rom Ambalaje, CEO Sorin Cristian Popescu, called for clear legislation that is not subject to annually change or even, sometimes, suddenly changes. These situations lead to unpredictable environment and impossibility to create a medium and long term planning from the obliged industry side. The number of waste management companies increased and according to Ministry of Economy there are more than 300 companies. But in reality the number seems to be four times higher. The authorizations for their operations are given by the local environmental agency. In the last 4-5 years the activity of waste management increased as well as the complexity of the activities which is not always reflected in the authorizations. These have an influence on others activity working on the value chain of the packaging waste including the PROs. Eco-Rom Ambalaje supported a round table discussion among Romanian environmental authorities and waste management companies – recyclers and collectors – organized at the end of July in Bucharest. The Romanian PROs raise the subject of traceability of waste in Romania which includes authorizations for waste management activities. They are different from a region to another, sometimes are not clear and therefor are subject to different interpretations. Eco-Rom Ambalaje has contracts with more than 200 waste management companies for which are requesting an increased number of documents in order to prove the traceability of the packaging waste. The participants at the seminar proposed that the entire control procedures should be part of a particular legislation and the existing provisions are not clear and enough. Eco-Rom Ambalaje calls for more transparency and less bureaucracy. Romanian authorities recognized the need to change the legal framework for waste management authorizations and create a working group that will look closer at the practical situations that creates obstacles for a clear traceability. Actively working to promote a sustainable recovery system led by the industry for 23 years with the goals of protecting the environment, and contributing to the social welfare and national economy, the ÇEVKO Foundation provided significant environmental and economic benefits to our nation in 2014. Collaborating with local governments, the ÇEVKO Foundation reached out to more homes and consumers in 2014, and was able to increase the amount of packaging waste collected by providing cases, containers, boxes for indoor use, and sorting bags to promote sorting at source. Recycling the collected waste resulted in energy savings, and reduced resource utilization, which in turn contributed a total of TRY 1,490,000,000 to the national economy. Mr. Mete Imer, secretary general of the ÇEVKO Foundation, points out that any packaging waste made of glass, metal, plastic, paper-cardboard, composite, and wood can potentially be recovered multiple times both technically as well as economically, and summarized the environmental and economic contributions of the Foundation's recovery efforts in 2014 as follows: "Our recovery efforts in 2014 not only helped to save fossil fuel, water, and energy, but we were also able to contribute TRY 1,490,000,000 to the national economy by combining the economic value of recycled items with a reduction in storage space costs. We may be able to increase this number many times by fostering a culture of sorting at source and recycling in the society... If only people could see and appreciate these benefits. For example; recycled plastic packaging waste may be used to manufacture textile fibers, drainpipes, furniture by-products, vinyl floor covering, etc; the use of recycled materials in the manufacturing process of such products saves fuel and electricity compared to the use of unprocessed raw materials. Complete recovery of all packaging waste not only helps to prevent environmental pollution, but also contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gases. Being aware of these benefits, the ÇEVKO Foundation is committed to creating a greener world by protecting the environment and contributing to the national economy, and will continue its efforts also in 2015.” 4 million trees were saved. This corresponds to 400,000 acres of forest area or in other words, 50% of Turkey's surface area… During the last weeks in the exhibition site of Expo 2015 in Milan was achieved a very good result of separate waste collection, in particular packaging and organic waste. This result was possible thanks to the collaboration between Expo, Amsa - the manager of the collection in Milan - and the CONAI system. From 1 May to 15 September, the rate of separate collection within the site amounted to 65% - with peaks of over 70% in August and in the first two weeks of September - a value greater than that recorded in the entire City of Milan. The progress of the separation of waste has allowed the non-issuance of almost 252 tons of carbon dioxide, the savings of more than 31,500 cubic meters of water and more than 2.7 million kWh of electrical energy, in addition to the lack of production of 1,218 tons of virgin raw materials. The quantities sent for recycling in the first four months of Expo Milano 2015 allow to produce 143,140 T-shirts (PET), 1,496 benches (mixed plastics), 34,627 wrenches (steel), 1,673 coffee pots (aluminum), 1765 cabinets (wood), 3470847 shoe boxes (paper and cardboard), 900,012 bottles (glass) and 122,205 kg of compost (organic) for the city public parks, just to name some of the products commonly generated from recycled materials. Raising awareness to encourage better sorting Conscious of the fact that the success of selective sorting depends on people being motivated to sort, Fost Plus is pursuing its awareness-raising drives among the general public to highlight the importance and purpose of waste sorting. To this end, Fost Plus is launching a large-scale national communication campaign, steadfastly optimistic, looking to the future, to give meaning back to the act of sorting, with its environmental purpose back centre stage. Via an ad which will be broadcast on TV and in cinemas, featuring an exchange between a young boy and his father, Fost Plus reminds us that, generation after generation, it is important to continue to sort properly for the future of all of us. The audiovisual campaign will run alongside a poster campaign promoting the slogan "For the future, let's carry on sorting". PYR is now RINKI The new name, Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd, was launched in May. It was changed to reflect a wider scope of producer responsibility and the new duties that Rinki now has. Our previous role of maintaining the register of companies that bear product responsibility has now expanded to also cover the collection of consumer packaging and organisation of glass packaging recycling. Rinki's vision is to be the most efficient and best-known supplier of packaging recycling in Finland. We are here to ensure that the producer responsibility is fulfilled in the best possible way and at the lowest possible rates. We are busy building the new network of Rinki eco take-back points signing contracts, acquiring containers and preparing the logistics. In three months time, the collection of consumer packaging, arranged by the producers, will be available for all Finns. Geen Dot Norway is launching a new automated system for packaging reporting based on import data. Through audits over the last years, we have seen substantial underreporting among our members that import packaged goods. Many companies do not have packaging data in their systems, and have great difficulties reporting the packaging amounts to Geen Dot Norway. Geen Dot Norway now has the opportunity to offer members an automated way of reporting packaging, by using import data received from Customs. More than 300 companies has already signed up for this way of reporting, and will receive invoices based on the system for the first time in October. Average packaging amounts for members using the automated system is expected to increase with at least 14 %.The system is built for sharing with other EXPRA partners, and interested parties are invited for a webinar in October. Pakomak as a leading packaging waste management company started the project 3D eco bus in the Macedonian elementary schools. The launch was in 2014, but the project continued in 2015 as well – with the beginning of the new school year. More than 19.000 children from 1 -5 grade visited the eco bus and watched the interactive 3D movie, learning all the important facts about the recycling. Through fun and interactive games they found out what every one of them should do to keep our planet clean and green. The goal of the project is to help children build a personal positive attitude towards separate waste collection and recycling. It was so well accepted by all of them, so it will continue in the future because only with projects like this we can protect the natural environment in the long run. It looks like this summer will be again quite busy for all of us packaging and waste professionals as the European Commission is actively working on the new Circular Economy Package. After publishing an indicative Roadmap for the route to a new CEP the Commission has opened a public consultation to collect views on the main policy options for developing an ambitious new approach on the Circular Economy. Stakeholders' input will help feed the preparation of the new action plan, to be presented by the end of 2015. The Commission also organized several bilateral meetings with leading stakeholders and I am very proud that EXPRA was amongst those leading associations. EXPRA was also invited to make a statement during the Stakeholder Conference “CLOSING THE LOOP: Circular Economy - boosting business, reducing waste”, organized on 25 June in Brussels. The CEP was among the priorities of the other EU institutions: the Environment Committee of the European Parliament adopted the report of MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, FI) on The report is scheduled for a vote in the EP Plenary on 7 July and contains several quite positive proposals among others concerning strengthening of EPR as a very important tool to implement the environmental goals of EU legislation. Following the started consultations EXPRA will remain actively involved in shaping the developments around the new Circular Economy proposal. We strongly believe that EPR is a key tool to ensure both economically and environmentally sound waste management. This is why we will continue with our efforts to convince the stakeholders that EPR minimum requirements should explicitly be integrated into the proposal for amending both the Waste Framework and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directives, and be made even more ambitious by outlining clear roles and responsibilities for the actors across the waste management chain. With EXPRA’s and our members’ thorough experience in end-of-life management of packaging, we will continue to actively share our knowledge with interested stakeholders on ways to deliver effective EPR and sound waste management. Enjoy your reading! Within the efforts to collect the views of the different stakeholders on the main policy options for developing an ambitious new approach on the Circular Economy the E C organized the Conference: “CLOSING THE LOOP - Circular Economy: boosting business, reducing waste” Ahead of the new Circular Economy proposal, EXPRA calls on policymakers to safeguard and reinforce the primary role that has to play in the transition towards a circular economy According to the OECD, . We believe that the OECD definition should be formalised in European law. This needs to be accompanied by . In order to achieve economic and environmental excellence, we strongly believe that Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) should be industry-owned and operate on a not-for-profit or profit-not-for-distribution basis. At the same time, we highlight that new need to be realistic and based on reliable statistics. should therefore be at the centre of the legislative review. Our key messages are further explained below. EPR is an important tool that helps Member States to move towards more sustainable waste management. In order to ensure a streamlined implementation of EPR across the bloc, it is important that the EPR principle is appropriately incorporated into EU waste legislation and that strong and clear minimum requirements for EPR schemes are set. With a view to harmonising legislative approaches in EPR environmental policy, the PPWD could follow the precedent set by the Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The latter explicitly recognises the principle of producers responsibility, or third parties acting on their behalf, to create the link between the production and the waste phase of a product. The various actors involved in the life cycle of electrical and electronic equipment, such as producers, distributors, local authorities, consumers and operators of collection and treatment, take part in this process. Page 63 Page 17 Pages 32, 38 and 51 COMMISSION DECISION of 22 March 2005 establishing the formats relating to the database system pursuant to Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste. During the lunch debate over 20 representatives of the different stakeholders in the process, namely, local and regional authorities, PROs, waste management companies, recyclers and NGOs, had the opportunity to share their views and positions on the need and scope of accreditation criteria for PROs. The need for such criteria is of great importance especially when the PROs operate in a competitive environment. Mr. Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA,introduced the participants to the topic. He raised the questions related to accreditation criteria for PROs that need to be discussed on a European level. Usually the PROs in close cooperation with municipalities have to establish and maintain the necessary infrastructure for the collection and sorting of packaging waste and to ensure that the collected packaging waste is treated in the right way. This is of major importance especially in times when the sorted packaging waste has a negative value. In order to continue to perform their obligations the PROs have to have solid financial basis. In addition to this, there are other basic criteria to be met, such as providing for respective level of transparency concerning ownership, the kind of packaging under the contract of the PROs, etc. In order to ensure this, a consolidated public surveillance over PROs is needed. It may be provided inter alia through defining a clear authorization process (recognition procedure to act as a PRO) and this authorization should be renewed on a regular basis . This will help EU Member States to improve the packaging waste management system, will close existing loopholes in the legislation and will finally clarify what can be expected from the PROs. Two case studies for PROs operating in a competitive environment were presented during the debate: ECOPACK Bulgaria (by Monika Romenska) and SLOPAK, Slovenia (by Srečko Bukovec, Managing Director): In the Bulgarian case the competition was introduced at the start of the system in 2004. However, due to the lack of clear accreditation criteria covering all aspects of the PRO’s scope of activity, the results were not satisfactory. Over the years, additional and more specific accreditation criteria were introduced in the legislation, which improved the performance of the PROs to a certain extent, but still the monitoring and imposing of sanctions in case of non-fulfillment should be strengthened. In the Slovenian case the situation was even more difficult as the system was designed for a single non for profit PRO, but later on a competition was introduced. This was done without establishing basic competition rules, such as a clearing house, setting the market share, controlling of the fulfillment of the legal obligations, etc. Thus at present there is a co-habitation of two systems, meaning a vertilally intergrated PROs (owned by WMC) and non for profit PROs owned and run by the obliged insdury which are practically in contradiction. The other participants in the debate, including representatives from Reclay, SUEZ – SITA, ACR+ RDC, ReLoop, MWE, IGBE, Norwegian Local Authorities and Fost Plus exchanged their views and shareed their positions on the topic. They all agreed with the need to have accreditation criteria and supported the idea that such criteria should be included in the minimum requirements for EPR to be defined in EU legislation. These criteria are especially needed in a competitive environment in order to ensure a level playing field and avoid unfair competition and fraud. An is scheduled for . The topic, which will be introduced by DSD, is on postconsumer plastics and how to close the loop. * Over 90 participants, representing different stakeholders, including 20 representatives from 11 EXPRA members participated in the public seminar on “The impact of street collectors on separate collection” organized by CEVKO, the Turkish members of EXPRA. The key notes were given by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Prof Dr Mustafa Öztürk, and by Andre Vilhena from CEMPRE - a Brazilian association of industry, implementing a successful pilot project supporting street pickers. Mr. Vilhena explained the Brazilian model that aims to help waste pickers to change from the informal to the formal sector by helping them to establish and run cooperatives. He noted that with the help of the pilot project since 2010, 10 % of 800 thousand waste pickers are working in the 1.000 cooperatives they founded. He underlined that that with education and better work conditions the capacity of the cooperatives was improved, and the Brazilian Model was accepted as a reference for developing countries by United Nations Environment Program in Rio+20. In the following sessions, EXPRA members - Packaging Recovery Organizations (PROs) from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Macedonia, shared their experiences and the negative impact of informal sector collection on their operations. The existence of a parallel, informal collection system, decreases the quantities of incoming valuable materials, increases the operating costs, damages the established collection infrastructure and de-motivates the inhabitants to separate the waste. There is also a negative impact on the processing of documentation aand reporting of recycled/recovered quantities. It has to be noted that in a growing number of countries this topic is gaining importance and that it gets more and more difficult for many PROs to protect their separate collection infrastructure from damages and respectively to document the collected and recycled packaging amounts. Still the PROs are trying to find ways to solve these problems – by implementing pilot projects as for example in the city of Stip, Macedonia, where the PRO in cooperation with NGOs is trying to integrate the waste pickers in the formal system. Representatives of local authorities from Turkey shared also their experiences and discussed the different aspects of this complex problem: environmental, social and economical. During the panel on “Solution Alternatives for the Management of Street Collectors “moderated by Head of Ministry of Environment and Urbanization Waste Management Department Ahmet Varır, Ahmet Cihat Kahraman from Marmara Municipalites Union, Alphan Eröztürk from ÇEVKO, Joachim Quoden from EXPRA, Andre Vilhena from CEMPRE and Ercan Yürekli from TÜDAM discussed the related problems and possible solutions. At the end of the seminar, the following conclusions were made by the participants: EXPRA and its EPR implementation working group will develop a respective position paper which should then be shared with national and European authorities to make them aware of the topic. As there were several developments during the last year, we updated the EXPRA EPR glossary. It is a collection of terms that are commonly used in the field of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and in the waste management sector. Of course this is a living document and we will continue to develop it according the changing legal environment and emerging new technologies. On 17 June, the EP ENVI Committee voted on the amendments to the Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, FI) report on and the draft report as amended was thereafter adopted (please find draft report ). The report was adopted by 56 votes to 5, with 5 abstentions and follows up on the previous Commission’s Communication on Circular Economy ( but also aims to provide input to the new Circular Economy proposals that the Commission is planning to publish this autumn. The report includes a call from the MEPs to the Commission to table a new proposal by the end of 2015 that includes: After the resolution was adopted rapporteur Sirpa Pietikäinen, reportedly stated that the vote showed that MEPs and the Commission agree on the direction to take but Green MEP Claude Turmes (LU) did not agree with Pietikäinen in this regard. Instead, he felt that the ENVI MEPs had suggested substantial improvements (please consult the article with both of their statements ). Massimo Paolucci, the S&D shadow rapporteur on the circular economy reiterated the call for action in circular economy: ‘Rather than being just an opportunity, a circular economy is a necessity for Europe. The challenge to compete in the global economy will more and more depend on innovation and sustainability. Investing in the quality of our lifestyles and our ecosystems is key to building a new development model, capable of creating jobs and well-being’ (please see S&D press release Among the stakeholders reacting to the vote, PlasticsEurope welcomed the MEPs’ call to end landfilling. Executive Director Karl-H. Foerster was very encouraging of the ENVI Committee’s strong position on asking the Commission to put an end to the disposal of plastics in landfills (please see press release ). The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) encouraged the MEPs’ strong stance on resource reduction as Piotr Barczak, Policy Officer for Waste said: ‘Companies, NGOs and citizens can all see the value of adopting a new economic model which makes more careful use of our resources and limits waste’ (please see press release ). The ENVI Committee report available on the ENVI website (please see ). The report is scheduled for a vote in the EP Plenary on 7 July. It is remarkable that all political parties are supporting the need for minimum EPR requirements as they see EPR as a very important tool to implement the environmental goals of EU legislation but it has to be ensured that it is used following the best practices. EXPRA has met in the last 12 months several times with the rapporteur and all shadow rapporteurs and will of course continue the engagement especially to convince them to promote the right minimum requirements. Besides personal meetings EXPRA had sent last week a letter to all shadow rapporteurs supporting the need for minimum requirements and the need to measure recycling as input recycling. The letter is enclosed for your kind notice. The European Commission opened its Public Consultation on the Circular Economy on 28 May. The deadline for contributions from stakeholders has been set for 20 August 2015. The consultation aims to collect stakeholder views on the best policy options for putting forward an ambitious new plan regarding the Circular Economy. The consultation includes question sections on the Production Phase; Consumption Phase; Markets for Secondary Raw Materials; Sectoral Measures; as well as Enabling factors for the circular economy, including innovation and investment. It also makes it possible to attach position papers and other documents. The consultation page is available and the questionnaire can be found . A press release with further detail on the rationale for the consultation, can be found . The European Commission has launched a second public consultation within the work on the Circular Economy. To recap, the consultation is organised in the context of a Commission study looking into obstacles to the functioning of waste markets, which was launched in January this year. The overall aim of the consultation is to It will be open for input until . A first stakeholder event on this matter was organised in May, and another stakeholder conference to discuss the issues addressed in the consultation will take place on Please find the questionnaire and attached, and more information about the consultation . When the G7 Leaders convened in Elmau, Germany, on 7-8 June they discussed the global economy, as well as foreign, security and development policy issues, but also climate/energy and resource efficiency. On resource efficiency, the final declaration includes a specific section on this topic. Therein, the leaders acknowledge the importance of resource efficiency for competitiveness, growth and jobs and argue that life-cycle-based decision making can ensure that focus is placed on sectors with significant potential. The Leaders also commit to take action in order to improve resource efficiency, and this will include the setting up of a ‘G7 Alliance of Resource Efficiency’. The aim of this alliance is to promote exchange of best practices and innovation, together with businesses and other stakeholders. More concretely, a series of workshops will be organised under the Alliance on a range of topics, at least one workshop per year. The topics include: The declaration also includes a section on the Protection of the Marine Environment, focusing on marine litter. In this regard, the G7 commits to take action to address this problem, targeting both land- and sea based sources as well as removal actions. The priority actions for land based sources include improving waste management systems, encouraging waste reduction as well as reuse and recycling. Also, to encourage industry to develop sustainable packaging as well as incentives to reduce the use of single-use items. Deposit schemes are mentioned, but only in the context of reducing waste items from the fishing industry. Please find the G7 final declaration . More detailed information can be also found in the annex to the declaration, available . As of 1 June the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation has become fully applicable across the EU. Whilst the CLP had already replaced the old rules on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances in December 2010 it now also applies to the classification, labelling and packaging of mixtures. The CLP Regulation aligns existing EU legislation with the criteria and labelling of the United Nations Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) which is aiming to ensure that the same hazards are described and labelled in the same way globally. The Regulation requires a large number of products to be re-labelled, including consumer items such as detergents, as well as industrial mixtures. The new system is based on hazard classes, categories and statement codes instead of risk phrases and categories of danger as was the case under the old legislation. Please find the CLP Regulation and the Commission Decision As part of its 10th Anniversary activities, Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) launched an advertising campaign to inform communities throughout Québec about the importance and success of curbside recycling system. In this humorous and informative advertising, Éric Salvail, who is well-known and liked by Quebecers, plays the role of a milk carton that passes through each step of the recovery process, up until his “second life” as a new product, made from recycled material. This spring’s segment of the campaign was presented on TV and social media over six weeks, and users could click the link to ÉEQ’s to see the ad’s making-of. The entire campaign featuring Mr. Salvail will run over a three-year period to highlight various aspects of materials recovery. From April 1, 2015 new agreements have superseded the ones that producers had with FTI. Also new and simplified instructions took effect on April 1, 2015. In summary, the major news in the new instructions is that FTI have changed the structure in order to make them clearer and easier to read and follow. In addition, service packaging and grower packaging are being merged and are now classified as Manufacturer’s Packaging. We now offer more customers the possibility, to report similar packaging products. At the same time new fees are valid. For planning, collection and packaging recycling, our fees are based on the costs generated per type of material. And most of the fees remain unchanged from previous levels. The fees for plastic and paper packaging have been raised for household and service packaging. All fees for metal packaging remain unchanged. Although Christmas is still six months away, the 5th edition of GreenPak’s ‘Nirricikla ghall-Istrina’ – (Recycling for Charity) campaign has been launched already. Due to popular participation, kicking off earlier than usual aims to allow participants more time to collect plastic caps and increase the donation given by GreenPak Coop Society. is Malta’s Boxing Day charity campaign in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF), an organisation established to help individuals in need. Mr Edgar Preca, Chairperson of the MCCF and spouse of the President of Malta, was present for the official inauguration. The launch was held at the Helen Keller Resource Centre in Qrendi - the school which last year collected the most plastic caps per student. Established in 1992 the Centre caters for physically and mentally challenged children and young adults. The initiative, energetically driven by GreenPak for the fifth consecutive year, aims at collecting funds for the upcoming 2015 through gathering and recycling of plastic bottle caps. In recent editions, participation in the campaign has been extended beyond the participation of schools. As from last year, GreenPak has encouraged companies and organisations to join in and participate as well in this noble cause. For this year’s edition, GreenPak is actively working towards reaching an even wider audience. For the full story: Household packaging recycling continue growing in Spain, standing at 73.7% in 2014, which represents an increase of nearly two points coming off the previous year. The figure, presented by Ecoembes, demonstrates that the percentage of recycled packaging in Spain has been continuously rising since 1998, and already surpasses by 19pp the objectives set by the EU (55%). In total, last year 1,258,602 tons of household packaging were recycled in Spain, meaning +5.3% than in 2013, an achievement made possible thanks to the collaboration of all households who recycle on a daily basis taking their packaging to the yellow and blue containers. Thanks to these results in 2014, the emission of 1.2 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere was averted - equivalent to taking 25% of the vehicles registered in the city of Madrid off circulation. This figure is of particular importance this year, as the United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Paris, France in 2015. The European Union (EU) has already agreed to reduce its emissions by least 40% by 2030. Ecoembes launched of the "Los Profes Cuentan" contest, which encourages primary school teachers and their students to create, together, a story that delivers a lesson about cooperation and recycling. The objective is to reward teachers' educational work regarding the environment through literature. This year, under the themes of Collaboration, Cooperation and Recycling, were presented, analyzed by a panel headed by the Spanish journalist and wrighter Rosa Montero. Los recicladores nocturnos (The Nocturnal Recyclers), the winning story, seeks to raise awareness about the environmental importance of placing waste in the right container. In this story a group of cats, when they see that the recycling containers are empty, and the grey one is full, decide to take each packaging item to the right container before the garbage truck arrives. For the second consecutive year, Ecoembes, the organization that looks after the environment through recycling and packaging eco-design in Spain, has once again been elected as one of the 50 best companies to work for in our country within the 100-250 employees category, granted by the consultancy firm “Human Resources Great Place to Work”. This certification recognizes that the organization has met objectives thanks to a highly-motivated team that trusts and feels proud of the company, considering it as an excellent place to work. In addition, as last year, Ecoembes has been the only organization within the environmental sector awarded with this recognition. Great Place to Work develops this classification through the evaluation of an extensive questionnaire distributed among employees and analyzing the corporate culture developed by each organization’s Human Resources team. Factors considered and evaluated include credibility, fair and equal treatment, employee satisfaction, general information about the organization, employee benefits, communication and employment development. Fost Plus unveiled its 2014 results at its traditional annual academic symposium which was held on 11 May 2015. Here is a summary of the key points. In 2014, Fost Plus once again achieved a very high recycling rate: 86.8% and 682,424 tons of packaging waste recycled, i.e. a result which exceeds the legal objective of 80%, despite a slight dip in results compared with 2013 (-0.8%). This decrease is due to the paper-cardboard segment: Out-of-home PMC sorting centres have taken off over the last few years and are gradually becoming the norm. The initiatives taken by the Regions to make such sorting compulsory have contributed significantly to this: that is the case in Flanders since July 2013, in Brussels since February 2014, and will shortly apply in Wallonia, with effect from 1 January 2016. The efforts of Fost Plus, supported by the development of a favourable legal framework, have resulted in practical terms in a significant increase in the quantities of PMD collected via the specific channels put in place and financed by Fost Plus. The volume has increased from 2,100 tons collected in 2013 to 4,200 tons in 2014, and the trend is unlikely to slow. Many councils nationwide now organise additional collections of items other than plastic bottles and flasks. These collections are generally located in container parks: expanded polystyrene, plastic film, flower pots, etc. Fost Plus is supporting these local initiatives financially, but would like them to be standardised eventually across the whole country. To that end, it has launched an inventory of the composition of the items collected, and the recycling options. At the same time, Fost Plus is pursuing its preparatory study with a view to expanding the collection of plastics, whether or not via the blue bag. Large-scale tests have been carried out in sorting centres in order to assess the impact of such an expansion on existing facilities. This large-scale study is led by a committee of experts drawn from inter-municipal authorities, waste sector companies, the Interregional Packaging Commission and the Regions. 2015, and especially 2016, will be pivotal years, with pilot projects launching in a number of Belgian municipalities. There have recently been calls in Wallonia and Flanders for the introduction of a deposit system for plastic cans and bottles in order to eliminate the scourge of litter. Fost Plus strongly believes that the introduction of such a deposit system would be a mistake, since it is not an appropriate response to the need to tackle litter and will not generate the necessary mindset change: Litter is a real problem. To resolve this problem, we need to work on changing mindsets. The business world via Fost Plus wants to prove that it is possible, as the success of waste sorting has shown. To achieve this goal, we need to break with the past and adopt a far more militant approach. Respect for public cleanliness must become the norm once again. As part of an enhanced partnership with the public authorities and all the business world stakeholders, it is important to lay the foundations for a “clean” revolution. This will involve in particular raising public awareness, high-performance cleaning tools and a zero tolerance approach to polluters. The 2014 annual report is available on the website in French and Dutch, with the English version available soon. Conai is the official supporter of the Circular Economy Program for Expo Milano 2015, which provides the enhancement of waste recycling in the exhibition site during the italian six months event. Conai has created a series of video pills with information for the visitors on the correct action to be taken in the waste separate collection during the Universal Exhibition. The performance data of the collection and waste recycling in Expo Milano 2015 will be communicated to the visitors by a counter, which measures the environmental benefits, economic and social generated by the proper management waste: CO2 emissions avoided, the amount of waste removed from the landfill and recycled, the second raw materials generated and the water and energy savings. There will be other initiatives such as: an installation of 30 benches made from recycled packaging materials, an interactive game that can be enjoyed by 18 e-wall and a nice video for the children “The wonderful story of packaging and recycle” ( ) in the Children Park area. With the new Valorlux app the user can obtain his PMC-bag collection schedule. He only has to enter his location (municipality or town and street) and the appropriate schedule will be displayed. To be sure not to forget to put his blue bag out the user can set the notifications to have an alert at a particular delay before the day of collection. Other interesting features of the app are: - A sorting guide with information about what can and what can’t be put in the PMC-bag. - Address, opening hours and geolocation of the recycling park the user is attached to. - Localization of the Recycling stations for plastics “RE-box”. The app is available for free for iOS and soon for Android and can be downloaded on the stores. More information At the beginning of May responsibility for organising the reception and recycling of pre-sorted packaging waste was transferred to producers. PYR, under the authorisation of Suomen Keräyslasiyhdistys, the producer organisation for glass packaging, is now starting up the collection recycling of glass packaging. An extensive tendering competition – over 40 firms – proved to be worthwhile. From the tenders received PYR compiled a more cost-effective integrated scheme for the organisation of glass recycling than was projected. The glass packaging waste collected by municipalities and private firms will be received at thirty eight reception terminals throughout Finland. The material will be transported from the terminals via Porvoo harbour to England where the cooperation partner, Berryman, will sort and clean the glass. The glass treated by Berryman has obtained EU End of Waste status, meaning that it is no longer considered to be waste but raw material. Berryman markets the finished glass cullet for the manufacture of Coca Cola bottles and for other applications. The next step in the EPR process takes place at the beginning of 2016. At this juncture producer responsibility will begin for the organisation of take-back services for consumer packaging at eco-points. Green Dot Cyprus has organized for the third consecutive year educational and recreational recycling workshops for children. These workshops are organized every year in a different city in Cyprus. The workshops are specially designed for children aged between 5 to 11, to educate them for recycling and its benefits, in a creative and enjoyable way. In the workshops, the children were informed about the recycling program and were guided to produce various handicrafts from used materials, to give them a 'second life'. The workshops lasted for a week and more than 1,000 children have participated. We will continue the environmental education of children in the future via interactive and participative methods, as they are the best way to cultivate the environmental awareness in our children and an important investment in the future of our country. The separate collection of household waste and recycling is directly related to sustainable development and an important part of environmental protection and efficient use of natural resources. The involvement of the widest range of people, the effective change in the understanding and attitude towards the process of building lasting environmental habits are the main goals of large scale communication campaigns ECOPACK held since its inception. The main informational and educational initiatives of ECOPACK targeted the kids and aimed to develop a responsible attitude to nature, to sow the seeds of the Green idea in the hearts of our children. ECOPACK 3D Eco bus: For five years the 3D Eco bus toured schools and kindergartens to train the children to have a responsible attitude towards nature and society. The innovative educational product - 3D movie "Lords of recycling" and the interactive game "Be Eco Hero" transformed the 40-minute lesson in a "flying green classroom”, an unforgettable experience, and the children - in ambassadors for separate collection of packaging waste. For these five years were visited 107 municipalities, 950 schools and kindergartens, and trained over 150 000 children. With the educational package for adults have been trained and more than 5000 employees of companies and municipalities. ECOPACK investments amounted to 758,392 BGN. The huge interest of the children to the interactive game in 3D Eco bus gave the idea of ​​a new educational platform based on the Internet - " Be Eco hero: Teach your family to collect separately". Through effective cooperation with municipalities and school authorities all students from the first to eighth grade received an information brochure and a card with a unique code. After registration in the platform, the child had to team with a parent to answer questions related to recycling and environmental protection. Each correct answer carried points. The participant who collected the necessary number of points become a member of the Club " Eco Hero" and had the right to participate in a raffle for prizes. The enthusiasm with which students and their families took part in the initiative far exceeded expectations. The results are indicative - from the beginning of the year 11,700 children from 9 cities (over 35% of students from 98 participating schools) became "Eco Hero" - Ambassadors of separate collection of packaging waste and the green idea in their families and communities. For the youngest ECOPACK created new fiction characters - three fun "critters”: the Papereater, Plasticeater and Glasseater who lived in the park. They are the “faces” of the latest educational campaign "Feed me separately!" and gave identity o the coloured containers of ECOPACK located near parks in the cities of Sofia, Pleven, Vratsa and Veliko Tarnovo. The new faces attract children's attention to this serious topic. A special puppet show was developed with the new heros that presents the separate collection of packaging waste as a and fun game enjoyed huge success. The information and education campaigns of ECOPACK reach millions of Bulgarian families and the separate waste collection becomes recognized need of the people who believe that everyone is responsible for the nature conservation and sustainable development of our society. Welcome to the spring edition of the EXPRA e-newsletter. As you already know, you can see its web version here. After the stormy end of the last year, when the EC proposed to withdraw the Circular Economy Package, as well as other 72 legal acts, the withdrawal has been finalised: The 2015 Work Program of the Commission was published in the EU Official Journal of Saturday 7 March. Since December last year we have been witnesses of the heated discussions on this topic, especially in the European Parliament and the exchange of statements and open letters from the major stakeholders. As we all know despite the strong opposition, the Commission did not change its decision. Of course now the most important question is how the Commission will move forward, what will be the scope of the new, broader and more ambitious proposal? While the Commission is deciding on its next steps, we will be even more active in our efforts to reiterate our beliefs how the future legislation should look like. I am glad to say that EXPRA started successfully 2015. We had a prominent role in one of the most important forums for the packaging waste sector - Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum 2015. I had the honour to chair a special seminar dedicated to the Extended Producer Responsibility, EPR Toolkit: Creating a level playing field for EPR across Europe. We were well represented during the two days of the forum as well: our President and members of the Board of Directors moderated or participated in the different panels. During the three days of the event, there were informative interventions on a wide range of topics – from EU policy developments on the future of circular economy to best practices in the field of material sustainability and ways to address packaging waste across the globe. The broad spread of participants from across the packaging value chain, the European Commission and NGO community, the engaging presentations and debates all contributed to making the event a success. Enjoy your reading! Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA moderated the EPR Toolkit Seminar - Creating a Level Playing Field for EPR Across Europe, that took place in Brussels on 24 February 2015 and preceded the Packaging Waste and Sustainability Forum 2015. The seminar started with an overview of the EPR legislation on national level that was followed by a presentation of the obliged Industry’s point of view concerning the history of the EPR and packaging recycling development since 1988 and the current challenges in ensuring a fair competitive environment. During the first panel of the Workshop, representatives of different EPR models: Duales System Holding GmbH, Germany, ETO, Estonia and Repack, Ireland discussed the European experiences of EPR legislation and the challenges, resulting from the different approaches. An interesting debate followed on who should be responsible for the collection of packaging waste – the municipalities or the EPR systems, in which participated representatives of the Waste Management Corporation Munich AMW, Germany and the Environment Exchange, UK. During the second part of the Workshop the discussion was focused on the issues of transparency and competition with the participation of representatives of Altstoff Recycling AG, Austria, the Reclay Group, ACR+ and EKO KOM, the Czech Republic. A special panel was dedicated to the EPR implementation outside Europe, with presentations from the Canadian Stewardship Services Alliance, the Global Product Stewardship Council (GlobalPSC), Australia and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa. EXPRA also organised a well-attended dinner at the occasion of the forum, with Peter Börkey from the OECD’s Environment Directorate as guest speaker. The GlobalPSC published a story about the seminar in its most recent newsletter, stating that the “seminar emphasized harmonising EPR rules and guidelines in Europe, learning from international experience and the roles of transparency and competition.” Please see for the GlobalPSC story: The 22nd edition of the Packaging Waste and Sustainability Forum gathered a wide range of speakers and participants from the EU institutions, industry and NGOs. EXPRA supported the organisation of the event for the second year in a row, and various representatives from EXPRA’s management and members took part as moderators, speakers or participants. The introductory speech was given by Karl Falkenberg, Director General at DG Environment, European Commission, who provided insights on the Commission’s next steps to follow the withdrawal of the Waste Targets Proposal. Falkenberg explained that the work on the new proposals – one waste legislative proposal as well as further initiatives to ‘close the circle’ of the circular economy - now kicks off. The first panel of the Forum provided opportunity also to the business and NGO to discuss the practical measures to improve recycling, as well, as the financial responsibilities of the different stakeholders in the packaging value chain. The Hon. Leo Brincat, Environment Minister of Malta provided the view of the Member States on the proposed changes to waste targets. Brincat outlined inter alia that it is important to treat waste as a resource and that Malta is working to further increase their recycling levels. He added that the work that has been done on the current Waste Package needs to be taken into consideration in the preparation of the new proposals. Various EXPRA representatives were also among the high level speakers. EXPRA President William Vermeir moderated a session on EPR during which an analysis of the Disparity of cost responsibilities in EPR for packaging in Europe was presented by Paul Christiaens, Nedvang, speaking on behalf of Jan Storm,’s as well, as a presentation on the findings of the BIO IS Guidance on Extended Producer Responsibility. During the panel on EU wide view on Regional perspectives for packaging waste legislation and targets, Liliana Nichita, EcoRom Ambalaje, presented the view of the EPR systems concerning the cooperation with local authorities. High level speakers from industry and the EU Commission debated issues such as the importance of waste in the context of resource efficiency. Michele Galatola, Product Team Leader in DG Environment explained how the work is progressing in the field of Product environmental footprint (PEF) Pilots, and representatives from IKEA, Unilever, Tetra Pak International and Dow Europe discussed Industry led sustainability initiatives. They sahred their experience in innovative product design and how packaging fits into broader waste, environment and efficiency strategies. Together with a range of other speakers, inter alia, Stephane Arditi from the European Environment Bureau and Virginia Janssens from EUROPEN, the event provided a comprehensive overview of policies and initiatives in the field of packaging and packaging waste and plenty of networking opportunities. Additional information about the forum can be found EXPRA calls for sound waste legislation to be re-tabled in 2015 Acknowledging the Commission’s formal decision to withdraw the waste target proposal under the Circular Economy Package (published in the EU Official Journal, 7 March 2015), the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) calls on the EU Executive to live up to its commitment of delivering sound legislation setting new realistic recycling targets by the end of 2015. EXPRA serves as the alliance for non-profit packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems that are owned by obliged industry. In light of the contribution that our sector can make to efficient waste management and green growth in the EU, we call for new legislation that: 1. Safeguards and reinforces the primary role that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has to play in the transition towards a circular economy. EPR is a policy approach that gives producers improved incentives to guarantee that packaging recovery and recycling are carried out in the most economically competent and sound manner. In order to ensure a streamlined implementation of EPR across the bloc, it is important that the EPR principle is appropriately incorporated into EU waste legislation and that strong and clear minimum requirements for EPR schemes are set. 2. Clearly defines the roles af all stakeholders taking part in the waste management chain. 3. Sets targets on the basis of a sound-based feasibility study. 4. Harmonises calculation methods for recycling rates and proposes a comprehensive reporting methodology that yields reliable waste management statistics in Europe. 5. Defines a clear timeline for zero-landfilling of recyclable waste alongside a clear set of measures that promote investment in alternative facilities. EXPRA’s President, William Vermeir commented: ”EXPRA fully supports EU action to drive the Circular Economy forward through a new, more coherent proposal. EPR is a key tool to ensure both economically and environmentally sound waste management. This is why EPR minimum requirements should explicitly be integrated into the proposal for amending both the Waste Framework and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directives, and be made even more ambitious by outlining clear roles and responsibilities for the actors across the waste management chain”. EXPRA’s Managing Director, Joachim Quoden, concluded: “Taking measures to improve waste management in Europe is fully in line with the new Commission’s priorities – this is a considerable commitment, which now has to be followed up with action. We therefore call on the Commission to come up as soon as possible with a proposal for the Waste Target Review, delivering realistic target levels, consistent recycling measurement and recognition of EPR”. The report states that “waste management had improved, but Europe remains far from a circular economy”. The positive developments include decrease of generation of municipal waste per capita by 4% between 2004 and 2012, falling to 481 kg. Looking beyond waste generation, there are also signs of improved waste management in Europe. Between 2004 and 2010, the EU-28, Iceland and Norway reduced the amount of waste deposited in landfills substantially, from 31% of total waste generated (excluding mineral, combustion, animal and vegetable wastes) to 22%. This was partly due to an improvement in recycling rates of municipal waste, from 28% in 2004 to 36% in 2012. Concerning the 5–10 year trends, the Report states that less waste is being landfilled due to reduced generation of some wastes, increased recycling and greater use of waste for energy recovery, while for the 20+ year outlook it is pointed out that the total waste generation is still high, although implementation of waste prevention programs could alleviate this. According to the EEA’s executive director Hans Bruyninckx, the report puts pressure on the Commission to come up with an improved circular economy proposal. Bruyninckx stated: “We have done substantial work that illustrates the vital importance of the circular economy and resource efficiency for well-being and competitiveness, and that focusing on these elements contributes to European competitiveness, job creation and economic performance." He added: “So we are looking forward to seeing the strengthened packages.” Speaking at a press conference to launch the report, Commissioner for Environment Karmenu Vella made some statements on the new circular economy package and explained: “We are not being more ambitious only by setting targets, […] we want to be more ambitious on the outward side, on the implementation side, on the results side”. Vella added: “We want future products to be durable, more reusable, more repairable, and more recyclable as well. We need to create a market for the recycled product. We do have a certain amount of recycling but most of that recycled waste is not finding its way into the production”. Please see http://www.eea.europa.eu/soer for the report and http://www.eea.europa.eu/media/newsreleases/future-prosperity-depends-on-bolder for a press release. The European Commission recently published its Communication for a Strategic Framework for an Energy Union, which is structured around five main dimensions of energy and climate policies (security of supply, the internal energy market, energy efficiency, decarbonisation and R&I). The Communication provides further details on the overall objectives of these dimensions and presents a list of concrete actions and initiatives that the Commission intends to undertake over the coming five years. As part of the Energy Union the Commission will publish a Communication on Waste-to-Energy. In this context ENDS has published an article on 6 March quoting an EU official saying that “an EU waste-to-energy initiative will focus on energy recovery from non-recyclable materials without affecting the waste hierarchy”. He added that “the Commission’s paper will consider the role of energy recovery from non-recyclable waste that would otherwise end up in landfills, […] whilst it will not change the low ranking of incineration in the waste hierarchy”. Since the beginning of 2015, the ‘Triman’ logo officially entered into force after some years of debates in France. The purpose of this new black stickman figure is to inform consumers whether or not a product is recyclable, and should apply to certain recyclable products placed on the French market that are subject to a system of EPR. The original idea of the Triman dates back to the Grenelle environmental law, but there has been significant discussions since it was proposed, not least due to firm opposition and fierce lobbying of the industry. As a consequence, the text of the new decree has been significantly watered down and the government has introduced an increased level of flexibility regarding its application. For example, it will only apply to certain products while others are excluded (for example glass and WEEE). Several environmental NGOs and organisations have reportedly commented that because of this flexibility, the original purpose to inform the consumer about a product’s recyclability and simplify legislation was not achieved, making its application and use even more complicated The Recycling Initiation Module (RIM) teaches children about better waste management. Ten years ago Fost Plus decided to join forces with GoodPlanet Belgium and inter-municipal waste management associations with the idea to raise children's awareness of sorting, recycling and responsible management of household waste. More than 17 000 interactive workshops have been organized for more than 300 000 pupils in Belgian primary schools. During these educational workshops the children learn how to manage better household waste and receive practical advice on how to acquire good habits at home. This initiative, endorsed by the competent public authorities, has for sure achieved very good results: the pupils are now more aware about waste, are careful to use properly the sorting bins with which the majority of schools are now equipped and, once back home, have more responsible behaviour concerning disposal of waste. To celebrate 10 years of the RIM Fost Plus and GoodPlanet have set off on tour, from January to May. A dozen schools all over Belgium will benefit from special attention. As a matter of fact, pupils in these schools that have booked the RIM production will have the opportunity to celebrate this anniversary with (non-alcoholic) sparkling wine, some cake and a little gift, miniature sorting bins full of sweets. The press has also been invited to cover this event. The RIM is designed for pupils from the 3rd to the 6th year of primary school and, since its launch, has been a continuous success. Each year, thanks to the support of the participating inter-municipal waste management associations, many schools have signed up for the module in order to take part in the free workshops. Given the success of this project a follow-up initiative was launched in 2008. This was a workshop intended for students in secondary Schools, entitled "C'est du propre!" (literally translated "It's clean!" but it also means “Well, that’s nice!”). It is obvious that, while the RIM initiative was meant to work on awareness raising, use of language and acquisition of scientific knowledge, the module for elder students focused on debate, critical thinking and the ability to reason. Finally, in 2012 the production "Pays pas propre" ("Not neat Country") was initiated, addressing the very youngest and based on an imaginary world to which children are led to by a 'conteuse' - a ‘storyteller’. In this way the children, throughout their school education, are generally made aware of the necessity and importance of correct management of waste materials and, in particular, their sorting. A record number of 7,274,833 plastic caps were gathered in less than two months from over 90 organisations across Malta and Gozo and deposited at GreenPak for recycling. A Centre catering for individuals with special needs, The Helen Keller Resource Centre claimed the honour of being the highest contributor, with an average of 7,972 plastic caps per student. This collective effort led to the donation of a record €15,000 cheque presented by GreenPak Coop Society to the President of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, during l-Istrina 2014. l-Istrina is Malta’s Boxing Day charity campaign organised by the Malta Community Chest Fund. GreenPak was presented with an official certificate from The Malta Records organisation in recognition for the record number of plastic caps collected in Malta. Originally launched by GreenPak in November 2011, the 4th edition of Irriċkla għall-Istrina (Recycle For Istrina) campaign saw the participation of primary schools and business organisations. GreenPak’s official waste educators, along with GreenPak’s mascot, Green Gary, visited various premises to supply recycling bags and explain the benefits of this initiative. Ing. Mario Schembri, GreenPak Coop Society CEO, said: “The overwhelming response is a clear indication that our sustainable recycling practices message is being well received not only by the younger generations but also from private organisations. This further encourages us to continue providing recycling opportunities in a responsible manner.” Ecoembes set up in 2014 a working group on Prevention with the 17 Autonomous Communities and the Ministry of Environment. It has been created as a tool to share knowledge, experience and opinions to build a communication and working space to improve collaboration between Ecoembes and Public Administrations about Prevention and all the work done by licensees on this field. As long as 2014 is the year in which we need to work in preparing our triennial (2015-2017) Prevention Plan with licencees, we focused all our efforts on this issue with very positive results. We were able to build a new Prevention Plan more robust that help fillers to continue working actively on Prevention and at the same time meet the needs raised by Public Administrations. Additionally, the working group allowed us to organize for the first time events during the European Prevention Week in cooperation with Autonomous Communities. In 2014 we put together 8 events aimed to spread out Design for recycling among a wide variety of audiences, from licensees to university students. CONAI has signed a new agreement with ANCI (National Associaton of Italian Municipalities), lasting five years, from April 2014 to March 2019, establishing the amount of fees to be paid to the municipalities covering a part of the costs of packaging waste separate collection (steel, aluminium, paper, wood, plastic and glass). The new agreement confirms the basic principles: the ANCI-CONAI Agreement is a voluntary tool for the municipalities, who can choose to join it and give their packaging waste to the consortia chain for recycling, or sell it elsewhere. CONAI also confirmed the guarantee for the take back of packaging materials in the whole country, in every part of Italy, even beyond the achievement of the recycling and recovery objectives, recognizing the full amount of fees to the municipalities. The new agreement even estabilishes the increasing of the economic fees, plus 17% for all the materials, with particular increase for the glass, with 20% more than in the past. With the agreement it is confirmed, moreover, the priority of the quality of waste collection, as a prerequisite for the subsequent recycling process. On November 23rd, 2014, we uploaded an edited video to our facebook and YouTube page. Our main goal was to show other perspectives of recycling, a fun perspective. The video presented its viewers with young acrobats, riders, and gymnasts with exceptional throwing capabilities, trying and succeeding to throw packages such as ketchup bottles, cans etc., into the orange bin (meant for recycling packages). One scene even included a milk carton thrown into a boat from the iconic bridge over the Yarkon Rive in TEL AVIV. Within days this video had become viral, showing not only on Facebook pages but also on mainstream national television, which helped it reach a wider audience, concluding with a whopping 1.22 million views within a week across mediums. The success of this campaign is mainly attributed to the shift from digital media to traditional telecommunication. This was possible thanks to a combination of a perfect performance and editing, right timing and a strong digital strategy management. Once the video received references in the traditional media, it had become viral. At the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the eco-bag Madam the Minister Carole Dieschbourg, explained that Luxembourg with 18 plastic bags per habitant per year, is already well under the number desired by the EC. The reusable “eco-bags” has a lot to do with it. Indeed, since its launch in Luxembourg in 2004 and the introduction of a priced one-way plastic bag in 2007, consumer habits have changed dramatically. Today, over 85% of customers use reusable bags for shopping. This avoided since 2004 the use of more than 560 million one-way shopping bags, representing a saving of 3,700 tons of plastic. The eco-bag project has reduced the total weight of one-way plastic bags of 89.8%. In September 2012, the EC designated the eco-bag project as an example of best practice in the field of waste prevention. The eco-bag is a part of an environmental agreement on packaging waste prevention and is based on a voluntary agreement between the Ministry, VALORLUX and the Luxembourg Trade Confederation (clc). The producer run take-back scheme for consumer packaging should be in place on 1 January 2016. Careful planning and the acquisition of the right partners through an invitation to tender for the various operations are essential to attaining an efficient end result. Take-back and recycling of glass The first phase of extended producer responsibility for packaging will begin in May. At present, the search for glass recycling partners is at an advanced stage. Reception terminals for glass packaging waste will open their doors and recycling will commence on 1 May in accordance with the agreement between Suomen Keräyslasiyhdistys, the Finnish producer organisation for glass packaging, and PYR. The quantity of waste glass take-back will amount to some 15,000 tonnes per year. This is where it begins with the first steps towards extended producer responsibility now being taken. You can see more information here: HERRCO commissioned one of the most reliable research companies for public opinion, to undergo a Pan-Hellenic survey regarding Packaging Recycling. The survey’s findings were very encouraging for the future of packaging recycling and the operation of the System of the Blue Bin in our country. Specifically: • 96% believe that recycling is important; • 73% state that recycling is a stable priority in their daily lives; • 94% endorse that Packaging Recycling is identified with Blue Bins. When questioned about their recycling of packaging in the blue bin, 88% replied positively. On the other hand, even if they do not recycle packaging, they state in the majority (61%) working or practical reasons for not doing so, without doubting though the operation process of the Packaging Recycling. From the overall assessment is shown that packaging recycling in Greece has become a daily practice and that subconsciously Recycling is synonymous with the System of the Blue Bin. Green Dot Cyprus is engaged as a major partner in a European Project entitled "Rethink (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Awareness Raising Campaign for the promotion of waste Reduction, Reuse and Recycling in Cyprus". The project’s total budget is €2,181,960, its duration is 34 months and it is co-funded by 46% by the LIFE + Environment Policy and Governance of the European Union. The project aims to bring about notable changes in perceptions, awareness and habits of the general public and targeted groups through the utilisation of the RRR concept. . Green Dot Cyprus has been selected as one of the ten most dynamic and exciting businesses for The Award for Environmental & Corporate Sustainability in the 2014/15 European Business Awards. These Awards are Europe’s largest and most significant cross-sector business recognition programme and this year has engaged with over 24,000 businesses across Europe. In the beginning of February we held our yearly seminars for customers in Sweden. This year, we also offered them to participate online by live webcasting our seminar in Stockholm. Both the webcast and the opportunity to submit questions to the speakers via text messaging were highly appreciated saving many of them both time and money. FTI presented among other things the new ordinance as of November 1, 2014 and our new affiliation agreement from April 1, 2015. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency participated at each meeting to speak about the new legislation and the new tasks of the Agency as a consequence thereof. Our head of marketing ended the seminar by talking about the new affiliation agreement and on how to easier find the documents on our Extranet. In the evaluation we got a rating of between 7 and 9 on a 10 point scale. Welcome to the first edition of the EXPRA monthly e-newsletter. You can see its web version here. We hope that in this new format you will find it more attractive and easier to read. The end of the year is usually a time for evaluation. I believe that we can confidently say that EXPRA has succeeded in establishing itself as the leading association for industry owned EPR. Internally the organization strengthened, our members are constantly working to improve their performance, EXPRA Working groups are following the identified priorities and their first projects have been finalized and delivered. A major success was the Feasibility study on the effects of the proposed EU packaging waste policy on waste management practice, developed by the Data and Reporting WG. The study was highly appreciated by all stakeholders, including the European institutions. EXPRA was the first to organize a high-level policy dialogue on the Circular Economy Package in Brussels, which saw the participation of representatives from the Commission, industry and NGOs. 2014 has been a challenging year too: in July the Commission published the Circular Economy package and the legislative proposals for the PPWD and WFD. As you know, EXPRA participated actively in the process, providing the Commission experts and the consultants with accurate and detailed data, shared our experience and generally tried be useful partners in the entire process. Nevertheless, the proposals for revised WFD and PPWD were not as satisfying as we expected and many topics should be improved from our point of view, just to mention the targets respective deadlines, the proposed new measurement point, the EPR minimum criteria and overall the reliability of the data on which the whole proposal is based. We actively participated in all following discussions, presenting and defending our positions. We declared that there are key aspects of the legislative proposal concerning the EPR criteria including the cost question, the targets and the measurement point, which will require the new Commission to change and to improve their proposal. As a key stakeholder EXPRA joined in the discussions on the possible withdrawal of the CEP, sending an open letter to Commissioner Vella, that you will find in this newsletter. Finally, as you know, the new Commission decided to withdraw the Circular Economy Package, giving the justification that there is “no foreseeable agreement” between member states and MEPs. Still the Vice President Timmermans pointed out that the Commission will reintroduce a new package that would be “broader and more ambitious” and would not look at just “half the circular economy, but the whole of the circular economy”. This decision raises numerous questions, but I can assure you that EXPRA will remain actively involved in the discussions and we will continue to share our thorough knowledge and experience in end-of-life management of packaging with the European Commission and other major stakeholders. And last but not least I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your reading! On December 3, EXPRA held its second General Assembly meeting during 2014. Following the already established tradition, the meeting was organized in two sessions. The CEOs of virtually all of EXPRA’s member organizations were present and approved the applications of our colleagues from FTI, Sweden and PYR, Finland as new full members. The General Assembly also confirmed the membership of EXPRA in the EPR Club - the platform for exchange and debate about EPR in Europe amongst key stakeholders and experts. During the public part of the General Assembly meeting several guests and guest speakers joined. Mr. Seamus Clancy, Managing Director of REPAK (Ireland), Mr. Johan Sneyers and Mr. Francis Huisman from VAL-I-PAK (Belgium) and Mrs. Undine Bude and Mrs. Sigita Namateva from Green Dot Latvia, Ms. Agathe Bocquet from the Office of Pavel Telička, ALDE MEP for Czech Republic,as well as representatives from Tetra Pak and Ball Packaging participated in the meeting. Mrs. Marianne Muller from the European Commission, Ms. Bilyana Spasova, author of a thesis about EPR & Competition, Mr. Garth Hickle from the Minnesota Pollution Agency, Mr. Kent Carlsson from FTI (Sweden) and Mr. Juha-Heikki Tanskanen from PYR (Finland) gave presentations. The participants discussed the key developments on the EU waste and resource efficiency agenda as well as the future development of . During its General Assembly meeting on 3 December 2014, EXPRA welcomed two new members - FTI from Sweden and PYR from Finland, extending its presence in Northern Europe. FTI (Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen) is a company responsible for ensuring that packaging and newspapers in Sweden are collected and recycled. FTI is operating since 20 years and is the face of obliged industry towards the government and local authorities. Owners of FTI are the four materials companies Plastkretsen, MetallKretsen, Returkartong and Pressretur. There is also Svensk GlasÅtervinning with an agreed collaboration. The FTI's and materials companies' boards include representatives from the packaging and newspaper industry, commerce and trade associations. PYR, The Environmental Register of Packaging PYR Ltd is a non-profit company implementing packaging producer responsibility in Finland. It is owned by the Finnish business and industry sector and has 10 shareholders that are trade associations representing the whole Finnish industry. Over 95% of Finland’s packaging producers, fillers and producers are registered with PYR. It assists member companies and the Finnish authorities to fulfill their recovery obligations in compliance to EU and national legislation and its aim is to create a system that serves the interests of the environment, companies and people in the best possible way The two organisations are very warmly welcomed to the EXPRA family, and we look forward to a close future cooperation. They have come on board at an interesting time, given the discussions on the Circular Economy Package published in July this year and the legislative proposals for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and the Waste Framework Directive, that will impact waste management in the next 15 years and beyond. Among the numerous reactions to a potential withdrawal of the CEP and following a letter of several leading Members of the European Parliament, as well as the one of 11 Member States. Another open letter was sent to Commission President Juncker this week, condemning the possible withdrawal of the CEP, signed by various stakeholders, including Municipal Waste Europe, RREUSE, ACR+, FEAD, European Environmental Bureau and Zero Waste Europe. Therefore after an intensive internal discussion EXPRA decided also to raise its voice and to send an open letter to Commissioner Vella, cc to President Juncker and Vice president Timmermans. In this letter, EXPRA highlighted the need for improvement of certain topics in the Package with a focus on target levels, recycling measurement and provisions regarding Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Of course, EXPRA states that it is willing to share the vast experience and knowledge of its members in the packaging waste management field. In view of the forthcoming presentation of the European Commission’s work programme 2015 on 16 December 2014, a coalition of industries active in the packaging value chain has sent a joint statement on the EU Waste Package to President Juncker, First Vice-President Timmerman, other relevant Commissioners, Member States, Members of European Parliament and media. The 27 organizations, including EXPRA, declare that they are prepared to work constructively with the European Parliament, Council and Commission to help them reach an agreement that meets the growth and environmental objectives of the proposal. It is noted that even if the proposal is withdrawn, there will still be substantial challenges that will need to be addressed to ensure better implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and the organizations are ready to discuss these challenges and possible solutions. On 16 December the European Commission adopted its Work Programme for 2015, setting out the actions the Commission intends to take over the next 12 months. During previous discussions, the Commission’s representatives stated that the Work Programme aims to put the notion of ‘political discontinuity’ into practice. It therefore included a list of items to be withdrawn among which is the . The withdrawal of the current Circular Economy Package was announced by the European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans. He underlined that this only indicates that the and that the objectives will be attained Vice President Timmermans pointed out that the Commission will reintroduce a new package that would be “broader and more ambitious”, would not look at just “half the circular economy, but the whole of the circular economy” and would come in 2015. The withdrawal will however be confirmed once the views of the fellow institutions are heard. EXPRA regards this development as an opportunity to work now even closer with the European Commission to ensure that the new legislative proposal is more in line with our beliefs and expertise. The ISWA Working Group on Legal Issues recently published a Key Issue paper on “Extended Producer Responsibility based on experiences with EPR in the European Union.” The paper states that the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has lead without any doubt to better recycling results for packaging waste, WEEE, and many other waste streams. In the document is quoted the OECD definition for EPR - “an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post consumer stage of a product’s lifecycle.” In this way the responsibility is shifted from the local authorities and taxpayers towards the producer. This also creates a market incentive for producers to incorporate environmental considerations in the design of their products. In addition, ISWA points out that EPR should reduce landfilling of waste and lead to increased recycling, under environmentally, healthy and socially desirable conditions. EXPRA welcomes the findings of ISWA, namely that all stakeholders in the product chain should be involved in the process and that their responsibilities should be clearly defined, to avoid conflict of interests. Among the most important prerequisites for the successful implementation of EPR is transparency. It is necessary to enable national governments to control the proper implementation of EPR and ensure that both producers and consumers can make informed choices. Another major condition defined in the document, is the setting up of an effective and efficient legal framework accompanied by adequate regulatory investigation, monitoring and enforcement activity. The paper concludes that EPR is not a stand-alone policy measure. It should always be incorporated in a mix of environmental policy measures as there is no one-size-fits-all approach. EPR effectiveness will always depend on national circumstances, conditions, priorities and waste streams. You can find the full text of the in the section “Most recent ISWA Publications” at Created as part of EU LIFE+ Equal (Ensuring Quality of waste derived products) programme, “Is it waste” is a web tool, recently launched to help businesses manage their waste and surplus materials. With this tool, businesses are guided step-by-steps on the procedure to determine if their waste or surplus materials meet the end-of-waste criteria and can be considered as products again. Commenting on the launch of the tool, Chief executive of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) declared: “deriving value from waste materials by turning them back into safe, high quality products is an essential element in the move towards a more circular economy”. “Offering both economic and environmental benefits if supported and regulated appropriately, waste-derived products improve business resource efficiency and competitiveness, reduce reliance on landfill, and help to conserve virgin raw materials” he added. See the Recyclingportal report and the link to the web tool On the 24 of November, at the occasion of the European Week of Waste Reduction, Fost Plus and Val-I-Pac organized a seminar in Brussels dedicated to packaging optimization. The event was also the appropriate time to announce the start of the Greener Packaging Awards 2015, a contest open to all companies that put packaging onto the market. The purpose of the biennial contest is to reward a number of companies that wish to highlight the efforts made in order to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging. Various speakers were invited to the Seminar, two of them the big winners of the previous edition of the Greener Packaging Awards (Colruyt and P&G). They spoke about the progress made in terms of packaging, about the weight reduction in packaging, the logistic optimization and the use of new materials such as nanomaterials. All presentations and photos of the past event are available on the site Ecoembes has recently published its new Code of Ethics that was approved by the company board last May. This new code replaces the 2008 version. Based on the company’s mission, vision and values, it is the cornerstone of the company’s corporate ethical culture. Ecoembes’ seven corporate values- Cooperation, Efficiency, Integrity, Innovation, Proactivity, Rigor and Sustainability- were selected by the employees and completed and approved by the Board. These values are the basis of the company’s action guidelines: Efficiency, Business Ethics and Sustainable Development. The new Code embodies a double approach to the company’s obligations: it lays down the company’s commitments to its main stakeholders- stockholders, employees, member companies, public administration, recyclers, suppliers, and public in general and on a more specific level, it includes guidelines for appropriate conduct. Furthermore, Ecoembes’ new Code is not only a guide for employees; it is also applicable to other company members such as stockholders and board members. The company is committed to promote its code throughout its supply chain, specially where legal compliance and human and labour rights are concerned. Code of Ethics url: The features of the package once it becomes waste, are key elements for its proper collection, sorting and recycling. The Ecoembes "Design for Recycling"project comprises a set of activities and services that aim to provide companies with greater knowledge about how to integrate environmental aspects relative to package management in their design phase: a diagnostic computing tool, an online course, visits to sorting plants, in-company training on recyclability, Autonomous Community workshops, etc. Throughout 2014, ECOEMBES has been especially dedicated to this project, training 43 companies that have shown interest in acquiring more in-depth knowledge on recyclability, 3 workshops in cooperation with the government, 12 visits to sorting plants, and a presence at the Envifood and Empack Fairs. Ecoembes has taken part in the European Week for Waste Reduction, at which it plans to conduct various workshops in collaboration with 5 Autonomous Communities, where it will continue to demonstrate its commitment to recyclability as a transversal issue in its message towards its stakeholders. The results achieved in more than 15 years of activity of the CONAI System were collected in the first Sustainability Report CONAI. The report applies the international last generation standard Global Reporting Initiative (GRI-G4): through the involvement of the stakeholders has been identified six indicators considered key to define the environmental, social and economic effects. In 15 years of actvity, the amount of packaging sent to landfill fell by over two thirds to less than a quarter; that recovered from 33% to 76.4%, avoiding the construction of at least 100 landfills. Tons of packaging waste sent for recycling in 2012 were 8.6 million. Thanks to the recycling of packaging, the KwH saved in 15 years were 350 billion, a value greater than the total annual energy demand in Italy, as well as 125 million have been tons of CO2 emissions avoided. According to research commissioned to society Althesys, compared to € 4.1 billion of contributions from CONAI member companies, the recovery of packaging of the six materials produced 15.2 billion euro of benefits for the entire country. Since 1997 for each Euro invested in the CONAI system, the whole country got benefits for 3 Euro. From an employment perspective, the recycling companies in Italy are now 1400, with a turnover of 9.5 billion Euros. As part of the recycling industry, the system generated a consortium led economic of 6.3 billion euro, the result of increased employment generated (activities of collection, logistics, selection and packaging recycling) . In waste management are estimated almost 150,000 employees: the system of collection and recycling of packaging waste has created, up to 2012, 16,000 new jobs in addition the employees (about 21,000) of the recycling industry. Collection and recycling of packaging waste employ about 37,000, more than double compared to 2003. To download the “CONAI Sustainability Report”: During its 10 years of existence ECOPACK Bulgaria established itself as the undisputed market leader in recovery and recycling of packaging waste, following its own core values Care to nature, society, stakeholders; Respect the highest ethical and professional standards; Transparency in running the business and in communication with public authorities, customers, consumers. Only in 2014 ECOPACK received numerous prestigious awards in the field of environmental protection: Eco-Rom Ambalaje organized the 8th edition of the annual workshop dedicated to obliged industry to launch new services and discuss the current situation of EPR and packaging waste in Romania. More than 240 representatives of producer and importers attended the event. The new services announced were: the catalogue of best practices of prevention, the CO2 emission reduction equivlent calculated for the quantaties of packaging waste recycled and a consulancy service regarding the legislation and the waste management. The discussions were focused on the current challenges and solution for increasing the performance of the house-holds collection, including a pilot project of bag collection in 2015, working more closer with local authorities and enforcement of current legislation as well as changes forseen for packaging and packaging waste legal framework. The strategic directions of new Circular Economy legislation were also presented to Romanian industry. The initiative, energetically driven by GreenPak Coop Society, aims at collecting funds for the upcoming l-Istrina 2014 through gathering and recycling of plastic bottle caps. Primary school students are being encouraged to help Maltese charities by collecting and depositing plastic bottle caps in recycling bags at their respective schools. Primary schools in Malta and Gozo have been supplied with GreenPak’s recycling bags. GreenPak’s Waste Education Officer, Ms Charlene Mercieca Magro, along with GreenPak’s mascot, Green Gary, encouraged students to appreciate the importance of recycling, while at the same time help raise more funds for l-Istrina. Ms Denise Brincat, GreenPak Senior Manager said: “This is the fourth year that GreenPak is organising what is fast becoming a popular charitable activity which students eagerly look forward to before they break for the festive holidays. “The combined effort from the participating schools during last year’s l-Istrina 2013 event culminated with the presentation of €12,000 by student representatives. In other words, a staggering 4.5 million plastic caps were recycled by GreenPak,” she added. As one of Malta's major charity events, l-Istrina is organised by the Malta Community Chest Fund and involves the airing of a 12-hour TV marathon on 26 December 2014.
di|20/12/2019 Autumn / Winter 2019 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA News Upcoming events with EXPRA participation News updates News from members 05/06 2019 May/June 2019 Introduction by the Managing Director On top of these efforts of course is the continuing work on the transposition and relevant implementation of the new waste legislation in the EU Members States. EXPRA is already actively working to support and prepare its members for the new challenges but also opportunities. We are of course supporting the EC regarding the preparation of Implementing and Delegated acts, which will provide practical guidance for the implementation of the new Directives, by providing practical information, motivated statements and positions and best practices. Outside Europe, the interest in EPR is growing day by day and the Commission is always strongly asking us to accompany them to all their missions to promote circular economy and EPR (and functioning waste management systems). We are very honored that EXPRA is recognized by the EC as THE EXPERT in EPR and is always invited to be part of the EC missions promoting circular economy and sustainable waste management. EXPRA of course will as always offer our great expertise of over 25 years in this complex sector, as well as the innovative best practices of its members in collection and sorting, but also in communication with citizens, all aiming to ensuring sustainable waste management and care for the environment . Wishing you wonderful summer! Enjoy your reading! EXPRA News The event was a unique collaboration between the Global Product Stewardship Council (GlobalPSC) - where EXPRA is a member and EXPRA’s MD represented and the Board - and DASTRI, a French producer responsibility organization for sharps and medical equipment. It was designed to deepen stakeholders’ collective commitment to reduce the resources we consume, return materials to the circular economy, and minimize our impact on the environment, all while rejuvenating the local and international economies. It involved: • two days of presentations and panel discussions. • a final day of discussions with select stakeholders (including EXPRA) to reflect upon the Forum presentations, identify key insights, and help map out a way forward. These discussions followed a modified Chatham House Rule to encourage openness and information sharing. The presentations over the two full days provided opportunity to understand the origin of the EPR concept and the amazing progress achieved, provided by Prof. Thomas Lindhqvist, Lund University (SE) and Peter Börkey, OECD. It was underlined that EPR is a success story, used all around the globe increasingly in emerging markets. Nevertheless, still doubts on the success of EPR on design for recycling were raised The eight sessions covered all aspects and issues impacting the (successful) implementation of EPR policies. The most recent discussions, especially in Europe regarding the Circular Economy package, namely cooperation between the different stakeholders, eco-modulation of EPR fees, provision of level playing field, communication with consumers, etc, were discussed in detail. The representative of EC, Kestutis SADAUSKAS, Director, Green economy, European Commission noted in his statement on “Opportunities and challenges of EU Circular Economy Package“, that EPR is in the core of circular economy and provided a short overview of legislative changes in EU. In the session dedicated to costs & performance, Juan Manuel Banez Romero, Mars (SP) explained the difficulties in implementing the regulations in packaging recycling and before having available & harmonized infrastructure across EU member states and noted that Industry has to leave aside competition and to collaborate together to solve waste management issues. He especially underlined the need for such understanding and respective action from MS. Local governments, represented by ADR+ noted that eco design should be prioritized and underlined the importance of min EPR requirements for all MS. Addressing free riders, which can help to minimise costs to responsible producers, was discussed in a special session. The majority of EPR and product stewardship schemes have a regulatory underpinning to help minimise ‘free riders’ that benefit from having systems in place without paying their fair share. The uncollected EPR fees create difficulties for meeting waste management targets with market distorsions & overestimation of recycling rates. The market needs enforcement on this issue, linked with e-commerce actors to really close the loop. The session explored a range of measures available to address free riders while reinforcing the value of maintaining high standards for participants in EPR and product stewardship EXPRA MD, Joachim Quoden noted that EXPRA is already working jointly with WEEE Forum, Eucolight and other waste streams under EPR, on finding relevant solutions, inter alia suggesting to legislators to make online marketplaces responsible The importance of communication with all stakeholders and especially consumers was discussed during the session on Opportunities & challenges for newcomers. The session discussed practical factors affecting EPR performance, including formalization, competition, governance and stakeholder outreach and engagement. In this session Monika Romenska, R&PA Manager presented best practices in changing consumer behavior via communication, public awareness and education campaigns. The session discussed practical factors affecting EPR performance, including formalization, competition, governance and stakeholder outreach and engagement. In this session Monika Romenska, R&PA Manager presented best practices in changing consumer behavior via communication, public awareness and education campaigns Upcoming events with EXPRA Participation News updates The negotiations take place in the form of working groups, composed of two Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from each political group per given issue. The aim is that these will feed into the Strategic Agenda of the European Council for the next five years, due to be discussed at the 20-21 June summit of EU leaders, as well as into the priorities of the next Commission. The composition of the working group focusing on environment and climate change is as follows: • EPP: Siegfried Muresan (RO), Peter Liese (DE) • S&D: Kathleen Van Brempt (BE), Eric Andrieu (FR) • Renew Europe (formerly ALDE + Macron’s Renaissance): Pascal Canfin (FR), Chris Davies (UK) • The Greens: Bas Eickhout (NL), Yannick Jadot (FR) Other working groups cover the following issues: economic and fiscal policies, trade; digitization and artificial intelligence (AI); rule of law, borders and migration; and “Europe in the world”. It is expected that MEPs involved in these negotiations will be in the running for key positions within the new Parliament The Parliament’s Committees elected their Chairs and Vice-Chairs. The names of MEPs elected as Chairs and Vice-Chairs in ENVI and ITRE Committees, along with any key substantive messages the newly elected Chairs have made are summarized below. ENVI • Chair: Pascal Canfin (RE, FR) • 1st Vice-Chair: Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, NL) • 2nd Vice-Chair: Seb Dance (S&D, UK) • 3rd Vice-Chair: Cristian-Silviu Busoi (EPP, RO) • 4th Vice-Chair: Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL, NL) Chair Pascal Canfin’s key messages: • Stressed the symbolism of ENVI being the largest committee, showing that the Parliament appreciates the level of climate emergency and loss of biodiversity the world is facing. • There is no Western European or East European transition – all have to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. • ENVI has to be the frontrunner on climate ambition. It has to be able to compromise, but also to show strength. ITRE • Chair: Adina Valean (EPP, RO) • 1st Vice-Chair: Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR, PL) • 2nd Vice-Chair: Morten Helveg Petersen (RE, DK) • 3rd Vice-Chair: Patrizia Toia (S&D, IT) • 4th Vice-Chair: Lina Gálvez (S&D, ES) IMCO • Chair: Petra De Sutter (Greens, BE) • 1st Vice-Chair: Pierre Karlesking (RE, FR) • 2nd Vice-Chair: Maria Grapini (S&D, RO) • 3rd Vice-Chair: Roza Thun (EPP, PL) • 4th Vice-Chair: Maria Manuela Leitao Marques (S&D, PT) BUDG • Chair: Johan Van Overtveldt (ECR, BE) • 1st Vice-Chair: Janusz Lewandowski (EPP, PL) • 2nd Vice-Chair: Olivier Chastel (RE, BE) • 3rd Vice-Chair: Margarida Marques (S&D, PT) • 4th Vice-Chair: Niclas Herbst (EPP, DE) In it, all but the US reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Paris Climate Agreement as well as highlighting the importance of resource efficiency and a common strategy to tackle marine litter. In particular, the document focuses on the importance of improving resource efficiency through policies such as circular economy and the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), and notes its potential contribution to tackling the problem of marine litter, especially marine plastic litter and microplastics. On marine litter, the ministers followed up on the “G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter”, launched under the grouping’s German Presidency in 2017. Under its implementation, the G20 countries cooperate on improving waste management and recycling processes, report on waste prevention and disposal plans, and exchange information on best practices. Importantly, while the text stresses the need to address the problem at global and national level, and in cooperation with relevant stakeholders, it also notes plastics’ important role in economies and in citizens’ daily lives. Commenting on the communiqué’s adoption, State Secretary at the German Environment Ministry Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter said: “We have made a significant step forward in the fight against marine litter under the Japanese Presidency, and I am also pleased that the strategic dialogue on resource efficiency is in progress, making an important contribution to decoupling economic growth from damaging environmental impacts.” The Italian Environment Minister Serio Costa stated that will have to be followed up by concrete actions and increasingly strict commitments. “The time has come to exit the ‘plastic era’, dominated by disposal plastic, and this can only be done by working together,” he concluded. The full text of the communiqué can be found News from members Three importnat projcets of Ecoembes are presented: Libera project, 1M2 FOR NATURE’ (SPAIN), LIBERA´s Annual Collaborative Clean Up Litter Event in natural areas, has reached 13.000 Volunteers In 2019; Ecoembes launches Naturaliza, an education project to drive a greater presence of environment and sustainability in the education system and The Intelligent Recycling Assistant (AIRE) The Intelligent Recycling Assistant (AIRE) has more than 2000 records and is constantly learning to solve at any time the doubts of citizens about where and how to recycle correctly. It is available in application format for IOS and Android, in Alexa, in Facebook Messenger, Twitter and on the web. The questions can be asked by text, by voice and by photo. Citizens can send a photo with the residue about which they have some doubt, and the Bot is able to identify it and give an answer. Currently the application has more than 10,000 downloads and since we launched the BOT, more than 300,000 queries have been made. In the following web you can consult all the information: The unusual and unique installations are part of the campaign "My Green City", which Coca-Cola HBC in Bulgaria has been organizing together with ECOPACK for the twelfth consecutive year. The design of attractive clamshell containers is by Janina Dubarova-Kostadinova, who in May won the competition of "My Green City" for original ideas for the construction of plastic collection facilities organized jointly with the Municipality of Burgas and the branch of the National Academy of Arts in the city . "Protecting the sea and its inhabitants is a commitment of all of us. With little effort everyone can make your city more beautiful and our nature cleaner. The "My Green City" campaign is in support of our global commitment to achieve the collection and recycling of the same amount of bottles or cans we have sold on the market. We are sure that this is only possible with the support of our users, who like us are also concerned about the future of the planet, "said Jacqueline Tsocheva, Director of Public Communications and Public Relations of Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria. "I thank our partners from Coca-Cola and ECOPACK that together we make our town an even better place to live. With the project "My Green City", through art we create something with a message and commitment to preserving the sea. These attractive containers call, educate and give aesthetic value to our more beautiful city, "said Deputy Mayor of Burgas Municipality, Ruska Boyadjieva. Since early May 2019, ECOPACK has started a project in hotels, restaurants and cafes in Burgas, where 65 sites are serviced on a daily basis in order to increase the separate collection on the territory of the city. "ECOPACK and Bourgas Municipality have a long-standing partnership in explaining the benefits and encouraging the separate collection of waste. It is no coincidence that Burgas is the winner of our prestigious "Greener Municipality" award, which welcomes the desire and efforts of local authorities to implement innovative approaches in the education of the population for separate waste collection. Only last year in the municipality of Burgas were separately collected 850 tons of packaging waste, of which 150 tons of plastic. We hope that through the projects we realize with the municipality, we will double this quantity in 2019 ", added Todor Bourgoudjiev, CEO of ECOPACK. Art installations are part of this year's twelfth edition of "My Green City", within which 10 public transport stops in Sofia were transformed into plastic containers. For the last 11 years of the voluntary initiative, Coca-Cola system employees in Bulgaria and ECOPACK have landscaped, cleaned and upgraded landscapes, wooded areas and parks in 18 regions across the country. Since its launch in 2008, thousands of sacks of waste have been collected in the framework of "My Green City", dozens of location in the country have been renovated, trees for 2 forests have been planted and voluteers are taking care of two more. 25/04/2019 Winter/Spring 2019 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA News Upcoming events with EXPRA participation News updates In the debate preceding the vote, many MEPs voiced strong support for the legislation, its role in ensuring EU leadership and contribution to transition to a circular economy. Please see below some key points from the debate: Introducing the agreement reached with the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Rapporteur on the text MEP Ries highlighted, amongst others, that EPR principle is at the heart of the legislation. She said that there will be further progress on at least 3 issues, namely: an ambitious revision of European packaging legislation, with a quantified target for packaging reduction, an action plan against microplastics, and then a real shift for Europe to the circular economy with high-quality recycling sectors. Vice-President Frans Timmermans commented that the legislation will put the EU at the forefront of global action, changing the way we design, consume and manage plastic packaging and waste. He said that Europeans care about this issue and want the EU to show leadership. Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella said that the key task now is to ensure that the ambitious measures enshrined in the legislation are quickly implemented, which is a task for public authorities, producers and consumers alike. He noted that the Parliament pushed for strong provisions on EPR for waste management and clean-up of litter. Overall, he said, the Commission supports the compromise, however, he criticized the ‘no opinion clause’ in the text (provides that where the committee delivers no opinion, the Commission should not adopt the draft implementing act), saying that this right should not be withheld without justification. He was also critical of the short time frames for the adoption of implementing acts, saying that the Commission has concerns about feasibility of complying with these. There is no defined date yet for the joint signing by Council and EP. In principle, this does not have any impact on the content as such, but could delay the publication of the translated versions. EXPRA was invited to participate in the launch of the Circular Plastics Alliance by DG Growth in February 2019 and was represented at the meeting by Monika Romenska, EXPRA’s Regulatory & Public Affairs Manager. As part of the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, the Circular Plastics Alliance aims at improving the economics and quality of plastics recycling in Europe. The Alliance should help the supply and demand for recycled plastics in the EU market to match at 10 million tons by 2025, at least. Business organisations representing all stages of plastic production, use and recycling in our economy are invited to this first, high-level meeting. The objective of the first meeting was to agree on a common vision towards more and better plastics recycling in Europe and set a work plan for concrete deliverables in 2019. This outcome should serve as a basis for the creation of an effectively functioning market for secondary plastic materials. The intention is that the Alliance meets twice in 2019, with meetings of working groups at operational level in-between. The participants to the first meeting of the Circular Plastics Alliance agreed: The participants agreed that the 10 million tons target was reachable, but required taking the following actions as a matter of priority There were shared views that industry in the plastics value chains was ready to invest more and commit to do more on a voluntary basis in order to reach the 10 million tons target. There was a call for the Circular Plastics Alliance to encourage new voluntary commitments by industry; but public authorities should also help the industry implement their actions and ambitions by providing clear and consistent framework conditions across the EU. Legislation applicable to plastics recycling and recycled plastic materials should not discourage recycling or send contradictory signals. There was also consensus that the industry should establish a reliable monitoring system to track progress and ensure trust among all stakeholders. Several participants stressed that the objective was to maintain the quality and value of virgin materials after recycling, whenever feasible – as opposed to “downcycling”. This was stressed especially for food contact grades (“from yogurt pot to yogurt pot”). Several participants also stressed that the objective was to collect all plastic waste and landfill no plastic waste. Consumers should be educated to value, not litter and properly dispose of plastic waste. At the first meeting, the participants confirmed their commitment to work together along the plastics value chains and ensure that 10 million tons of recycled plastics are used in the EU by 2025. They agreed to work in priority on 5 topics: It stresses the importance of ensuring that public financing, at both EU and national level, is consistent with the objectives set out in the implementation of the waste hierarchy – i.e. towards prevention, reuse, separate collection, and recycling plans and projects. It calls on Member States (MS) to make more progress in developing effective plans and projects for prevention, reuse, separate collection and recycling and urges the Commission to support them in these efforts. In this regard, the text suggests adopting economic instruments as set out in the WFD and implementing efficient and cost-effective EPR schemes to boost the transition towards the circular economy. It also calls on the MS to take measures to clean up litter and improve waste management, and to adopt economic instruments and awareness raising campaigns to prevent littering. The resolution further calls on the Commission to reward bets practices in waste management at all levels and to facilitate their exchange, and on MS and industries to improve their engagement in promoting circular supply chains so as to facilitate access to high-quality secondary raw materials. The text also supports ongoing infringement procedures against MS for their failure to comply with the waste legislation, and calls on the Commission to use the full potential of the early warning system as set out in the revised waste directives. While the resolution is non-binding, it does voice this Parliament’s position with the aim of highlighting the existing problems with, and the need for better waste management in Member States (it mentions 60 petitions on waste management-related issues in Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the UK over the past few years, for example). As such, it is certainly something that we can refer to in our engagements with policymakers or in our materials in future, particularly with regards to the calls for better implementation of EU waste legislation and with regards to efficient and cost-effective EPR implementation. You can find the full text The Review outlines the state of play in environmental policies and rules and their implementation in each Member State, as well as identifying causes for implementation gaps. The EIR package includes 28 country reports and factsheets, a Commission Communication with conclusions and common trends at EU level and recommendations for improvements to Member States (and annex), and a Policy Background Staff Working Document (SWD). On waste, the EIR found that overall, the policy framework for the circular economy has been strengthened. The Commission’s Communication welcomes the progress made in meeting EU requirements on waste management, particularly the increase of recycling rates to 46.4% in 2017 (from 43.7% in 2014) and the fall in volume of landfilled municipal waste by 20.6% between 2013 and 2017. Nevertheless, waste prevention remains a challenge for all Member States. Six Member States are found as producing at least twice as much municipal waste per inhabitant than the Member State with the lowest waste generation. Overall, the average generation of municipal waste has also increased since 2014 (only 9 Member States reduced their waste generation between 2014 and 2016). On waste management, 9 Member States are on track and 5 Member States have already reached the recycling targets. However, as identified by the implementation report published in September 2018, 14 Member States are at risk of missing the 2020 municipal waste recycling target. According to the Communication, there is room to introduce/improve policies, including economic instruments, such as EPR, to strengthen the implementation if the waste hierarchy and to make reuse and recycling more economical. The documents also stresses the need to improve the effectiveness of separate waste collection in many Member States, and to implement new measures to shift away from incineration and landfilling in nearly all Member States. It lists Slovenia (a comprehensive strategy on circularity), Denmark (cooperation along value chains and innovation) and France (ambitious roadmap for circular economy, target of 100% plastic recycling by 2025) as successful cases. For more information, please see the EIR website . News from members January Green Dot Norway launched the Plastic Pledge in front of 90 of our biggest members. This is a project we have been working on for a long time to make the concept both as available- and result bearing as possible. The main objective is to enhance the use of recycled plastic. The non-standard campaign is part of the 12-year history "My Green City", organized by Coca-Cola in Bulgaria in partnership with ECOPACK Bulgaria and Sofia Municipality. The aim of the initiative is to show that together, with little effort of each of us, we can make our city greener and cleaner. With the quantitative equivalent of the collected plastic will be produced the first in Bulgaria 3D printed benches of recycled plastics, which will be placed in the Zaimov park in Sofia. This year, "My Green City" is in support of the global commitment of the Coca-Cola System "World without Waste", which aims to collect and recycle the equivalent of disposable and disposable packaging made in the market by 2030. For the past 11 years of employees from the Coca-Cola System in Bulgaria and citizens managed to collect thousands of sacks of waste, renovated dozens of locations all over the country, planted three forests and adopted two more. Every year, the campaign selects locations where volunteer work is needed and useful in overall environmental care and contributes to improving environmental conditions and resources in the area 09/12/2018 Autumn/Winter 2018 Introduction by the Managing Director While we at EXPRA fully support the overall goal of this draft piece of legislation, we have to note that this is the first time ever when a legal act was processes in such speed, without exhaustive public consultation, somehow focusing on emotions and not on facts and figures. Further more we are deeply concerned that it is deviating from the shared responsibility principle and likely to trigger legal uncertainty and unfair treatment of producers and EPR schemes across the bloc once transposed on the national level. While we in Europe are of course proud to be the leader in sustainable waste management and fight with litter, it should be underlined that joint efforts from other Asian and African counties are needed as well, as I could see during the mission to India as a member of the EU delegation of Commissioner Vella. Here, we could see and feel where the plastics in the ocean is really coming from. And as you could see in our members news section, all EXPRA members are working hard in prevention, promoting sustainable packaging and implementing numerous national and local information and public awareness campaigns. We at EXPRA see these activities as a major prerequisite for the implementation of our mission: to save resources and care for the environment, without making a profit out of it. Of course, our focus was and will be on the next steps after the adoption of the Waste Legislation – the Implementing Acts being drafted by the EC. As the saying goes the devil is in the details and these acts are of utmost importance for the actual future functioning of our systems. In 2019 as well, we will stay a major counterpart for the European Commission in providing our long-term expertise and practical know-how also for the mission to the 14 Member States that will not fulfil the 2020 targets for municipal waste. It is a great honor and recognition for EXPRA to be asked by the EC be a member of these missions and we will do our best to contribute to finding working sustainable solutions. Internally, during the EXPRA fall General Assembly meeting in December, we had to say good bye to our founding president William Vermeir who led EXPRA to such a positive and strong alliance. We also elected a new Board and a new President - Cees de Mol van Otterloo, the CEO of our Dutch member, Afvalfonds Verpakkingen, who we are sure, will bring EXPRA and its members to the next level as per our ambitious project EXPRA 2.0. As we are looking forward to the many new challenges, awaiting us in 2019, I would like to wish you relaxed holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Enjoy your reading! EXPRA News Amanda Fuso Nerini, CONAI, in her capacity as chair of the EXPRA WG Packaging & Sustainability and Joachim Quoden, EXPRA’s MD, engaged as speakers in the round tables whereas several other members, for example from Spain, Belgium, Greece, Slovakia, Norway, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Netherlands and even Quebec, Canada joint the discussion. Not only the Commission but also Peter Börkey from the OECD followed immediately our invitation and participated actively in the workshop. Around 70 EU and national experts from along the value chain gathered in the EURACTIV networking office to discuss challenges and opportunities that should be considered when setting up EU guidelines for an eco-modulation of EPR fees – to be presented by the European Commission in 2019. The SUMMARY REPORT of the Expert talk: “Eco-modulation of EPR fees as a tool towards a circular economy” is now published on our homepage. You can read it here: All material streams should have an equal level of ambition when reporting recycling rates, regardless of the complexity of different recycling value chains. In the case of glass, FEVE, FERVER, EXPRA and EuRIC have a common understanding that the measurement point is at the input to the cullet treatment plant, as this is the “recycling operation” where waste is “actually reprocessed into products”. They also take the ambition further and propose that non-glass losses and non-targeted materials should be deducted. “We are delighted to have such a strong partnership calling for comparable and ambitious reporting on glass recycling” stated Adeline Farrelly, Secretary General of FEVE. “Measuring real recycling will drive local implementation of high quality separate collection for glass”. FEVE, FERVER, EXPRA and EuRIC also recommend maintaining a clear and consistent legal framework between the End-of-Waste Regulation, the EU Waste Framework Directive and the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, which supports an ambitious and comparable implementation of the reporting. “The measurement point for reporting on recycling rates in the Directive clearly refers to the actual reprocessing into products, materials and substances and must therefore be consistent with the EU end-of-waste criteria established for glass” insisted Baudouin Ska, Secretary General of FERVER. Emmanuel Katrakis, EuRIC Secretary General, further emphasized that “it is key to show that the entire glass sector agrees on a single, robust and harmonized point of measurement for glass recycling which supports end-of-waste criteria and will further drive quality along the value chain”. The European Commission is still to finalize implementing legislation establishing rules for the calculation, verification and reporting of data for verifying compliance with the recycling targets set in the Waste Framework Directive and in the Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive. EXPRA’s Managing Director, Joachim Quoden, commented: “We strongly welcome a uniform definition for the measurement of recycling and believe that recycled waste should be measured at the gate of the recycling plant as the data can only be ascertained until the plant’s gate, in order to deliver fair and reliable statistics. We welcome the initiative by the glass sector to agree on the “recycling operation”, which is crucial in this respect”. You can find the joint position here: News updates You can find the press release of the Council here: And the press release of the Parliament here: On 20 December in a public session, the Council had the opportunity to hear a presentation by the Presidency on the directive on single-use plastics. The Austrian Presidency announced that, after very intense negotiations, an agreement had been reached between the co-legislators. They stated that it is an “ambitious” text which will provide the EU with the necessary tools to quickly put into place measures which can considerably reduce marine litter. It was explained that the agreed rules will ban the use of certain throwaway plastic products for which alternatives already exist, such as cutlery and plates. In addition, specific measures will be introduced to reduce the use of the most frequently littered plastic products, for example plastic cups and plastic containers for food which is intended for immediate consumption. The new Directive will also set up provisions concerning, in particular, the collection of waste tobacco filter products containing plastic and waste fishing gear. It also includes an obligation to increase the share of plastic bottles collected separately to be recycled. As next steps, it was announced that the overall compromise package will be presented to Coreper early next year by the Romanian Presidency. In addition, Commissioner Vella said that he was pleased with the outcome of the negotiations. “The agreement keeps the essence of the Commission’s proposal intact while ensuring clarity. He notes that several important stumbling blocks were overcome throughout the negotiations and the final result is good and workable”, he stated. He moreover added that the Commission welcomed the constructive approach adopted by the Council and the Parliament which had allowed them to reach a compromise on: - Recycled content target for PET beverage bottles - Collection targets - The possibility that national restrictions would only be possible with safeguards for the environment and the internal market - The extension of the scope of the extended producer responsibility for fishing gear - Other points such as the collection of tobacco filters. The missions followed similar formats, with some deviations according to the organisers’ suggestions and input. In general, the one-day missions included two parts: • Roundtable discussion at the relevant ministry(ies) and major stakeholders: covering topics such as the circular economy & materials, economics and effective waste management and mobilizing resources; • Workshops (in parallel) for a wider audience, including (upon suggestion of EXPRA) a dedicated session devoted to EPR. The Mission to Malta was organised on 30 November and started with a closed-door, high-level session attended by Environment Commissioner Vella and the national Ministers. During this session, both EXPRA’s MD Joachim Quoden and GreenPak’s CEO Mario Schembri had the opportunity to present the key issues for the EPR sector. An afternoon session, which included several breakout sessions on specific topics, including EPR. Open to a wider audience, general debate topics encompassed circular economy & materials, economics and effective waste management, and mobilizing resources. Keynote speakers included Commissioner Vella; Jose Herrera, Malta’s Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development; Håkon Jentoft, Coordinator of the Urban Agenda Partnership on Circular Economy & Chair of Eurocities’ Working Group on Waste Management; and Christian Schempp, European Investment Bank Senior Economist. Illustrating the Maltese case, EXPRA also showed the juxtaposition between GreenPak’s performance, marked by exceeding its recycling targets over the years, with the country’s failure to reach the overall ones. The reasons behind this contrast were also exposed, including weak legislation until 2017, lack of enforcement with the producers and the public, competition at PRO level that has led to inefficiency in environmental and operational costs, as well as the low landfill fees. The Mission was also an opportunity to showcase GreenPak’s smart iBiNs project which is partnered by Vodafone Malta. The iBiNs are equipped with smart technology that enables citizens to recycle 24/7 and spells an end to overflowing bring-in sites. Using next generation Internet of Things technology introduced for the first time to the island, the iBiNs have the capability to monitor waste levels and feed information back to a central system which enables GreenPak’s recycling service to prioritise and customise collection routes in the localities it serves across Malta and Gozo. The Mission also coincided with the recent introduction of separate biowaste collection in Malta. The results here also impressed: following a couple of weeks since the introduction of the measure, the island saw a 32% increase in the recyclable waste collected by GreenPak. The next two missions, last for 2018 were organised on 6 and 7 December respectively in Bucharest, Romania and Sofia, Bulgaria. The EC had identified several experts covering the different waste streams who visited both countries: Håkon Jentoft, EUROCITIES Waste Working Group Chair and Coordinator of the EU Urban Agenda Partnership on Circular Economy, Vanya Veras, Secretary General of Municipal Waste Europe, Michele Giavini, City of Milan and Italian Composting Association “Biowaste recycling”, Enzo Favoino, Zero Waste and European Compost Network and Susana Lopes, Director International Business Unit, Lipor, Portugal, David Fitzsimons, European Remanufacturing Council, as well as representatives of EIB and EBRD. The consultant – EUNOMIA was part of both missions. In Romania the host was Graţiela Leocadia Gavrilescu, Deputy Prime Minister and the event was co-chaired by Commissioner Vella. It should be noted that the sessions were organised in parallel with somewhat limited time slots, thus somewhat limiting the opportunity for all participants to join the sessions. As the presentations were limited to 5 min each, this additionally restricted the exchange of information between the EC experts and the national representatives and respective discussions. EXPRA was represented by Monika Romenska, who outlined the key requirements for successful EPR implementation and the importance of transposing the new Waste Directives in a bid to ensure sustainable waste management. EXPRA member ECO ROM Ambalaje had the opportunity to outline the situation regarding packaging waste management in the country and possible activities to overcome the problems. In Bulgaria the organizer was the Bulgarian Economic forum, and the Ministry of Environment and waters was represented by the Minister and members of hist staff. As Commissioner Vella was not able to attend, he was substituted by Joanna Drake, Deputy Director General of DG Environment, European Commission, who delivered a very inspiring speech. The Bulgarian participants included, apart from EPR schemes for different waste streams, also representatives of the Soft Drinks and Beer associations, local authorities and other stakeholders. EXPRA was represented/speaking in both high-level closed and open sessions/workshops, but again all presentations were limited to 5 minutes, while not providing sufficient time for discussion. Still the EXPRA messages were transferred to the EC and Ministry representatives, who were not very active. Todor Bourgoudjiev, CEO of ECOPACK Bulgaria, presented the best practices of ECOPACK Bulgaria including the organizations’ serious investments in collection infrastructure: containers, sorting lines and especially communication and education campaigns. The missions gave the opportunity of EXPRA and its three national members to put the focus on EPR and the importance of its proper transposition/implementation to EC as well as to National representatives. The missions are organised by the Directorate-General (DG) for the Environment of the European Commission and aim to build bridges between European institutions, NGOs and companies and the relevant stakeholders in those third countries, interested in the opportunities that the transition to the circular economy brings. These initiatives have the potential of strengthening existing and creating new ties between the EU and third country institutions in the field of environment, as well as supporting green European businesses - especially SMEs- to expand their activities abroad. The Circular Economy Missions are conceived with three clear objectives: • To increase cooperation between the EU and third countries in the field of environmental policy. This can be achieved by signing political agreements directed at fostering the circular economy, green public procurement and innovative, sustainable and inclusive growth. • To achieve a better understanding of the environmental challenges faced by third countries. • To promote green solutions through business partnerships abroad. In this regard, the missions will organise matchmaking events between European and local entrepreneurs and will engage in exchange of views with targeted audiences. This time, the delegation was led by Commissioner Vella himself and around 40 EU delegates from various industry sectors accompanied the Commissioner team of 6 people. From the EPR respective packaging sector, the WEEE Forum was represented by their president, their secretary general and a few members; also, ERP / Landbell has sent one of its managing directors. Also, Tetra Pak sent his responsible person, Mustan Lalani who is also a member of EXPRA’s Strategic Committee with obliged industry. On the Indian side, several multinational companies participated with their Indian daughter companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi etc. EXPRA was represented by Joachim Quoden, EXPRA Managing Director. There is already federal legislation for EPR for plastic packaging in place in India but still very general and without concrete targets. But on the other side, the first of the 29 states within India (who have additional responsibility to issue their own legislation on plastic packaging waste) have issued their own special legislation, inter alia forbidding the use of certain beverage containers. Therefore, there is a real risk that India will end up with 29 different legislative approaches which would lead to the end of the India internal market. Respectively different initiatives towards EPR have been started by stakeholders form the value chain, but still it was discussed that on the mid-term run all these separate initiatives should join their forces to avoid such a fruitless competition but to work on a comprehensive approach in working with the informal sector, even to work on formal structures especially for the business (packaging) waste. It was also discussed that industry should in the end align for all plastic packaging and in the end for all packaging materials. During the Circular Mission, the Commission also organized with their Indian counterparts a conference with several key speeches and sessions. EXPRA’s MD Joachim had the honor to chair one of these sessions namely on “Reducing waste and Reinventing Plastics – Closing the loop” with Coca Cola India, Reliance (biggest chemical company in India), ERP and “PRO INDIA” speaking. PRO India is a for profit company founded by a former Coke employee who claims to be inspired by PRO EUROPE to set up 1 PRO for India, collecting the EPR fees from industry to pass them to the informal sector to collect plastic packaging. Alongside, the 2 conference days, several personal meetings between Commissioner Vella and Indian ministers were organized, every time inviting a very few EU delegates (between 3 and 10 people) to accompany Vella to these meetings. EXPRA was invited to participate in all 3 meetings, namely to meet with the Minister for Environment, Minister for Commerce & Trade and Minister for Urban planning. After the 2 Circular Mission conference days, all participants including Commissioner Vella participated in the annual sustainability conference of India, organized by the biggest Indian trade & business association. It should be noted that during this conference, EPR was the dominating topic with a special session which concentrated on EPR for WEEE. The Global Commitment clearly envisages a future where plastic packaging, including flexible packaging, is designed, used and the materials then made available again in the circular economy. That way they do not leak into the natural environment and they play an important and essential role in helping society live and consume more sustainably. Flexible packaging generally is very resource efficient and, in nearly all cases, helps to reduce overall plastic packaging waste while providing customised product protection, at the minimum cost, using the least resource and with the lowest environmental impact. CEFLEX and its stakeholders acknowledge the importance of promoting these environmental benefits as a means of living more sustainably and within the bounds of planet Earth. CEFLEX fully supports the goal of 100% collection of all plastic packaging to make it available for recycling and to prevent it becoming land or marine litter. Additionally, work to address and replace unnecessary packaging will be achieved through redesign, innovation and new delivery models, along with the parallel development of the infrastructure to collect, sort and recycle flexible packaging in all European countries, needed to realise a circular economy for all types of flexible packaging. The Global Commitment reinforces the work being undertaken by CEFLEX, where the consortium stakeholders are collaborating to identify, prove and implement how best to close the loop on all flexible packaging materials by 2025. “Our mission at CEFLEX resonates strongly with the EMF global commitment,” said Graham Houlder, the project coordinator, “which is why we decided to actively endorse it.” “The increase in the number of stakeholders within our consortium, now over 95, reflects the strong commitment of the industry, from whatever standpoint they come, to creating solutions for a circular economy with flexible packaging playing a full and important part,” he added. “This is clearly demonstrated by the recent joining of CEFLEX by WRAP* which earlier this year launched the UK Plastics Pact, in collaboration with the EMF.” News from members Rinki’s videos have had strong presence among Finnish audiences especially in Twitter, You Tube and Facebook and on commercial tv-channels’ streaming services. At the end of November, videos will also be seen on the national public broadcast television channels for one week. Rinki’s one main task is to inform consumers about recycling and take-back points. The idea of the campaign is to describe humorously how easy it is to recycle packaging. The campaign has been already very successful, and we are expecting it to reach even more consumers than last year, when Rinki had its first consumer campaign ever. Videos (currently only in Finnish): Public Campaigns in new entries (development of the System in new Local Authorities) Distribution of informative literature, door-to-door, at the Municipalities of Naxos Island and Anogeia - Crete, where 18.000 and 2.300 inhabitants respectively were informed regarding the beginning to the Recycling project at their Municipality. Targeting the promotion of the cooperation between the contracted companies, the local communities and the Municipalities, HERRCO participated with a speaker and informative kiosk at a Meeting of the Chamber of Commerce and the Municipality of Kilkis in the Region of Central Macedonia. HERRCO also participated with a speaker and informative kiosk at the 12th Panhellenic Convention of Solid Waste Managers, the Meeting of Eco-Watch in Athens, as well as the 2nd Forum of Technology and Environment – Verde Tech at MEC Paianias, where the organizational committee awarded HERRCO as the most productive system. During the first 6 months of 2018, 26 Luna Park events were held with educational games for the children with the cooperation of respective Municipalities, which organized school visits in the place of the event. More than 6.500 children were informed . Meanwhile, with the cooperation of a national T.V. station, 3 events took place: at the Municipality of Thessaloniki during the 3rd Recycling Festival and at the municipalities of Ambelokipon – Menemenis and Arta. HERRCO, within the framework of its cooperation with the Municipalities for the education of the next generation, supported events which were organized by the Municipalities of Ioannina and Pallini for rewarding the schools which took part in recycling championships for the school year 2017 – 2018, organized by the Local Authorities. Apart from the above, more than 900 educational presentations took place at schools at several Local Authorities where approximately 22.000 students were informed. With the collaboration of a contractred company HERRCO supported through the collaboration with 5 Local Authorities (among them Thessaloniki, Chania, Marathon, Naxos island and Thermaikos a specially designed project which run for 12 weeks on beaches, where recyclable waste was collected in four streams and people was informed about good recycling practices on the beach. About 220.000 kgs of materials were also collected. Ecopack Bulgaria invested BGN 1.45 million (742 000 Euro) in the construction of a new technology center. Part of it is a new installation for sorting of waste from plastic, metal and paper packaging and a new educational center for students in Sofia. T "The capacity of the new installation is 5 times bigger than we already have. It can sort up to 21,000 tons of packaging waste per year " Mr. Bourgoudjiev said. He stressed that most of the processes are automated, and the special design of the facility allows visitors to monitor the installation's work. The new line is built on an area of 35 decares. The plant will process the waste from the separate collection via Ecopack Bulgaria’s colored containers from 6 regions in Sofia, from 130 HORECA sites and 310 retail outlets. The device has magnetic separators for automatic separation of iron and aluminum. The line i served by 27 employees. In the course of its consecutive long-term efforts to inform and educate the young people of all ages, Ecopack Bulgaria has created the first interactive educational center. It is part of the Technological Center, close to the separating line and is designed for children over 14 years of age. The space of 300 square meters is divided into three zones. Here visitors will be introduced to the history of an organized waste collection system from antiquity to the present day. The second zone is divided into 4 sections for the four types of waste that are collected separately - plastics, paper, glass and aluminum. The processes of recycling and recycling of waste, their transformation into new products or in art are presented.. The third area is the forest of green wishes, where every visitor will leave his green mission / message to the next generations. "This center is a model where environmental policy can be focused on whether it is a family, a municipality, a state or an alliance. If we put our efforts to build habits among those who are between 7 and 27 today, this is a guarantee that when they are of our years there will be no need for such initiatives, "said Minister Dimov. The visual identity of the organization has also been redesigned. Valipac today adopts a colorful logo that reflects its culture of consultation and the plurality of its stakeholders, not to mention the transition to the circular economy. The brand new Valipac website, online since October 25th, will provide you with all the information on this subject: 20/09/2018 July/August 2018 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA News The workshop also aimed at identifying possible areas of further cooperation with a view of promoting the circular economy in the context of the EU regional cooperation with the enlargement countries. The beneficiary countries included: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In the welcoming speeches, it was underlined that the transition to a Circular Economy requires a system-level transformation at local, national and international levels. No single government, organization or business can drive this change alone. Rather, public and private sector stakeholders have to work together to identify and implement a common “circular” vision for transforming production, manufacturing and consumption patterns, through a process of joint and continuous experimentation, learning, adapting and scaling of efforts. In her statement, Ms Joanna Drake, Deputy Director-General in charge of Coordination of Resource efficiency policies and instruments in DG ENV underlined the economic benefits of the Circular Economy but also the efforts necessary – including major change of consumer behaviour. The representative of the hosting country – Ms Cuci, Deputy Minister of Environment outlined the Waste Management strategy of Albania for the next 15 years. The strategy includes several measures, including constructing the relevant facilities and infrastructure – landfills and incinerator(s). She noted that for a successful integrated urban waste management a clear distribution of roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders is necessary. She outlined the major pillars of the WM Strategy, namely: standards, infrastructure, involvement of local authorities and monitoring and implementation. Jani Makraduli, Deputy Minister of Environment and Physical Planning presented the waste management in Macedonia, organized in 4 regional WM centers and the new Waste Prevention Plan of the country. He also informed the participants that there are currently proposals for several draft laws in this sphere. Mr. Fatmir Matoshi, Deputy Minister of Environment of Kosovo outlined the situation, noting that less than 5 % of waste is recycled. Monika Romenska, EXPRA’s Regulatory & Public Affairs Manager, presented the Extended Producer Responsibility contribution to green jobs and growth. In her presentation she showcased the best practices especially in Belgium and Spain in promoting sustainable growth and innovation. Other speakers, who presented their view on how to achieve a genuine CE, covering different waste streams and policies included Mr. Emmanuel Katrakis, Secretary General, European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC), Mr Peter Wessman, Team Coordinator, Unit ENV/B3 'Waste Management and Secondary Materials', European Commission, Ms Anne Vandeputte, International Policy Unit, OVAM, Belgian Public Waste Agency of Flanders and Mr Mihail Asenov, Senior Waste Management Expert, Internationale Angelegenheiten, International Affairs, Environment Agency Austria And Ms Dijana Varlec, Senior Expert Advisor, Croatian Chamber of Economy, Energy and Environmental protection Department. The missions are organised by the Directorate-General (DG) for the Environment of the European Commission and aim to build bridges between European institutions, NGOs and companies and the relevant stakeholders in those third countries, interested in the opportunities that the transition to the circular economy brings. These initiatives have the potential of strengthening existing and creating new ties between the EU and third country institutions in the field of environment, as well as supporting green European businesses - especially SMEs- to expand their activities abroad. The Circular Economy Missions are conceived with three clear objectives: • To increase cooperation between the EU and third countries in the field of environmental policy. This can be achieved by signing political agreements directed at fostering the circular economy, green public procurement and innovative, sustainable and inclusive growth. • To achieve a better understanding of the environmental challenges faced by third countries. • To promote green solutions through business partnerships abroad. In this regard, the missions will organise matchmaking events between European and local entrepreneurs and will engage in exchange of views with targeted audiences. This time, the delegation was led by Commissioner Vella himself and around 40 EU delegates from various industry sectors accompanied the Commissioner team of 6 people. From the EPR respective packaging sector, the WEEE Forum was represented by their president, their secretary general and a few members; also, ERP / Landbell has sent one of its managing directors. Also, Tetra Pak sent his responsible person, Mustan Lalani who is also a member of EXPRA’s Strategic Committee with obliged industry. On the Indian side, several multinational companies participated with their Indian daughter companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi etc. EXPRA was represented by Joachim Quoden, EXPRA Managing Director. On Monday afternoon, Joachim was invited to join the sustainability team of TETRA Pak for India and South East Asia in their offices to discuss how EPR could be implemented under which conditions in India. There is already federal legislation for EPR for plastic packaging in place in India but still very general and without concrete targets. But on the other side, the first of the 29 states within India (who have additional responsibility to issue their own legislation on plastic packaging waste) have issued their own special legislation, inter alia forbidding the use of certain beverage containers. Therefore, there is a real risk that India will end up with 29 different legislative approaches which would lead to the end of the India internal market. Therefore, Tetra Pak has started a kind of Producer Responsibility Organization (AARC) which has started to organize collection of beverage cartons together with cooperative initiatives from the informal sector in several parts of India. Parts of the PET sector have started a similar approach which is somehow leading to a competition to work with in the end the same (reliable) informal sector initiatives. Therefore, it was common sense that on the mid-term run all these separate initiatives should join their forces to avoid such a fruitless competition but to work on a comprehensive approach in working with the informal sector, even to work on formal structures especially for the business (packaging) waste. During Day 2 and Day 3 of the Circular Mission, the Commission had organized with their Indian counterparts a conference with several key speeches and sessions. EXPRA’s MD had the honor to chair one of these sessions namely on “Reducing waste and Reinventing Plastics – Closing the loop” with Coca Cola India, Reliance (biggest chemical company in India), ERP and “PRO INDIA” speaking. PRO India is a for profit company founded by a former Coke employee who claims to be inspired by PRO EUROPE to set up 1 PRO for India, collecting the EPR fees from industry to pass them to the informal sector to collect plastic packaging. This initiative is interestingly not supported by obliged industry, especially not by Coke India. In a personal meeting with the responsible person from Coke India it was outlined that, contrary, Coca Cola India is currently working with several companies to • Industry leadership meeting to align to a common strategy to address PWM compliance and pooling of invested/planned resources for India – September 2018 • Industry sign-on Industry to build a PET self-aid organization under PACE banner – PRO to be incubated September 2018 • Public announcement of PET PRO – October 2018 But also in Coke it is understood that there will be not a comprehensive solution for PET only but that industry should in the end align for all plastic packaging and in the end for all packaging materials. Alongside, the 2 conference days, several personal meetings between Commissioner Vella and Indian ministers were organized, every time inviting a very few EU delegates (between 3 and 10 people) to accompany Vella to these meetings. EXPRA was invited to participate in all 3 meetings, namely to meet with the Minister for Environment, Minister for Commerce & Trade and Minister for Urban planning. After the 2 Circular Mission conference days, all participants including Commissioner Vella participated in the annual sustainability conference of India, organized by the biggest Indian trade & business association. Also during this conference, EPR was the dominating topic with a special session which concentrated on EPR for WEEE. Also, the common social side trips to old Delhi city where the streets are covered just by waste gave good opportunities to demonstrate where the real problem of marine litter is coming from. News updates The resolution is not binding but they set a precedent for Parliament’s future work on these issues. Of relevance, MEP Demesmaeker’s Report mentions EPR as follows: 1. Relating to ‘design for recycling to design for circularity’: o Paragraph 12. Calls on the Commission to make resource efficiency and circularity overarching principles, including the important role that circular materials, products and systems can play, also for non-packaging plastic items; considers that this can be achieved inter alia by Extended Producer Responsibility, by developing product standards, by conducting lifecycle assessments, by broadening the eco-design legislative framework to cover all main plastic product groups, by adopting eco-labelling provisions and by implementing the Product Environmental Footprint method. 2. Relating to the ‘prevention of plastic waste generation, in particular single-use plastics’: o Paragraph 28. Stresses that there are various pathways to achieving high separate collection and recycling rates and a reduction in litter of plastic waste, including extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes with modulated fees, deposit-refund schemes and increased public awareness; recognises the merits of established regimes in different Member States and the potential for exchanging best practices between Member States; underlines that the choice of a certain scheme remains within the remit of the competent authority in the Member State. o Paragraph 29. Welcomes the fact that Directive 94/62/EC stipulates that Member States must establish mandatory EPR schemes for all packaging by the end of 2024 and calls on the Commission to assess the possibility of extending this obligation to other plastic products in accordance with Articles 8 and 8a of Directive 2008/98/EC. In his explanatory note, the Rapporteur also stressed the following: • Concerning the ‘push for recycled content’: The Rapporteur welcomes the various positive public commitments by leading industry players on recycled content, but considers it key that these public commitments are turned into concrete pledges. However, this voluntary approach alone may not be sufficient: the rapporteur therefore believes that mandatory rules for recycled content for specific products may be needed. EPR and VAT modulations could support this. • Concerning ‘single-use plastics’: The Rapporteur stresses that there are various pathways to achieve high collection and recycling rates and a reduction in litter, including deposit-refund schemes or EPR schemes. He underlines that the choice for a certain scheme remains within the remit of the competent authority in the Member State, taking into account local specificities and ensuring that existing well-performing and cost-efficient systems are not jeopardised. He is also eager to stress that fiscal policy remains a Member State competence, and therefore opposes the introduction of an EU-wide plastics tax as a potential own resource stream for the EU. Following the July Packaging Chain Forum (PCF) meeting, you can find enclosed to this report the final cross-industry statement on the Single Use Plastics legislative proposal (SUP), co-signed by 68 European and national industry associations. This signed and final statement will now be circulated to relevant EU and national networks, as well as relevant policy makers in the three EU institutions. Next week a related debate is scheduled in the European Parliament’s Environment Committee. In addition to EXPRA, our members from the Netherlands, Bosnia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece and Romania have co-signed this statement. Following a review of the reference document setting out the best available techniques (BATs) for the waste treatment sector, the Commission has published a new set of standards that provide national authorities with an updated technical basis for setting permit conditions for the bloc’s largest waste treatment facilities, which currently number around 4,000. Existing waste treatment installations will have four years to comply with the new standards, during which time national governments must transpose them into domestic law. But installations given planning permission following the publication of the new BAT conclusions must comply immediately. The document primarily covers emissions from different waste treatments, but also sets out new BAT conclusions for energy efficiency, resource efficiency, accident prevention, noise and odour and management of residues. These conclusions cover the most common waste treatments, including mechanical, biological and physico-chemical techniques. They also apply to temporary waste storage and wastewater plants treating effluent from other waste treatment installations, but not to waste incineration or landfill sites. For the first time, the Commission has set out the emission levels associated with BATs from the mechanical and aerobic treatment of waste. It notes that these new levels could drive a significant reduction in emissions from the waste treatment sector once they are translated into emission limits. The conclusions were drawn up by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in collaboration with experts from industry, environmental NGOs, EU public authorities and other branches of the Commission. It adopted the conclusions after they were approved by member states in the Industrial Emissions Directive Article 75 Committee. In a statement, the Commission said the new standards will play an “important role” in meeting the EU’s environmental and waste management goals. Responding to the news, a spokesperson at the European Environmental Bureau told ENDS: “Rather than waiting for the last possible minute, there is no reason why governments cannot act more quickly and use the new rules to tighten their existing regulations right now. The safe treatment of waste is an essential environmental protection and there is no acceptable reason why the Best Available Techniques should not already be in use in Europe.” ENDS Magazine, Simon Pickstone, 20 Aug 2018 Follow-up: JRC press release News from members The plastic of the future aim to be smarter, more innovative and sustainable. Together with our members we hope to change trends, habits and overuse. The objectives in our Plastloeftet is to increase the use of recycled plastic, and in addition reduce unnecessary use of plastic and design for recycling. When the companies take the Plastloeftet, they will receive invitations to seminars and workshops that help their business achieve its goals, with tips and advice on sustainable plastic use. Each company makes its own plastic goals for change and reduction and the improvements will be audited and registered annually in order to get the approval. The results will be reported to the Environment Directorate in accordance with Norways waste regulations. In addition, companies will be able to visualize their efforts through Groent Punkt Norge. We have so far invited a limited group of companies to test the Plastloeftet and the feedback so far is very promising. The companies are willing to set high goals for themselves, secure commitment in the management of the companies and find the help and gatherings provided from us interesting and useful. Thus, by offering our members the Plastloeftet, we believe that we are making a new set of loyalty rewarding activities as well. To ensure that we will not be copied by our competitors we are aiming to get the concept patented. In particular, with regard to the increases in Contributions relating to Comieco for paper, Coreve for glass and Corepla for plastic, the main reasons for these increases vary: for paper, the significant reduction in pulping prices caused by new Chinese customs barriers on imports; for glass, the extraordinary increase in collection rates and the disbursements made alongside the simultaneous fall in auction value of scrap, due to the saturation of treatment plants; and for plastic, the significant increase in the amounts of packaging waste, unfortunately of poor quality, from southern regions, that has generated additional costs for the sorting of material and the management of waste. Instead, the positive performance of secondary raw materials on the national and international market has contributed to the reduction of the Environmental Contribution for steel and aluminium packaging. For wooden packaging, CONAI’s BoD has decided to further facilitate the reuse of wooden pallets in controlled productive circuit areas, that are both new and placed back on the market. To this end, the decision has been made to reduce the percentage of the pallet weight to be subjected to the Environmental Contribution: from 40% to 20%. The reasons behind the increases have been the subject of a sharing and comparison process alongside the representatives of the main categories of packaging users. As a result, from 1 January 2019, the new Environmental Contribution values will be: • € 3.00/ton (previous value: € 8.00/ton) for steel packaging • € 15.00/ton (previous value: € 35.00/ton) for aluminium packaging • € 20.00/ton (previous value: € 10.00/ton) for paper and cardboard packaging • an average of € 263.00/ton (previous value: € 208.00/ton) for plastic packaging. With it being the first substantial Contribution increase in terms of the existing Contribution diversification, the BoD will discuss the effect on Contribution levels at the next meeting • € 24.00/ton (previous value: € 13.30/ton) for glass packaging The increases will also come into effect on the flat-rate/simplified procedures for importing filled packaging, once again beginning on 1 January 2019. In particular: - the rates to be applied to the overall import value (in Euros) will go from 0.13% to 0.16% for packaged food products and from 0.06% to 0.08% for packaged non-food products; - the Contribution through the flat-rate calculation on the weight of only the packaging of imported goods (total weight without material distinction) will go from € 52.00/ton to € 64.00/ton. In 2017, the CONAI-Consortia for Packaging Materials system and independent recyclers contributed to the recycling of 67.5% of packaging waste, resulting in a total of 8.8 million tons. The goal of the company is to express support and respect for those positive examples among the mayors who give priority to environmental projects in their municipality, plan and realize them. Every tiny investment and action in the direction of environmental protection means a big step forward towards the environmental reforms that should happen in our country, especially with regard to European regulations at a time when Macedonia is aiming for entry into the European Union. What is particularly interesting is that the criteria include the activities of the municipalities related to the protection of the environment and the introduction of eco-friendly technologies, but also on giving a personal example by the mayors and personal participation in environmental actions, something that holders of public functions in our country have yet to develop and practice. The first-elected municipality will receive a modern children's playground made of environmentally friendly materials. The playground will be set at a location, which will be agreed in cooperation with the municipal authorities. The idea to initiate this type of initiative is to raise and develop the environmental awareness among citizens, as well as among the mayors for selecting waste. With the support of the Farsons Foundation, GreenPak and Zibel came up with PlastiKAXXA – whereby patrons at the Beer Festival were able to dispose of their crushed plastic bottles in seven containers made from re-used nets and wood that were dotted around the site. A daily prize of €50 was awarded by GreenPak to lucky PlastiKAXXA participants – who scribbled their telephone number on the bottles – on each day of the 10-day Beer Festival, in an extension of the cooperative’s popular Crush & Win campaign which encourages the public to crush recyclable items before disposing of them responsibly. Meanwhile, smaller containers were installed for the disposal of plastic caps that were collected for GreenPak’s Nirricikla Ghall-Istrina Campaign, which last year raised over €20,000 for the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation’s annual charity appeal. GreenPak CEO Mario Schembri said: “PlastiKAXXA goes to show that people can still recycle responsibly while having fun. “A big thank you goes to all the participants and to our collaborators who made this initiative possible and we look forward to even better results next year.” In addition, according to our research men keep being the most reluctant to recycling leaving this task for the women at home. We had it clear; we wanted to change this pattern. Moreover, the Spanish Football league turns to be perfect for this aim; we have many men, enjoying football, surrounded by other men and some women… Where? In bars. Football and bars, the perfect match! The release of the football league matches has a special line for HORECA. Any food service who wants their clients to enjoy the matches needs to sign on a special TV feed where even advertising is different from the domestic release. Therefore, we developed a specific campaign in order to reach all football lovers, women included. 4 different creativities to be released before and after the match and also during the break. Short pieces to catch the target’s attention through the yellow colour (our bin for cans, briks and plastic bottles in Spain) in a very football-ish language. The campaign consists of 3x10” pieces and are scheduled for 10 matches along the football league calendar. Starting August 19th until November 25th. With a lower investment, tan general TV and a potential reach of 415.000 viewers per match in 70.000 HORECAS all over the country. 05/06 2018 May/June 2018 Introduction by the Managing Director Another topic, which will keep the European Parliament, the National Ministries but also EXPRA and other stakeholders busy during this summer, is the proposed by the EC Directive to reduce the impact of certain plastic products in the environment. The proposed Directive, published on 28 May 2018 as part of the EU Plastics Strategy puts forward some radical reduction measures. While we fully support the efforts towards preventing and reducing marine litter, through different intiatives as supporting the ISWA TaskForce on Marine Litter and other activities about which you can read in the news from EXPRA members, we believe that some of the proposed measures are neither consistent with the recently-adopted new EU legislation nor justified on grounds of proportionality. We also find that the proposed radical measures are not fully justified by a proper impact assessment. We think that any new policy measures affecting EPR operations should be in line with the recently adopted Directives to avoid legal uncertainty that could jeopardize the application of those new provisions. We in EXPRA strongly believe that the development and policy recognition of EPR under the Waste Directives prove that EPR has become a fundamental tool for efficient waste management, today and in the future. This is why the faster the Member States transpose and implement the Waste Directives, the better equipped EPR schemes will be to continue delivering results. EXPRA of course will as always offer our great expertise in this complex sector to support that the positive goals of this initiative are fulfilled, namely less waste in general leaking and damaging our environment, but at the same time, supporting and boosting what we have and not harming the ours and other stakeholders’ efforts of the last 25 years. Wishing you a wonderful summer! Enjoy your reading! EXPRA News After a one-year pause, the 24th edition of the Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum took place in Brussels in the period 5-7 June 2018. As already an established tradition, EXPRA supported the organization of EPR Toolkit seminar on 5 June with content and speakers. The seminar, chaired by the Managing Director of EXPRA, was attended by around 35 participants – including representatives of the European Commission, packaging recovery Logically, the presentations and the discussions focused on the new Waste Legislation and respective requirements and obligations which all stakeholders should meet. On behalf of the DG Environment, EC, Ms Silvija Aile, Policy Officer, presented the new General Requirements for EPR, as well, as how the future Commission’s Guide(s) and monitoring of the implementation by the Member States will look like. In her statement she pointed out that all stakeholders are looking at the EC for guidance and harmonization, particularly the obliged industry which is struggling in the effort to respond to a multitude of requirements and standards. In the following panel, representatives of industry - Simon Webb, Procter & Gamble, NGOs - Stephane Arditi, EEB and EXPRA member Ecoembes, represented by Esther Colino shared their assessment and suggestions how the new legal EPR requirements can/would help boost EPR effectiveness. Harmonization of scope, rules and requirements, as well as clear and shared criteria for eco-modulation, are the main requested to the EC. For the new recycling targets to be achieved in 2025, relevant provisions need to be swiftly transposed without disrupting the internal market, in the respect of subsidiarity, and in a transparent manner. Representatives of DSD - Helmut Schmitz and Slopak - Srečko Bukovec, shared best but also bad practices on the topic “Will the Proposed Minimum Requirements Help to Reach the Objectives of the Packaging Directive”. Mr Bukovec described the very problematic situation in Slovenia, where there is no level playing field, respectively no proper monitoring by the state and expressed his hopes that the new legislation will contribute for solving the existing problems. During the second half of the Workshop two very important topics were presented and discussed: the impact of online sales on PROs and industry and responding to the new demand for eco modulation of EPR fees. Mr Séamus Clancy, CEO of Repak presented the case of Ireland, the impact of free riding resulting from distance sales, as well, as the measures initiated by Repak in trying to solve this problem. Monika Romenska, EXPRA presented the general context within the new waste legislation pertaining to online sales, as well, as some findings of the scope of the problem of free riding identified jointly with WEEE Forum and EucoLight. The expectations of industry and the different approaches on eco modulation of fees, already being used in France and Italy were presented respectively by: Virginia Janssens, EUROPEN, Alexandra CITEO, France and the Chair of EXPRA S&P WG - Amanda Fuso Nerini, CONAI, Italy. Overall the participants agreed that the definition of minimum requirements, of a common set of metrics and of criteria for fee-modulation has to be based on quality, reliable data, which unfortunately are largely missing for most of the EU MS, as well as hampered by confidentiality issues within the obliged industry and poor data reporting on exports. During the forum, the following topics, creating additional uncertainty were also defined: To secure sufficient capacity for recycling of used plastic packaging within the EU, the following matters should be urgently addressed by the EU, the MS and all actors in the plastic (packaging) sector: As the previous Forums, the event provided an opportunity to present and hear the positions of all stakeholders with a lot of discussions and interaction between the panellists and also with the audience. Even more than before, this sector is not very compliant with EPR obligations (but also with VAT and other tax obligations) which leads to an increasing amount of free riding in national EPR systems. Free riding is also leading to an increased burden for those companies who are complying with their obligations, meaning that they have to pay indirectly the fees of the free riders as well. For the WEEE sector, the non-store EEE retail in the EU is thought to be >30% of the market so that the problem has reached a point where the competent authorities but also the value chain, including the selling platforms / fulfilment houses, have to take action to avoid the collapsing of the first EPR system. The new Waste Framework Directive has recognized this challenge by setting out the minimum requirements for EPR schemes (Article 8a), also especially for this distance selling sector: “Member States shall establish an adequate monitoring and enforcement framework with a view to ensuring that the producers of products and organisations implementing extended producer responsibility obligations on behalf of producers, implement their extended producer responsibility obligations, including in the case of distance sales, the financial means are properly used and all actors involved in the implementation of the schemes report reliable data.” You can read the full document During the Workshop, the communi-cation campaigns focusing on anti-littering and separate collection of packaging waste of GreenPak (Crush and Win), Fost Plus (Pour une Wallonie Plus Propre) and Ecoembes (Libera) were presented and discussed. Different approaches how to approach the problems with DRS, including new challenges resulting from the EU plastics Strategy, the upcoming Single Use Plastics legislation and new taxation for not recycled plastics. During the meeting it was also discussed that the new waste legislation as well as the mentioned new developments are posing new challenges but also new opportunities to PROs sector and in meeting those, the communication with all stakeholders is of major importance. Paul Christiaens, Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (NL) and Chair of D&R WG, presented how the litter items couls be measures “Litter: facts or “alternative facts”? The Clean Europe network Litter Methodology and best practices were presented by Alheid von Bothmer, Coordinator, Clean Europe Network. This common European litter measurement system is designed to provide data to support effective policy making at EU and National level on litter management. The system will also support litter control and reduction programmes within our cities and identify where action is needed to drive behaviour change. • What is being assessed • Determine which individual litter types and how much litter is present in locations being surveyed • Determine the degree of cleanliness of the locations that are surveyed • Gather a basic understanding of the public’s attitude towards litter locally The methodology is design to be flexible to accommodate the needs of all users, both in terms of resource availability and statistical output. With this in mind, a modular approach has been chosen to allow individual users the freedom to choose which elements would best fit. News updates It is already highly controversial and strongly discussed amongst all EU stakeholders. Overall, the idea behind the proposal is to target products that are among the so-called “10 most found items of litter on EU beaches” including fishing gear containing plastics. The proposal defines plastics and single use plastic items and then sets out seven measures to be applied to different types of single use plastic item that are listed in an Annex. You can find the proposal The proposal will now be considered by the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers (the 28 EU member countries) who will have to jointly decide and agree on the final text. The final content has to be agreed within 10 months, before the May 2019 European Parliament elections. The Environment Council at its meeting adopted conclusions on the EU action plan for the circular economy. You can find the conclusions in full here and a summary of key points below. The objective is to ensure that by 2025, ten million tonnes of recycled plastics find their way into new products on the EU market. Interested companies and industry associations can submit their pledges by filling in the template for the pledging campaign for the uptake of recycled plastics. The Commission has observed that there is a lot of interest from all the industrial and non-industrial actors in the various plastics value chains to be part of this exercise. Given the high level of ambition of the exercise, as well as the workload that this exercise generates for those who are committing, the Commission has decided to grant additional time for submitting voluntary pledges. The new deadline is 30 September 2018. As reported during the previous General Assembly, after having consulted with our Strategic Committee with obliged industry, we are working on a kind of pledge which should support all the individual pledges that obliged industry has made towards the European Commission. As soon as we have a final draft, it will be shared with all our members. News from members iBiNs have the capability to monitor waste levels and feed information back to a central system which will enable GreenPak’s recycling service to prioritise and customise collection routes in all of the 41 localities it currently serves. Speaking during the sixth edition of the annual Local Council Awards, GreenPak CEO Mario Schembri said that by the end of the year the cooperative would have invested more than €500,000 to introduce 800 bins around Malta and Gozo with the smart iBiN. “This is an exciting time for GreenPak as our initiative is one of the first public service IoT (Internet of Things) projects on this scale in Malta that will take our waste management to another level. This is the way forward for a greener environment,” Mr Schembri said. The project, which will be rolled out later this year, is being supported through the Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Initiative, and part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under Operational Programme I 2014-2020 ‘Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges’. The iBins will avoid unsightly overflowing and enable GreenPak to save costs through optimised routes for its truck drivers. The bins are also equipped with temperature sensors that will immediately alert head office if the waste inside the bin has caught fire, a possible occurrence in the summer months. The winners of this year’s local council awards held by GreenPak to recognise the local councils that have made a significant contribution to the recycling effort are: the Attard Council who won Best Overall Performance Award; the Safi Council for the Battery Collection (BATREE) Award; the Most Glass Collected went to Xewkija; Most Responsive Community Award to Ta’ Xbiex; Most Proactive Award to Kirkop; and Most Supportive Locality Award to Qrendi. The award ceremony was attended by Environment Minister Jose Herrera and Local Government Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Parnis. The project helps pupils to learn about the different types of waste and the right way to process it for separation and recycling. In just six months, Talher created the image of the programme, “EducaEnECo: Education, Recycling and Environment” in 15 provincial capitals in Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, Extremadura and Murcia, reaching almost 70,000 pupils through 2,741 activities. This was achieved by a team of 30 educators and five technical staff. Work will continue in coming years in the other provinces of Spain, with the aim of covering the whole of the country within three years. With two comedians and a comical commercial plot, Groent Punkt Norge (Green Dot Norway) is spreading their summer message: If you recycle it at home, it won’t end up in nature. This summer four new commercials are going viral, primarily on web-tv and social medias. – We believe humour is the perfect means to inspire and motivate people. We don’t think we will achieve anything by pointing fingers, says Groent Punkt Norge leader Jaana Røine. The main characters in the 2018 humour series are the norwegian comedians Henriette Steenstrup and John Brungot. Take it with you The main message in the new commercials are that you have to take responsibility for your packaging waste outside your own home. – We all agree that waste doesn’t belong in nature. If you in addition to picking it up recycle it, the environment will win, says Røine. The commercials are written by Groent Punkt Norges communication group together with their advertising agency Alexander Reklamebyrå and produced by Pryserfilm. The very first study on circular economy in Québec was launched on March 16. It explores the potential and prospects of circular economy for the province’s economy. The project was led by ÉEQ as part of the Prospérité-Québec campaign, in collaboration with the Conseil du patronat du Québec, the Québec Business Council on the Environment and Institut EDDEC. The Institut de l’environnement, du développement durable et de l’économie circulaire (EDDEC) and the Groupe de recherche en gestion et mondialisation de la technologie (GMT) at Polytechnique Montréal called for the study. Read the press release “In the past year, the entire ECOPACK team, the staff of the municipal administration of the city of Russe, and the local residents achieved one of the records of the campaign – as many as 10,000 people cleaned up the city together. And as a token of appreciation and reward for the residents of Russe, ECOPACK installed and presented the children of the city with two new playgrounds,” said Mr. Bourgoudjiev at the ceremony. For the eighth consecutive year, in 2018, “Let’s Clean Up Bulgaria Together” will be a part of the world's largest civil initiative, which is expected to engage about 20 million volunteers from Bulgaria and 149 other countries. The campaign entitled World Clean Up Day will take place on September 15th. 03/04 2018 March/April 2018 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA News News updates News from members The recycling of packaging waste made of paper, cardboard, wood and composites saved 4,715,000 trees, equivalent to roughly 94 thousand acres of forestland. 130 million liters of gas was saved thanks to the recycling of plastic packaging waste. This amount is enough to fill the fuel tanks of about 2.9 million cars. 7.3 billion liters of water was saved through the recovery of packaging waste made of paper-cardboard/composites, equivalent to the annual water consumption of 41,505 families. 2.7 billion kWh electricity was saved with recovered packaging waste, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of almost one million (977 thousand) families. Thanks to the recycling of packaging waste instead of their burial in landfills, 3,645,000 m3 of landfill space was spared, equivalent to the volume of about 1,457 Olympic-size swimming pools. Greenhouse gas emission amounting to 339,700 tons of CO2, equivalent to the amount emitted by an airplane circumnavigating the globe 16,985 times, was prevented. 11/12 2017 November/December 2017 Introduction by the Managing Director News updates EXPRA News News from members 01/02 2018 January/February 2018 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA News News updates News from members 09/10 2017 September/October 2017 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA News News updates News from members 07/2017 July 2017 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA News News updates News from members 4/2017 April 2017 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news News updates News from members 12/2016 December 2016 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news News updates News from members 09/2016 September 2016 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news News updates News from members 07/2016 July 2016 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news News updates News from EXPRA members 03/2016 March 2016 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news News updates News from EXPRA members 12/2015 December 2015 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news News updates News from guest PROs News from EXPRA members 09/2015 September 2015 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news News updates News from guest PROs News from EXPRA members 07/2015 July 2015 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news The Conference is a part of the consultations that will address the other parts of the economic cycle (e.g. the production and consumption phases) and general enabling framework conditions (e.g. innovation and investment). The Conference comprised a plenary session with keynotes from circular economy experts and business representatives, followed by a series of split-up sessions addressing specific factors of the circular economy. Among the speakers were the commissioners involved in the development of the new proposals: First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, responsible for Better Regulation, Interinstitutional Relations, Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska. In the Conference also took part E. MacArthur, Ellen MacArthur Foundation. During the last session statements made MEP Sirpa Pietikainen (Rapporteur of the EP report on Circular Economy), MEP Simona Bonafé (Rapporteur for the 2014 withdrawn CEP), R. Schmit, Director, Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, Luxembourg and H. Bruyninckx, Executive Director, European Environment Agency. Joachim Quoden, EXPRA’s Managing Director was invited to make an intervention during the split-up Session "Waste: complement to the legislative proposal". In his statement he presented EXPRA position and underlined that all stakeholders should have clear roles and should implement them accordingly. He also added that for the successful implementation of the EPR very important are the awareness and information campaigns for the population, green procurement and sharing best practices. Other participants in the session also pointed out the importance of EPR (including mandatory min requirements) in moving towards a more sustainable circular economy. In the conclusions of the split-up Session it was noted that there is a need for clear rules for EPR, harmonised definitions/standards and that separate collection is essential as well as the supporting measures as green public procurement, better design and awareness campaigns. News updates Life-cycle-based decision-making tools, data, concepts, and methodologies of resource efficiency; Sustainable products and purchasing, green public procurement, local supply chains and the integration of resource efficiency into decision-making in government agencies; Circular economies, eco-design, sharing economies and remanufacturing. News from members 03/2015 March 2015 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA news News update News from EXPRA members 12/2014 December 2014 Introduction by the managing director EXPRA news News update News from EXPRA members 10/2014 October 2014 7/2014 July 2014 5/2014 May 2014 3/2014 March 2014 1/2014 January 2014 4/2014 April 2014 11/2013 November 2013 News from guest PROs
li|To increase cooperation between the EU and third countries in the field of environmental policy. This can be achieved by signing political agreements directed at fostering the circular economy, green public procurement and innovative, sustainable and inclusive growth. To achieve a better understanding of the environmental challenges faced by third countries. To promote green solutions through business partnerships abroad. In this regard, the missions will organise matchmaking events between European and local entrepreneurs and will engage in exchange of views with targeted audiences. On the way to sustainable packaging – Initiatives of PROs and EPR Fee Modulation What will industry have to pay? How can it be calculated? What are the full costs? Enforcement, reporting and monitoring - Ensuring a level playing field in industry reporting, sharing comparable data, avoiding free riding To work together to reach the EU target that 10 million tons of recycled plastics are sold on the EU market by 2025 To work together along the plastics value chains To work together on 5 priority topics: better collection and sorting of plastic waste; better product design for recycling; greater recycled plastic content in products; R&D and investments, including chemical recycling; and monitoring of progress. Invest in several recycling technologies, including chemical recycling technologies; Implement separate collection of plastic waste across the EU; Improve sorting of plastic waste. This required to invest in R&D and waste management infrastructures, also to properly sort multi-layered or flexible packaging such as foils; Improve the recyclability of plastic products (product design). Collection and sorting of plastic waste Product design for recycling Recycled plastic content in products R&D and investments, including chemical recycling Monitoring of recycled plastics sold in the EU Enhance the use of recycled plastic Reduce plastic in those packagings and products where it is possible Design for recycling Christine Lundberg Larsen, Adm. dir. Regnskap Norge - “Sircular economy - how to make a profitable change”. Øystein Ruud, founder of - "First class environment". Bård Bringsrud Svensen, Sustainability Innovation Manager - “Recycled plastic - the new normal”. Member: - Case: Member: - Case: Member: and - Case: the extension of the producers’ responsibility to clean-ups costs as proposed in the SUP Directive; the new contribution to the EU for every kilo of plastic packaging waste not recycled; the online sales, which are not yet addressed by existing EPR schemes, though rapidly growing across EU and being increasingly used in new sectors such as food and beverage; a still too limited, fragmented secondary raw material market for plastics; Plastic packaging should be designed for optimized resource use, for sustainable sound sourcing, for responsible use phase and for recycling and reuse; Separate collection of plastic packaging should be improved, particularly for plastic packaging consumed on-the-go/outside households; Quality standards should be defined for recycled plastics to stimulate the demand. This means, technical specifications for each material collected should be reflected in national standards, defined by the EPR with recyclers and sorters and used to award municipality accordingly. Innovations in bio-based plastics, mainly related to biodegradability and composability, should be also carefully addressed through common EU codes and standards. Waste framework directive; Packaging waste directive; Landfill directive; Directive on electrical and electronic waste, on end-of-life vehicles; and on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators June/ July: Technical meetings feeding into the trilogue negotiations September/October: Third and fourth trilogue meetings Eco-innovation, as a key element in the transition to a circular economy.  The Paris Agreement. The Presidency’s priority is to uphold multilateralism by fortifying a broad-based international alliance.  The COP 23 in November. The EU must remains decisive and speak with one voice on these critical matters. The Eco-design Directive together with the Energy Labeling Directive work well towards energy savings in Europe. The investments in the circular economy are not being financed from the European Fund for Strategic Investments. The waste legislation puts technological pressure on the waste management. Therefore, the waste operators might seek more funding once the legislation is adopted. Maintain EU Internal Market as sole legal base (art 114 TFEU) for the PPWD to safeguard the free circulation of packaging and packaged goods Ensure Extended - not Endless - Producer Responsibility for packaging waste management Develop an EU harmonised calculation methodology with clarified definitions and robust data prior to assessing the feasibility of setting quantitative targets for reusable packaging Set packaging recycling targets that are realistic and achievable, with clear and EU harmonised definitions and a packaging recycling calculation method Coordinate the efforts of the various stakeholders involved in maintaining public cleanness, Share best practices and encourage their implementation, Conduct awareness campaigns and encourage innovation. 16/17 March 2016: First exchange of views 21 April 2016: Presentation of the draft report 23 May 2016: Consideration of the draft report 1 June 2016: Deadline for amendments 11 July 2016: Consideration of amendments 7 November 2016: Adoption of the report by the ENVI Committee Presentation of the draft report inthe ENVI Committee Consideration of the draft report in the ENVI Committee Deadline for the amendments in the ENVI Committee Consideration of draft opinion in the ITRE Committee Deadline for amendmentsin the ITRE Committee Environmental Council Conclusions on the Circular Economy Action Plan Consideration of amendments in the ITRE Committee Vote in the ITRE Committee Vote in the ENVI Committee 4 million trees were saved. This is equivalent to almost 20,000 acres of forestland. 125,000,000 liters of gas was saved. This equals to gas savings of about 2.8 million fuel tanks. 6,200,704 m3 of water was saved. This is equal to the annual water consumption of nearly 100,000 people, or the 36-day water requirement of the Turkish province of Aydin. 3,417,792 m3 of landfill space was spared. This is equal to a saving in landfill space of 1367 Olympic-size swimming pools. A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 274,016 tons of CO2 was achieved. This offsets the emissions generated by an airplane circumnavigating the globe 13,700 times. 2,465,793 MWh of energy was saved. This is the amount of energy used by 893,400 households in a year, as well as 10% of the annual residential energy consumption in Turkey... Most of the programmes mentions the overall objective of breaking the link between economic growth, and the environmental impact associated with generation of waste. 17 programmes had quantitative targets, while other countries did not set specific ones. Many waste programmes developed specific measures: 39% focus on the design, production and distribution phase; 40% are related to the consumption and use phase; and 21% focus on the general framework conditions of waste generation. Programmes moreover include policy instruments of which The action ‘Will you help me?’ was organized in collaboration with bars and restaurants. The goal was to inform the employees of such premises for the importance of increasing their participation in glass recycling. Through this action the majority of the commercial premises in all the touristic areas of the island have been informed. A second called ‘Recycle Me’, was organized in collaboration with big supermarket chains. The goal was to inform the general public about the importance of glass recycling, the location of the recycling bins and the promotion of our mobile application 'ReCYcling CY', which uses GIS to locate glass recycling bins. In addition, we promoted glass recycling through online competitions and videos. 117,000,000 liters of gas was saved. This is enough to fill up approximately 2,6 million cars… 6,316,143 m3 of water was saved. This is enough to supply fresh water to the Aydın province for 40 days... 3,327,032 m3 of storage space was saved. This is equal to the size of 462 football pitches… CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 682,042 tons. This offsets the gas emissions of 34,100 aircrafts that circle the globe… 2,451,114 MWh of power was saved. This is equal to 10% of the domestic power consumption in Turkey in a year... The ) spells out the principles and definitions related to waste management. It is essential that the formalisation of the EPR definition is included within this Directive, and that EPR minimum requirements are recognised on a general level as well. This will lay the foundations for a fair level playing field for waste management operators across the EU. is the key Directive for the packaging sector. EXPRA demands that legislators include detailed minimum requirements for EPRwithin this Directive.This has been backed by the Commission’s Ex-Post Evaluation of the Five Waste Stream Directives, which notes that EPR is subject to both the WFD and PPWD, and ‘in need of further alignment as well as further development in both Directives’ . Packaging is a very specific waste stream involving a high number of companies obliged by EPR legislation and requiring a dense infrastructure especially for packaging arising at the municipal level. This is why specific criterianeeds to be incorporated into the PPWD. EPR minimum requirements should embrace inter alia the following elements: . While producers have a key role to play in implementing EPR, all actors in the value chain, from packaging production through to the recycler, should bear specific responsibilities. They should therefore run the EPR model and their roles with regard to collection, sorting and recycling should be defined by legislation as their operations affect the remit of producers and importers, especially if they have a substantial financial responsibility to cover the costs for running this EPR scheme. . Each stakeholder can only be financially responsible for the costs falling under their remit and influence. In this respect, obliged industry can only be made accountable for the costs allocated to the take back of packaging waste in to a recycling/recovery process exclusively within their dedicated collection systems. Packaging waste that is either littered or ends up within municipal solid waste due to inadequate use by the consumer of the existing infrastructures for selective collection should not belong to the financial responsibility of EPR systems. . On behalf of obliged industry, Producer Responsibility Organizations fulfil legal obligations and contribute substantially to achieving national recycling targets. Given their central role in waste management, a strict authorisation process for PROs should therefore be put in place by national governments. The accreditation needs to be further accompanied by strict and permanent audits. It is important that EU waste targets are realistic and up-to-date. The legislative review is a necessary exercise, but any new targets need to be realistic and justifiable from both an economic and environmental perspective. EXPRA’s own research concludes that is feasible to determine .Waste management is also a field where performances still vary across Member States. EXPRA supports an approach through which national circumstances are considered when setting recycling targets, for instance through derogation schemes, in a bid to find tailored solutions to shortcomings while enhancing enforcement. It is also important that mechanical recycling and preparation for re-use targets are not mixed as this could lead to uncertainties stemming from differing interpretations of what these definitions stand for and how these targets should be calculated. The Waste Fitness Check (WFC) confirms that and that the latter operate on different interpretations of recycling and recovery. The EUNOMIA Waste Target Review Study moreover explains that there is currently no consistent reporting methodology at European level and that the data are unreliable and not comparable . These findings support EXPRA’s own research findings that demonstrate that, on this basis, it is difficult to affirm whether all Member States comply with the current recycling targets under the PPWD. EXPRA would therefore welcome to the European Commission, which would facilitate the task of identifying the most cost effective solutions. These could take the form of alternative reporting, through which Member States explain their measurement system and the quality of the results. Ideally, an updated, more detailed reporting methodology should be developed. When developing new proposals, EXPRA also calls on policymakers to , based on the input of the recycler entering a recycling process without significant losses . EXPRA also promotes the evaluation of with the potential to bring about recycling quality and improve transparency of the recycling processes. The introduction of recycling input specifications and certification programmes for recycling processes should be further examined within this context. Under certain conditions it might be possible to integrate street pickers into the official collection and recycling system especially when the existing separate collection system is run on a very low scale; If a separate collection system is existing or will be set up in the near future, the work of the street pickers is counterproductive, even damaging the system. clear minimum standards for EPR requirements ‘to ensure transparency and cost effectiveness’ of the schemes. application of the “pay as you throw” principle targets for recycling / preparation for reuse to be raised to at least 70% of municipal solid waste and 80% recycling of packaging waste by 2030 ‘an obligation for recyclers to report on the "input" quantities of waste going into the sorting plant as well as on the "output" quantity of recyclates coming out of the recycling plants, preventing the reporting of discarded waste (landfilled or incinerated) as recycled waste’ binding waste-reduction targets for municipal, commercial and industrial waste to be achieved by 2025 waste prevention measures incineration to be strictly limited by 2020 to non-recyclable and non-biodegradable waste a binding, gradual reduction of all landfill waste. Identification of the main perceived regulatory failures; Obstacles to the functioning of waste markets connected to the application of EU waste legislation or other EU legislation; Obstacles to the functioning of waste markets arising from national, regional or local rules or requirements and decisions which are not directly linked to EU legislation (note in particular that they ask whether the design and implementation of EPR schemes lead to competition distortions or market access problems for producers and waste operators) Final questions (including views on differences between Member States as regards the functioning of their waste markets, suggestions for solutions to address obstacles and regulatory failures etc). In the context of a sharp decline in the consumption of newspapers and magazines, the consumption of packaging remained steady. The proportion of packaging in the combined paper-cardboard segment is set at 25% in the Fost Plus approval. However, this distribution formula dates from a time when newspaper and magazine sales were higher. Recent studies have demonstrated that the 25% allocation now underestimates the packaging proportion and therefore artificially deflates the recycling results. The high value of paper-cardboard on the recycling market has led some parties to organise parallel collections (legal or otherwise). As a result some tonnage, despite being recycled, no longer features in the official recycling statistics. It will not resolve the problem of uncleanliness, since litter goes beyond drinks packaging (plastic bags, cigarette butts, paper, etc.) It is a very expensive system: the cost of collecting and recycling packaging waste could amount to more than three times the cost of the current system (up to EUR 230 million on an annual basis) It would undermine the existing system and its success by creating competition between two systems working towards the same goal: to reduce packaging waste. It will not be consumer-friendly because it will force consumers to sort and store at home a new recyclable (the drinks packaging), which they will have to take themselves to the collection point and scan one by one, whereas, today, they can dispose of such waste in their blue bag which is collected from their home. in the “Recycling Industry and Waste Management” category, part of the “Greenest Companies in Bulgaria” contest organized by b2b Magazine; in a contest organized by the Bulgarian Business Leaders’ Forum; in a contest, organized by “Economy” magazine; (The International Solid Waste Association). Category – Best Awareness-Raising and Educational Campaign (47 participants from 27 countries)
st|LIBERA - 1m2 David Cup campaign Recycled Orchestra of Cateura 1M2 FOR NATURE’ (SPAIN), LIBERA´s Annual Collaborative Clean Up Litter Event In Natural Areas, Has Reached 13.000 Volunteers In 2019 Ecoembes launches Naturaliza, an education project to drive a greater presence of environment and sustainability in the education system The Intelligent Recycling Assistant (AIRE) Governance, Research, Circular Economy and Innovation, and Awareness Circular economy & innovation Circular economy and legislation, EU Green Week 2019 Mario Schembri, CEO of GreenPak Malta and member of EXPRA BOD EUROPEAN CHEMICAL RECYCLING CONFERENCE 2019: Challenges and Opportunities, 2nd International Conference and Expo on Recycling and Waste Management HERAKLION 2019 7th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management, International Stewardship Forum , The 29th ISWA World Congress , 2019 Conference on Canadian Stewardship, 12th Multilayer Flexible Packaging conference, . The Plastic Pledge: in ey features/Objectives of this project are: Green competitiveness seminar Cases provided by our members Ekopak at EYOF, the biggest international sports event held in Sarajevo after 14 Olympics Games Ekopak and NGO Incubator Munja introduce the International program "Eco-schools" in schools of Bosnia and Herzegovina Meetings and informative campaigns Educational and awareness programs Special Campaign against Marine Littering Giorgio Quagliuolo Gianna Fregonara act of individual responsibility towards the planet and future generations . Recovery Protected the Air We Breathe and the Forests, and Saved Water and Energy DEAR READER binding waste reduction targets updated rules Material Result 2016 Glass 84% Paper and cardboard 85 Plastics 51 Metal 95 Wood 51 Total recycling 73% session about “The real potential of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) organized and very well moderated by Esther Colino Caro (Ecoembes). In this session Sarah Nelen (DG ENVI, Waste Unit), Hakan Jentoft (City of Oslo) and EXPRA’s MD Joachim Quoden were invited as panelists and shared their views with the audience of nearly 100 persons. DEAR READER DEAR READER, Next steps: DG Environment DG Growth Q2/Q3 2017: 26 September 2017: Q4 2017: FTI is planning its own facility Ebbot has handed the mic to Titiyo Mooimakers - act as if you were at home, don’t litter. And me, what can I do recycled waste should be measured at the gate of the recycling plant quality attributes specific quality standards for waste materials The debate was followed by a vote on the reports. The reports were referred back to the Environment Committee for interinstitutional negotiations. Waste and packaging waste Landfilling Food waste Next steps Wa P P Environment & Recycling Festival in Limassol 10 Informative Videos for “Rethink” Campaign Baudouin Van Eeckhout is the new president of Fost Plus Sustainable management of household packaging in Belgium in numbers DEAR READER Waste Framework Directive Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive on landfill of waste Directives on End-of-life Vehicles - Batteries and accumulators – Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive amending Directive 2008/98/EC Directive amending Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste For the second consecutive year, Ecoembes organized a market for products made from recycled materials Ecoembes results presentation The Environmentalist Cat Çevki meets his audience with a new Play ÇEVKO Foundation General Assembly Held Commission Vice-President for Growth and Jobs Katainen Mr Jyrki Katainen, European Commission Vice-President responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, Josu Juaristi Abaunz (GUE/NGL, ES) Timeline for the ENVI Committee work on the legislative proposals on waste: Netherlands Presidency Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for Environment and Maritime Affairs Antti Ilmari Peltomaki Antti Ilmari Peltomaki, Deputy Director General, DG GROW, Next steps 21 April 2016: 23 May 2016: 1 June 2016: 14 June 2016: 16 June 2016: 20 June 2016: 11 July 2016: 13 October 2016: 7 November 2016: THE INNOVATIVE GLASS WORKS PLAN PAKOMAK WITH A NEW, EXTENDED LICENCE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS TO PROMOTE RECYCLING Environmental Awards Ceremony 11 Time Out Eating Awards THE FIGHT AGAINST LITTER: READY, SET, GO! A NEW PROJECT FOR THE DIVERSIFICATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTRIBUTION FOR PLASTIC PACKAGING THE GREENEST MUNICIPALITY 2015 COMPETITION ÇEVKO FOUNDATION BOTH ACHIEVED ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS AND HELPED TURKEY GAIN ALMOST TRY 1.9 BILLION THROUGH ITS ACTIVITIES IN RECYCLING IN ITS 25 YEAR! TRY 1,855,000,000 ÇEVKO Foundation will continue working in support of a green world! The total environmental and economic savings achieved thanks to the activities of the ÇEVKO Foundation in 2015 is given in the following table. SUMMARY OF 2015 YEAR-END SAVINGS IN NATURAL RESOURCES, ENERGY AND LANDFILL SPACE 4,016,433 trees 20,000 acres of forestland 125,638,144 liters savings in gas Equal to gas savings of 2.8 million fuel tanks 6,200,704 m3 water Annual water consumption of nearly 100,000 people Almost 36-day water requirement of the Turkish province of Aydin 3,417,792 m3 landfill space Landfill space savings equal to 1,367 Olympic-size swimming pools 2,465,793 thousand kWh of energy savings* Energy use of 893,000 households in a year 10% of annual residential energy consumption in Turkey 274,016 tons of CO2-equivalent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions Equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions generated by an airplane circumnavigating the globe 13,700 times TOTAL SAVINGS = TRY 1,855,000,000 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the Paris Climate Conference (COP 21). The Paris Agreement new Circular Economy package European Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella CLEAN SITE SYSTEM : AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION FOR PLASTIC PACKAGING WASTE ON BUILDING SITES HOW DOES THE SYSTEM WORK? EVERYONE’S A WINNER! What are the advantages of the system ? The facts Аre you IN P M D Certificate of contribution to CO2 emissions savings Fulfilment of national goals “Čistunko” Eco-Festival Eco-Olympiad Sekopak at Design and Innovation Fair “For a Clean Beach, Recycle Your Packaging” Action Containers for sorting glass packaging Start-up discussion on circular economy in Romania Debate on authorization waste management operators and control procedures of PROs in Romania ÇEVKO Foundation to continue its efforts for a greener world! The following chart provides an overall view of the environmental and economic savings achieved through the operations of the ÇEVKO Foundation in 2014: uropean ommission . Extended Producer Responsibility minimum requirements for EPR waste management targets Data harmonisation EXPRA’s key messages optimum and maximum levels for recycling Member States report data that is not reliable, coherent and comparable additional measures to align the level of quality of Member State reporting enforce the existing measurement point for recycling complementary measures 29 September 2015 (EEB), 4 September 2015 12 November 2015. the 4th edition over 150 works A high recycling rate despite a drop in the consumption of newspapers and magazines Out-of-home sorting continues to increase and is now becoming the norm Collecting more and better: plastic packaging other than bottles and flasks is being closely scrutinised A deposit system, a simplistic response to a complex problem, namely public uncleanliness 10 years of activities, worth celebrating Workshops adapted to all ages the debate on the Circular Economy Package and the Waste Target Review Circular Economy Package format of the particular item is incorrect via a new proposal . Key Issue Paper
h1|Newsletters
h3|Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA General Assembly, November 27, Rotterdam Workshop on Collecting and Maximising Glass recycling through EPR, December 12, Brussels ISWA event in Brussels discusses the Circular Economy 2.0, December 5, Brussels Packaging Waste and Sustainability Forum Upcoming events with EXPRA participation European Parliament approves new European Commission European Commission presents European Green Deal EU Heads of State and Government discuss multi-annual budget Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention discussed plastic pollution in Naples summit Council of the EU adopts conclusions on oceans and seas and on the bioeconomy GreenPak (Malta) won first prize for at Sustainable Enterprise Awards 2019 CONAI (Italy) presents the new Green Economy Report Green Dot Norway is developing a new tool to show how packaging choices affect recyclability Fost Plus (Belgium) Better sorting of waste outside the home? FP joins efforts with Brussels Airport Company Ecoembes (Spain) Initiatives RINKI (Finland) explores the benefits of recycling glass: sorting glass packaging is a climate action Ekopak (Bosnia and Herzegovina) initiatives Pakomak (Northern Macedonia): SmartBin - a reverse vending machine that will operate as part of ecoMac – an incentive system that rewards people TAMIR (Israel) Promotion of simple and clear information for sorting to the public Introduction by the Managing Director Packaging recyclability roadmap project online EXPRA accepted as liaison Organization in CEN/TC 261 Virtuous Mission of the European Commission to Hungary, June 24, Budapest European Commissions’ Circular Economy Mission to Singapore, June 4 to 6, Singapore 2nd International EPR & Stewardship Forum, July 2 – 4, Paris EXPRA supports 2019 ISWA World Congress High-level event of the Circular Plastics Alliance Upcoming events with EXPRA Participation EU institutional transition: European Parliament update The European Commission’s Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) on waste G20 Environment Ministers adopt communiqué on marine litter EEA report on plastic prevention Environment Ministers discuss Circular Economy 2.0 Fost Plus (Belgium) : A new look at the circular economy - Fost Plus 2018 Annual Report Valipac (Belgium) Ecoembes (Spain) Initiatives EKO-KOM (The Czech Reublic) Waste and Municipalities Conference 2019: Long-Term Trends for Sustainability in the Czech Republic GreenPak (Malta): Registers Huge Increase In Plastics Recovery ECOPACK (Bulgaria): The sea side city of Bourgas collects plastic packaging in “sea shell” art installations Ekopak (BiH) Eco-schools: EKOPAKET Creative Competition Winners Announced - Ekopak Awarded the Most Creative Students INTRODUCTION BY THE MANAGING DIRECTOR EPR Toolkit workshop & Packaging Waste and Sustainability Forum, April 1 – 3, Brussels EXPRA General Assembly, April 9, Seville Marine Litter and Circular Economy - MARLICE Forum, 10th – 12th April 2019 Seville Spain Workshop of EBRD – MOVING TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN WASTE MANAGEMENT, April 15 + 16, Sofia EXPRA presenting best practices during the EU Green Week 2019 EXPRA MD - a keynote speaker at the 2nd International Conference & Expo on Recycling and Waste Management Upcoming events with EXPRA Participation European Parliament adopts the SUP Directive, March 27, Brussels Launch of the Circular Plastics Alliance by DG Growth MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION ON WASTE MANAGEMENT ADOPTED BY THE EP, APRIL 4, BRUSSELS 2ND EU WIDE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW, APRIL 5, BRUSSELS Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (The Netherlands) introduces differentiated rate FTI (Seweden) New CEO Håkan Ohlsson Ecoembes (Spain) Think With Your Lung ECOVIDRIO (Spain) Recycling data for glass containers: record in 2018! Green Dot Norway Plastic Pledge & Green competitiveness seminar Ekopak (Bosnia and Herzegovina) communication & awareness campaigns PAKOMAK (Macedonia) with the project called “Hokus Pokus, recycling in focus” received an award for being the most environmentally responsible company of the year CONAI (Italy) Published Easy CONAI ECOPACK Bulgaria partner in "My Green City" campaign giving a second life to plastic bottles Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA, ProsPA & EPRO Workshop on Eco Modulation of EPR fees, October 9, Brussels FEVE, FERVER, EXPRA and EuRIC join forces for an ambitious and comparable measurement point for glass recycling EXPRA General Assembly meeting, December 5, Brussels Single-use plastics: Presidency reaches provisional agreement with Parliament EC ‘Virtuous Circles’ Missions to Malta, Romania and Bulgaria 30 November – 7 December 2018 EU Circular Economy Mission to India, September 3 – 7, New Delhi Under the CEFLEX initiative EXPRA endorses the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment CONAI (Italy) Sustainability Report 2018 RINKI (Finland) Consumer campaign raises public’s interest in packaging recycling Ecoembes (Spain) ‘1M2 FOR BEACHES AND SEAS’ Herrco (Greece) Awareness campaigns and initiatives Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (The Netherlands) New magazine Circular Packaging Greenpak (Malta) New bins with smart technology 'will make overflowing sites history' Ecopack Bulgaria invested BGN 1.45 million in a new technology center for packaging waste processing ÇEVKO (Turkey) Environmental Cleaning with Fox TV VALIPAC (Belgium) New style, new ambitions Green Dot Cyprus Limassol Environment and Recycling Festival Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA joins TAIEX High Level Regional Workshop on Circular Economy, July 19, Tirana, Albania EXPRA joins the EU Circular Economy Mission to India, September 3 – 7, New Delhi, India EP Resolution on the Plastics Strategy adopted, September 13, Brussels Joint declaration of Packaging Chain Forum Members EU publishes new environmental standards for waste treatment GREEN DOT NORWAY: Added value to our membership CONAI (Italy) restructures the Environmental Contribution to give way to the recycling of packaging PAKOMAK (Macedonia) is awarding the most eco-oriented mayor in Macedonia GreenPak (Malta) Over 21,000 plastic bottles collected by PlastiKAXXA at Farsons Beer Festival Ecoembes (Spain) HORECA FOOTBALL CAMPAIGN ECOPACK Bulgaria campaign - "Feed me separately!" ÇEVKO FOUNDATION (TURKEY) Recycling Awareness at The Tekirdağ Music Festival Introduction by the Managing Director EPR Toolkit workshop, within the 24th Packaging & Sustainability Forum EPR Club LUNCH DEBATE hosted by EucoLight, EXPRA and WEEE forum on EPR, online sales and free-riders Members' communication campaigns available on EXPRA homepage EXPRA Communication Network Meeting New waste legislation officially published EU Commission Proposes a Directive to reduce the impact of certain plastic products in the environment. Environmental Council Meeting, June 25, Brussels Deadline for submitting voluntary pledges on recycled plastics extended to 30 September 2018 Greenpak (Malta) New bins with smart technology 'will make overflowing sites history' CONAI (Italy) school project – 2 CLASSES FROM SCHOOLS IN SAN SEBASTIANO VESUVIO (NAPLES) AND TERRACINA WIN THE 2ND EDITION OF THE NATIONAL RECYCLING PRIZE ÇEVKO (Turkey) Nişantaşı Is Taking On a Cheerful Look with Recycling Boxes That Make You Smile Ecoembes (Spain) EducaEnEco Education, Environment and Recycling: environmental education 15 PROVINCIAL CAPITALS Green Dot Norway Comedy campaign for no-littering ÉEQ (Canada) Circular economy in Québec: Economic opportunities and impacts HERRCO (greece) “ZERO WASTE AT SEASIDES” ECOPACK Bulgaria once again partners with “Let’s Clean Up Bulgaria Together” Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA Spring General Assembly April 13 2018, Sofia EXPRA’s joint event with the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, April 13, Sofia EP opinion on the Plastics Strategy, April 4, Brussels European Commission - Press release EU budget, May 2, Brussels First CEFLEX Stakeholder Webinar, April 20 Ecopack Bulgaria: books for trash ÇEVKO Foundation (Turkey) Releases Its 2017 Environmental Benefit Report CONAI (Italy) Assembly 2018 Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (The Netherlands) Iconic Glass Bin celebrates 40th anniversary Green Dot Cyprus: Recycling Targets Attained one more year! Ecoembes (Spain): 1m2 por la Naturaleza TAMIR (Israel) google play app: Dedi the cat Introduction by the Managing Director CEP: Council and Parliament reach provisional agreement on new EU waste rules EU Plastics Strategy delayed Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU: Environment First meeting of the Circular Economy Platform’s Coordination Group in Brussels, November 22, Brussels EXPRA’s General Assembly meeting, November 30, Brussels New cooperation partner - The Icelandic Recycling Fund joins the EPR Network EXPRA represented in the Advisory Board of LIFE+ EPS SURE Project EXPRA, WEEE Forum and EucoLight call on policymakers to introduce explicit obligations for online sellers under the new waste legislation Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (The Netherlands)Dutch circular economy another step closer with contribution of the packaging chain ÇEVKO (Turkey) Children’s Theatre Completes Antalya Tour Green Dot Cyprus Inbound Marketing for Recycling GreenPak (Malta) Second phase of PR campaign started on November 22 Ecoembes (Spain) The Orchestra of recycled instruments of Cateura comes to Spain at Christmas Fost Plus (Belgium) Extends and simplifies selective sorting: From 2019 onwards, all plastic packaging can be put in the blue bag Pakomak (Macedonia) awarded with National prize for implemented socially responsible practice in 2017 CONAI (Italy) The Plan with the 2017 and 2018 forecasts is published Ekopak (BiH) Another success of Ekopak: Adopted amendment of the WML stating that PRO(s) can be founded exclusively by obliged Industry EKOPACK Bulgaria : Students, teachers and parents together with ECOPACK participate in the European Waste Reduction Week 2017 Eco-Rom Ambalaje (Romania) facilitates best practices exchanges Herrco (Greece) Double Distinction for Herrco at the Waste & Recycling Awards 201 Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA Workshop: Eco-design for packaging workshop for obliged companies Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference: Delivering on the CE - What's next?, Feb 20 + 21, Brussels News from the EP ENVI Committee: Waste package News from the EP ENVI Committee: Implementation of the 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) Plastics Strategy in the European Parliament Exchange of views with the Commissioner Katainen in the ENVI Committee, Feb 21, Brussels European Commission concerned about the impact of the China ban Fost Plus (Belgium) The Ambassadors of Cleanliness, supporting municipal services FTI (Sweden) Press release: System supplier contracted for Motala facility Pakomak (Macedonia) achieved again the National R&R tragets CONAI (ITALY) The new CONAI 2018 Environmental Contribution Guide has been published Green Dot Cyprus New Campaign “Recycling and Quality of Life” GreenPak’s (Malta) Crush and Win campaign ÉEQ (Canada) proud to be part of the solution: Chinese ban on imports of recyclable materials Ecopack Bulgaria: Recycling School "Teachers for Clean Environment“ in Vratsa ÇEVKO Foundation (Turkey) Will Continue With Its Educational Activities With The Support of The Ministry of National Education GREEN DOT NORWAY: News Introduction by the Managing Director First Meeting of the EU Expert Group on financing the Circular Economy EXPRA Workshop on EPR and its implementation in various countries– October 17-18, Ljubljana, Slovenia Status of Trialogue on the waste legislation review Rethinking Plastics – Closing the Circle Stakeholder Conference, 26 September 2017 ISWA World Congress 2017, September 25 - 27, Baltimore, USA Canadian Stewardship Conference, September 27 - 29, Montrea EC Circular Economy Mission to Columbia, October 16 - 20, Medellin + Bogota, Colombia Ecoembes (Spain) chosen as a member of the Coordination Group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform ÇEVKO (Turkey) Circular Economy Congress, 5-6th October 2017 HE.R.R.Co (Greece) Annual report 2016 published Green Dot Cyprus PMD Recycling category of Green Dot Cyprus is enriched FTI (Sweden) New brochure about producer responsibility Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (The Netherlands) Action plan glass on steam: on the way to 90% glass recycling in The Netherlands CONAI (Italy) Contribution diversification decided for plastic packaging Éco Entreprises Québec (Canada) EEQ hosts 7th Conference on Canadian Stewardship GreenPak (Malta) A campaign on sustainable use of plastic bottles and the increasing importance of recycling. Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA Workshop: Towards European EPR requirements in new waste legislation: a blueprint for success, May 30, Brussels New publication of EXPRA: Sustainability drops – news from EXPRA members Waste package: Council agrees its negotiating stance EP ENVI committee exchange of views with Mr Siim Kiisler, Minister of Environment, Estonian Presidency EC Strategy on Plastics in a Circular Economy: developments New EEA report: Circular by design Products in the circular economy Mandatory reporting of packaging data in Singapore by 2021 FTI (Sweden) News from Sweden Green Dot Cyprus Recycling Kit & Recycling in Limassol Carnival Ecoembes (Spain) CircularLab ÇEVKO (Turkey) The Collaboration of ÇEVKO, AFAD and UNDP GreenPak (Malta) Special Award during Koperattivi Malta’s 20thAnniversary event CONAI (Italy) 20 years of National Packaging Consortium: the Sustainability Report Fost Plus (Belgium) News from Begium ECOPACK, Bulgaria: ECOPACK wins again the Green Oscar award Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA hosts EPR Club lunch debate on “How to measure recycling?” Article from EXPRA in the ISWA magazine Waste Management World European Parliament: Plenary votes the WFD and PPWD Exchange of views with Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen Packaging Chain Forum cross-industry statement, March 15, Brussels RINKI (Finland) A year of producer responsibility GreenPak (Malta) Collection of plastic caps in aid of Istrina 2017 PAKOMAK (Macedonia) "Project Happiness" CONAI (Italy) Competition and environmental protection in waste management ÇEVKO (Turkey) Perception Survey Results Published:ONLY ONE OUT OF THREE PEOPLE COLLECTS PACKAGING WASTE SEPARATELY! Ecopack Bulgaria and FM + Radio announce a new radio show - "Green line" Fost Plus (Begium) Major joint initiative for clean environment in Wallonia Ecoembes (Spain) announces the environmental benefits of packaging recycling with its new campaign "Breathe" Introduction by the managing Director EXPRA General Assembly meeting, 24 November 2016, Brussels European Parliament aims for circular economy position in February Environment Council (ENV) 19 December 2016 European Commission publishes Communication on an eco-design working plan 2016-2019 EASAC publishes reports on indicators and priorities for critical materials within the circular economy FTI (Sweden) A campaign focusing on music recycling and solutions in the home ENVI-PAK (Slovakia) On line: Don´t be lazy and sort waste! www.triedime.sk will help you! GreenPak (Malta) First prize in the second edition of the Sustainable Enterprise Awards PAKOMAK (Macedonia) Education campaign with Children's Drama Studio CONAI (Italy) Recovery and recycling: 2016-2017 forecasts Green Dot (Cyprus) Educational Workshops about Recycling for children ÇEVKO (Turkey) ÇEVKO foundation, the pioneer in sustainable recycling, celebrates its 25th anniversary! Fost Plus (Belgium) News from Fost Plus Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) Canada The Innovative Glass Works Plan ECOPACK Bulgaria Invested BGN 2.5 million in first-of-its-kind facility sorting glass packaging waste by color Introduction by the Managing Director EXPRA’s proposals for an enhanced Circular Economy and waste target review ISWA World Congress, 19-21 September 2016, Novi Sad, Serbia OECD Publishes Update to EPR Guidance News from EP ENVI Committee: the Waste Package New report on Environmental taxation and EU environmental policies published by the EEA The final EC report on the efficient functioning of waste markets in the European Union – legislative and policy options PAKOMAK (Macedonia): First prize on traditional urban competition „Days of Spring - Days of ecology“ CONAI (Italy) Recovery and recycling of packaging waste - Results Green Dot (Cyprus) “Recycling Mania”: An Interactive Game about Recycling ECOPACK Bulgaria : The Eco Labyrinth GREENPAK (Malta): Local Council Awards 2016 Greenpak (Malta) Pilot project against illegal dumping & littering Introduction by the Managing Director The updated EXPRA Membership Brochure published Council conclusions on Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy European Parliament ENVI Committee reports on the Waste Directives European Parliament ITRE Committee reports on the Waste Directives Communication tools can foster greener behaviour: a new report of EEA ECOPACK Bulgaria : "GREEN OSCAR" FTI (SWEDEN) News from Sweden PAKOMAK (Macedonia) Eco-school project "Clean environment, clean school, clean hands" Green Dot Cyprus Rethink: An Awareness Raising Campaign Ecoembes (Spain) News GreenPak (Malta) suppors the international World Oceans Day activity Fost Plus (Belgium) receives the Lean and Green Award for its efforts to promote sustainable development ÇEVKO (Turkey) News Introduction by the Managing Director EPR Toolkit Seminar: Creating a Level Playing Field for EPR Across Europe, March 1, 2016 Brussels EXPRA Annual reception and the Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum, 1 – 3 March 2016, Brussels EXPRA EPR leaflet EP ENVI Committee: Exchange of views with Commission Vice-President for Growth and Jobs Katainen, 16 March 2016 Environment Council Public debate on the Circular Economy Action Plan, 4 March 2016 EP ITRE Committee: Presentation of the Circular Economy Package by Antti Ilmari Peltomaki, Deputy Director General, DG GROW, 16 March 2016 ÉCO ENTREPRISES QUÉBEC (CANADA) PAKOMAK (MACEDONIA) GREEN DOT CYPRUS FOST PLUS (BELGIUM) CONAI (ITALY) ECOPACK BULGARIA CEVKO (TURKEY) Dear Reader EXPRA GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NOVEMBER 26, BRUSSELS TWO NEW MEMBERS - SLOPAK (SLOVENIA) AND EKOPAK (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) JOIN EXPRA EXPRA FIRST REACTION TO THE NEW CEP DUTCH PRESIDENCY AND ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL PUBLIC DEBATE ON THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY PACKAGE EP ENVI COMMITTEE EXCHANGE OF VIEWS (EOV) WITH COMMISSIONER VELLA ON CIRCULAR ECONOMY PACKAGE EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY RELEASES REPORT ‘WASTE PREVENTION IN EUROPE – THE STATUS IN 2014’ REPAK (IRELAND) VAL-I-PAC (BELGIUM) CLEAN SITE SYSTEM PAKOMAK (MACEDONIA) “ARE YOU recycINg?” – ECO LOCATIONS IN SCOPJE GREEN DOT CYPRUS, CAMPAIGNS TO PROMOTE GLASS RECYCLING FOST PLUS (BELGIUM) PILOT PROJECTS FOR MORE RECYCLING OF PLASTIC PACKAGING CONAI (ITALY) REWARDS COMPANIES THAT CHOOSE SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING RINKI (FINLAND), READY STEADY GO! EKO-KOM (THE CZECH REPUBLIC) CELEBRATES ITS 15TH ANNIEVRSARY Dear Reader ISWA 2015 CONGRESS: SPECIAL EPR SESSION ABOUT THE SENSE OF A CENTRAL ORGANIZATION, SEPTEMBER 8, ANTWERP INFORMAL SECTOR WORKSHOP, SEPTEMBER 7, ANTWERP, IN PARALLEL WITH THE ISWA 2015 CONGRESS EXPRA MEMBER OF THE EC WORKING GROUP ON A PACKAGING PEF EXPRA Updated leaflet available for downloading UPDATED JOINT STATEMENT OF THE PACKAGING CHAIN FORUM ON THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY PACKAGE (CEP) GLASS RECYCLING STATISTICS 2013 PUBLISHED BY THE EUROPEAN CONTAINER GLASS FEDERATION (FEVE) PETCORE EUROPE REPORT ON COLLECTION AND RECYCLING OF POST-CONSUMER PET IN EUROPE REVEALS SUCCESS AND CHALLENGES TECHNICAL REPORT ON ASSESSMENT OF GLOBAL MEGATRENDS — EXTENDED BACKGROUND ANALYSIS PUBLISHED BY THE EEA SLOPAK (SLOVENIA) ENABLED EXPERTISE EXCHANGE EKOPAK ( BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA) ACHIEVEMENTS SEKOPAK (SERBIA) NEWS FTI (SWEDEN) ONE MORE INQUIRY IN SWEDEN OF WASTE MANAGEMENT AND RECYCLING GREEN DOT (CYPRUS) 10 YEARS’ PRESENCE IN CYPRUS ECOPACK BULGARIA "OLD PAPER FOR A NEW BOOK” CAMPAIGN ECOEMBES (SPAIN) THREE ECOEMBES INITIATIVES GREENPAK (MALTA) 2015 LOCAL COUNCIL AWARDS RECOGNISES MARKED IMPROVEMENT BY LOCALITIES ECO-ROM AMBALAJE (ROMANIA) NEWS ÇEVKO (TURKEY) ENVIRONMENTAL GAIN ASIDE ÇEVKO’S RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTRIBUTE NEARLY TRY 1,5 BILLION TO TURKISH ECONOMY! CONAI (ITALY) EXPO 2015, REACHED 70% OF THE SEPARATE WASTE COLLECTION FOST PLUS (BELGIUM) NATIONAL CAMPAIGN "SORTING WASTE, AN ACTION THAT MATTERS" PYR (FINLAND) HAS A NEW NAME - RINKI GREEN DOT NORWAY, NEW SYSTEM FOR REPORTING LAUNCHED PAKOMAK (MACEDONIA) 3D ECO BUS – THE FUN RECYCLING PROJECT DEAR READER, EXPRA with intervention at the EC Conference “CLOSING THE LOOP - Circular Economy: boosting business, reducing waste”, June 25, Brussels EXPRA’s position on a new Circular Economy Proposal EPR lunch debate on Accreditation Criteria for PROs, hosted by EXPRA, 24 June, Brussels Public Seminar “The impact of street collectors on separate collection of packaging waste”, Istanbul, 22 May EXPRA EPR Glossary updated ENVI Committee adopts Pietikainen draft report, June 17, Brussels Commission launches Public Consultation on Circular Economy A second EC Public Consultation on the distortion of the waste market started Resource Efficiency among the chapters of new G7 declaration Full application of the rules of the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation ÉEQ has launched its first awareness ad campaign FTI (Sweden) New agreements, instructions and fees valid from April 1, 2015 GreenPak (Malta) ‘Nirrickla ghall-Istrina’ 2015 campaign launched months in advance Ecoembes (Spain) Household packaging recycling continue growing in Spain, standing at 73.7% Ecoembes (Spain) The 4th edition of “Los Profes Cuentan” (“Teachers Telling”) ECOEMBES (Spain) A GREAT PLACE TO WORK Fost Plus (belgium) 2014 annual report has been published Conai (Italy) for Expo Milano 2015 Valorlux (Luxemburg) “Mon sac bleu” the new Valorlux application for iOS and Android PYR (FINLAND) FINNISH HERRING JARS TURN INTO COCA COLA BOTTLES Green Dot (Cyprus) Educational Workshops about Recycling for children ECOPACK Bulgaria AD - innovations in informational and educational initiatives DEAR READER, EPR Toolkit Seminar: Creating a Level playing field for EPR across Europe 22nd Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum 2015 Formal withdrawal of the CEP: EXPRA reaction The European Environment Agency has published its five-yearly assessment 'The European environment – state and outlook 2015' (SOER 2015) Waste-to-Energy Communication as part of Energy Union TRIMAN LOGO COMES INTO FORCE IN FRANCE FostPlus (Belgium) 10 years of awareness raising activity in waste management in Belgian primary schools GreenPak (Malta) Record collection of plastic caps by GreenPak generates €15,000 for charity Ecoembes (Spain) Prevention Working Group with Public Administrations CONAI (Italy) ANCI-CONAI Agreement: higher fees for the municipalities and a new plan for the territory TAMIR (Israel) TAMIR's EXTREME SHOTS VIDEO VALORLUX (Luxembourg) 10 years eco-bag: a positive environmental balance PYR (Finland) Take-back network for consumer packaging in Finland starting up HERRCO (Greece) Pan-Hellenic survey regarding Packaging Recycling Green Dot (Cyprus) Hot news from Green Dot Cyprus FTI (Sweden) Webcast and text messaging were appreciated at Customer Days in Sweden Dear reader, EXPRA General Assembly, 3 December 2014, Brussels Two new members, Packaging and Newspaper Collection Service (FTI) Sweden and the Environmental Register of Packaging (PYR) Finland join EXPRA EXPRA open letter to Commissioner Vella regarding the Circular Economy Package A strong common statement of obliged industry on the EU Waste Package The Commission’s Work Programme for 2015: withdrawal of the Circular Economy Package. The International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) Key Issue paper on Extended Producer Responsibility “IS IT WASTE”: NEW TOOL TO DECIDE BETWEEN BY-PRODUCT OR END-OF-WASTE STATUS FOST PLUS (Belgium) and VAL-I-PAC (Belgium) organize the Greener Packaging Seminar EcoEmbes (Spain) "Code of Ethics" EcoEmbes (Spain) "Design for Recycling" Project CONAI (Italy) published the first Sustainability Report ECOPACK Bulgaria – 10 years Recovery leader, CARING FOR SOCIETY AND NATURE Eco-Rom Ambalaje (Romania) - New services provided for Romanian obliged industry GreenPak (Malta) The 4th edition of GreenPak’s Irriċikla għall-Istrina ma’ GreenPak’ campaign was officially launched at the Birkirkara Primary School.
sp|by Insidea E here here Why is recycling useful? This is the question that many people ask when it comes to properly separating their waste. Ecoembes, the non-profit environmental organization that promotes sustainability through the recycling of used packaging in Spain, responded to this issue with its new advertising campaign "Respira" , the first at the national level to encourage the separate collection of packaging waste in the yellow container. The main objective is to show citizens tangibly the benefits of recycling the packaging waste which is deposited in the yellow container (plastic, cans and beverage cartons) for the environment . In order to transmit this message, Ecoembes has made several advertising spots in which it shows with real data how the separate collection of waste counteracts the air pollution, a problem with increasing importnace not only in Spain but aslo world-wide. This information can be verified on its website where the equivalences used are explained, as a result of calculating the savings of the CO2 emissions that are produced by the use of recycled material in the making of new products. The campaign will be present in different communication channels throughout the year, including TV, Internet and radio. In addition, there are different versions of the spots. Esecially for television, two different announcements with different information and duration have been elaborated. The campaign will be aslo present on social networks through the hashtag #ReciclaYRespira . here Read more The environmental benefits of ÇEVKO’s recovery activities in 2015: Achievements of Ekopak Event at a glance read more Environmental gains as a result of Çevko's recovery efforts in 2014: ) .
em|The project involved 18.900 students from 676 classrooms in the country and the production of 1.810 essays on the topic of recycling and separate collection. These high figures reflect the success of the “Riciclo di Classe” project, an initiative led by CONAI and in partnership with the newspaper Corriere della Sera. This was its 2 edition and it aimed once again to engage all grades in Italian primary schools to share their ideas and views on the importance of separate collection and how, thanks to recycling, packaging waste can be transformed in completely new objects and be re-used in the creative ways. “The success of the “Riciclo di Classe” project and participants ‘great enthusiasm shows how the protection of the environment is a theme very important for children in schools who can become real ambassadors for separate collection in Italian families” “A correct separation of packaging waste is key for ensuring a correct beginning of the recycling process. Children have understood this and its relevance for protecting the environment” “Young students have proved with this project how much they care about good recycling rules and practices” Kids also showed with their excellent work how well they can communicate their ideas on such topics via games, theatre plays and video materials, which confirm how promising this project actually is”. Davor Škrlec ( It is regrettable that the ecological and economic effects which should be brought in by the circular economy are not made clear here. The industry is worried that this is a cost instrument but we have to make it clear that that this is an economic and ecological instrument which will ultimately help companies make more money.” there is a more balanced and holistic approach, the idea is that the CE is not only an environmental policy, it is also an economic policy that covers all stakeholders Waste prevention in Europe – the status in 2014’ “63% concern information and awareness raising; economic and regulatory instruments account for 16% and 14% respectively; and 7% voluntary agreements”. ISWA ISWA ISWA Resource Efficiency – Moving towards a Circular Economy. EPR is an environmental policy approach through which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle Need for introducing EPR minimum requirements in EU Waste Directives Waste Framework Directive (WFD The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) Defining roles and responsibilities amongst stakeholders Clarifying stakeholders’ financial liability Ensuring a transparent accreditation process for PROs Need for realistic waste management target levels Waste target levels The need for consistent and reliable data Quality of recycled materials and measurement point (c.f. Development of Guidance on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).FINAL REPORT. European Commission – DG Environment 2014) Resource Efficiency – Moving towards a Circular Economy, ‘obtain a better understanding of the nature and the extent of regulatory failures causing undue distortions to EU waste markets for recycling and recovery. ’ l-Istrina l-Istrina . The Green Academy Award The Investor in the Environment Award The Corporate Social Responsibility Award Runner-up in the international competition organized by ISWA
pa|Belgium has become a world champion when it comes to the sorting and recycling of household packaging waste. This leading position was achieved not only because the vast majority of Belgian citizens sort their waste in a very responsible manner, but also because Fost Plus has implemented an easy and efficient system. Each party involved has a clearly designated role to play. These parties include the citizens, producers and importers of packaged products and packaging, public authorities, municipalities and inter-municipal authorities, and the companies that collect, sort and recycle the packaging materials. Fost Plus introduced the system of selective collection in 1994 and continues investing in its further optimization. Fost Plus actively encourages citizens to sort properly and respect the guidelines European Directive 2004/12/EC and the Cooperation Agreement between the three regions form the two pillars on which Fost Plus’s activities are founded. The Cooperation Agreement adapts the European Directive to the specific characteristics of Belgium and includes specific targets. In Belgium, the Walloon Region, the Flemish Region, and the Brussels-Capital Region are responsible for waste management policy. In 1996, they agreed on a Cooperation Agreement on the prevention and management of packaging waste. A new version of the agreement came into force in 2009. The Cooperation Agreement requires every company which has packaged or arranged for the packaging of products sold in Belgium to take back its used packaging in order to achieve the prescribed recycling and recovery rates: Population 11 mil. No. of local authorities 11 mil. inhabitants covered by system 589 municipalities No. of companies in system 5,200 members Packaging introduced to the market 750,000 tons representing about 92% of all packaging materials brought onto the Belgian market Recovered waste 700,000 tons of packaging are recycled 92% of the packaging collected is recycled 95% is recovered Types of packaging Household packaging or equivalents
li|80% recycling and 90% recovery in total a minimum of 15 to 60% recycling, depending on the packaging material.
h1|Belgium
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Belgium:
sp|by Insidea Fost Plus Valipac
pa|The producer responsibility scheme in Hungary was abolished in 2012 by accepting the new product charge law. From 2012 ÖKO-Pannon has been working as a consultant company providing services in connection with environmental product charge and Green Dot trademark. Before 2012, obligations related to packaging were included in two regulation systems not having tight relationship with each other. On one hand the manufacturer (in case of packaging waste, the emitter of the packaged product) was responsible not only for planning the life of the packaged good but its packaging, too, thus it must provide for the collection and recycling of the produced waste. On the other hand the emitter of the packaging was also obliged to pay a tax-like product charge. However an exemption was given from the product charge if the obligor reaches an appropriate rate of recovery of the emitted packaging waste. The recovery rate increased year by year. The new legislation on the product charge updated from 2012 ceased the system operated by the EPR schemes and took the management of recyclable waste into the hands of the state. The most significant amendment of the regulation was that the environmental obligations and recycling targets prescribed to the emitters of products affected by the product charge payment (packaging waste, electronic waste) cannot be achieved via a coordinating organisation. In some cases and under some special conditions, it is still possible to individually comply with the environmental obligations. According to the legislation the state set up the National Waste Management Agency which took over the coordination of the recycling of waste produced by products affected by the product charge payment from 1 January 2012. Population 9.93 mil. No. of local authorities 964 municipalities No. of companies in system 3,200 membres Packaging introduced to the market 820,000 tons packaging nationwide 522,000 tons by contractual parties Recovered waste 323,000 tons packaging waste Types of packaging
li|Optimization consultancy with relation to products liable to product charge (packaging, WEE – electric and electronic waste, battery, tyre, advertisement paper) Consultancy on individual exemption and coordination Preparing for compliance with the actual law on waste Preparing for compliance with the packaging regulation Supervision related to the fulfilment of recovery and recycling obligation and product charge reports Consultancy in the field of fulfilment of international recovery and recycling obligation (sending in contracts and reports) Providing the use of Green Dot trademark
st|Main services:
h1|Hungary
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Hungary:
sp|by Insidea Öko Pannon
pa|Norway has implemented the EU-directive for packaging and packaging waste through a covenant between Norwegian Trade and Industry associations and the Ministry of Environment. There are separate agreements for each packaging material. These agreements cover packaging such as plastics, beverage cartons and cardboard, corrugated cardboard, glass and metal. There is one material company for each of the materials, and each of them has a separate agreement with the Ministry of Environment. (Except glass). Each agreement has its own separate recycling and recovery target, and all of them are higher than the EU-targets. Population 5 mil. No. of local authorities 5 mil. inhabitants incorporated for selective collection No. of companies in system 5,000 members Packaging introduced to the market 550,000 tons (including agriculture film , glass and commercial and industrial packaging, excluding PET-bottles) Recovered waste 230,138 tons of household packaging Types of packaging Household packaging or commercial packaging
di|The legal basis is the covenant between the Norwegian Ministry of Environment and the material companies. Beside these agreements there is a tax system for beverage containers, where the tax is reduced due to the level of recycling. At 95% recycling the tax disappears. Recycling numbers are being reported annually to the Norwegian EPA. Targets are subject to discussions between the owners of the material companies and the Ministry of Environment.
h1|Norway
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Norway:
sp|by Insidea Green Dot Norway
pa|Producers' responsibility on packaging recycling/recovery is mandatory under the Ordinance on Producers' Responsibility for Packaging (SFS 2014:1073). Producers´resposibility for newspaper recycling is mandatory under the Ordinance on Producers' Responsibility for Newspaper (SFS 2014:1074). Under the ordinance all producers, defined as any company manufacturing, importing or selling packaging or packaged goods, are obliged to see to it that there is an appropriate collection and recovery system for their packaging. This is normally dealt with, by joining FTI and SGÅ (Svensk GlasÅtervinning). Paper/carton 1) excluding packaging in deposit schemes, where recycling (reuse) rate is close to 90 % Population 9 mil. No. of companies in system 10,000 licence partners Packaging introduced to the market 932,837 tons excluding deposit scheme packaging Recovered waste Recycled 665,895 tons packaging waste (excluding deposit scheme packaging) Types of packaging Household, commercial and industrial Collection and recycling system costs approximately 1.5 million US dollars to run each year. Part of the financing is done through the collected material value, but it does not cover the entire cost. The manufacturers pay a packaging fee. The charge is weight based and differs between the different materials and the household and commercial packages, depending on how they economically put pressure on the system. There is no fee for newspapers, the companies behind the materials company Pressretur pays for the material and covers all the costs. Financing of glass packaging is administered with fees through Svensk GlasÅtervinning. Reports and payment are made monthly, quarterly or - for smaller companies – on a yearly basis. The packaging fees are set by the material companies. They are based on weight and charged on the basis of reports submitted by FTI's customers as a monthly, quarterly or yearly payment for the preceding period. Fees for glass packaging are paid directly to Svensk GlasÅtervinning The packaging fee is only to be collected at one stage. In principle, the packaging fee is to be paid by the filler. Further fees can apply, for instance the import fee on all sales, industrial and transport packaging around items that are imported or brought from another EU country. In addition, there is the fee for packaging used (packed or filled) in Sweden on all packaging which is added to goods or already packed goods: A fee is to be paid if the manufacturer has not already paid. To prevent all shops, catering establishments, restaurants, pizzerias, hot dog stands, consumers, bakeries, launderettes, banks, offices etc. from having to join just because they fill packaging, a fee for some packaging is charged to the manufacturer and the party which imports the packaging itself. This applies inter alia to plastic bags, standard bags/sacks, pizza cartons, cake cartons, hot-dog trays, plastic film and aluminium foil, wrapping paper, salad containers, disposable cutlery, etc. These packages are called and special regulations apply to them. Companies which manufacture or import service packaging have to pay a packaging fee for this. (There is an option to let a subsequent party - e.g. a packaging wholesaler - "take over" the obligation to pay the fee, which however requires an explicit agreement between the parties concerned and FTI.)
td|Material Recycling 2013 Recovery target /corrugated board 77,2 % 65 % Metals 1) 73,1 % 70 % Plastics 1) 36,7 % 30 % Glass 1) 89,0 % 70 %
st|How are the licence fees calculated? service packaging
h1|Sweden
h3|Targets for recycling (by material) and total recovery Data 2013 Financing Packaging organisation/s in Sweden:
sp|by Insidea FTI
pa|The history of the legal perspective of the packaging waste management starts with the Solid Waste Control Regulation (SWCR) in 1991. According to this regulation, there were certain recovery obligations for some sectors. Only the sales packaging of certain products were covered and paper&board was excluded. In the period of 1991-2005, the covered companies fulfilled their obligations in cooperation with collectors and sorters. There were some obligations even for the local authorities but they were not clearly defined. This period may be called as a "voluntary phase" for the local authorities. The related articles of the SWCR and the 94/62/EC Directive are harmonized and "The Packaging & Packaging Waste Control Regulation" came into force by the beginning of 2005. The new regulation for packaging waste was covering "all packaging". The obligations for all related parties including the local authorities are clearly defined. In 2005, ÇEVKO was authorized by the Ministry of Environment & Forestry as the recovery organization for packaging waste. In 24.6.2007, the regulation was revised. The main changes in this revision were the extended period of the recovery rates, the voluntary marking and simplified declaration forms. On August 24th, 2011 the regulation was revised again. By this revision, some new definitions such as "Supplier" were added. The solution alternatives for packers/fillers/importers are defined as authorized recovery organizations and/or municipalities and/or deposit implementation. Years Glass Plastic Metal Paper/ Cardboard Wood 2005 32 32 30 20 - 2006 33 35 33 30 - 2007 35 35 35 35 - 2008 35 35 35 35 - 2009 36 36 36 36 - 2010 37 37 37 37 - 2011 38 38 38 38 - 2012 40 40 40 40 - 2013 42 42 42 42 5 2014 44 44 44 44 5 2015 48 48 48 48 5 2016 52 52 52 52 7 2017 54 54 54 54 9 2018 56 56 56 56 11 2019 58 58 58 58 13 2020 60 60 60 60 15 Population 17,170,178 inhabitants covered by system No. of local authorities 104 municipalities (Contracted with ÇEVKO) No. of companies in system 1,509 contract economic operators Packaging introduced to the market 2,516,094 tons (2010) Recovered waste 391,943 tons packaging waste Types of packaging household and commercial
h1|Turkey
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Turkey:
sp|by Insidea CEVKO
pa|The Packaging Act introduced in June 2004 sets recovery targets for all packaging placed on the market and deposit system for one way packaging of beer, alcohol drink with low ethanol content and soft drinks in glass, plastic and metal packaging as of January 1, 2005. The existing norms of the Packaging Act require collection and recovery of 50% of total packaging put in the market by packaging operator (packer and importer) in 2004, up to 2010 - 60%, and from 2012 - to comply with all EU norms. The introduction of the Packaging Act has also triggered introduction of Compliance Scheme in Estonia. The packaging recovery organization, called "Estonian Recovery Organization" has been established by producers, importers and retailers operating in Estonia. According to the Packaging Act the number of recovery organizations is not limited, but they have to fulfil requirements and get a license for operation from Estonian Ministry of Environment. The law says that all manufacturers, packers and importers are entitled to transfer the fulfilment of packaging recycle norms to a non-governmental organization established by themselves. If producers or importers haven not joined such organization, they have to organize recovery of their packaging themselves. Population 1.315 mil.
h1|Estonia
h3|Data 2013 Packaging organisation/s in Estonia:
sp|by Insidea ETO
pa|Producer responsibility for packaging will be extended in Finland when the obligation for organising the take-back of consumer packaging is transferred from municipalities to producers at the beginning of 2016. The Finnish Council of State approved a new decree for packaging and packaging waste in July 2014. The decree stipulates that producers will have to take back fibre, metal and glass packaging at a minimum of 1850 take-back points and plastic packaging at 500 take-back points. In addition, more stringent targets have been placed on the reuse of packaging and the recycling of packaging waste. Producer responsibility for packaging applies to producers or firms that pack or import packed products for the Finnish market and have a turnover of EUR 1 million or more. Firms may transfer their legal obligation to producer organisations by making a contract with the Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd. By making just one contract with RINKI a firm simultaneously becomes a member of the respective producer organisations responsible for attaining the recycling targets for fibre, metal, plastic, glass and wooden packaging. Planning of the take-back scheme is progressing rapidly in Finland. Take-back will be organised by the Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd. This is the result of a joint decision taken on 26 May, 2014 by the producer organisations: Mepak-Kierrätys Oy (metal), Suomen Keräyslasiyhdistys ry (glass), Suomen Kuitukierrätys ry (fibre) and Suomen Uusiomuovi Oy (plastic). In addition, Suomen Keräyslasiyhdistys Oy and RINKI Ltd have agreed that RINKI Ltd will organise glass recycling. EPR will enter into force in May 2015. The waste take-back network must be in operation in January 2016. More: EU DIRECTIVES ON WASTE AND ON PACKAGING AND PACKAGING WASTE TRANSPOSED INTO FINNISH LAW The recovery of packaging must be implemented in compliance with the targets that the EU has confirmed with Finland. EU directives on waste and on packaging and packaging waste have been transposed into Finnish law through the Waste Act 1072/1993 and the Council of State Decision on Packaging and Packaging Waste 962/1997 and the Council of State Decrees 987/2004 and 817/2005. Waste legislation was amended by the Waste Act amendment 452/2004 through the addition of Chapter 3a concerning producer responsibility. This amendment has formed the basis of producer responsibility for packaging as of 1.9.2004. The most important duties relating to reuse and recovery are based on the aforementioned Council of State Decision 962/1997 and Decree 817/2005. The revised Waste Act 646/2011 came into force on 1.5.2012. The Council of State Decree on Packaging and Packaging Waste 518/2014 came into force on 3.7.2014. Population 5.5 mil. No. of local authorities*) 320 municipalities (99% covered by PYR) 99% inhabitants covered by system No. of companies in system 4,800 membres (over 90 % of obliged industry) Packaging introduced to the market 2012 2.2mil. tons total amount of licensed packaging Recovered waste 2012 1.5mil. tons reused 59% recycling rate 715,700 tons packaging waste was collected Types of packaging Household**) and commercial *) 1.1.2016 (Region of Aland excluded) **) Consumer packaging take-back scheme in use 1.1.2016
h1|Finland
h3|Producer responsibility for packaging Consumer packaging take-back scheme Data 2014 Packaging organisation/s in Finland:
sp|by Insidea Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd
pa|Iceland's authorities have set the goal of systematically reducing waste formation and channelling waste into reuse and recovery. The Act on Recycling Fees was passed in an effort to achieve this end, charging the Icelandic Recycling Fund with creating conducive economic conditions for reuse and recovery, lowering the volume of waste going into final disposal and ensuring the proper disposal of hazardous substances. Icelandic legislation covering waste management is in accordance with EU legislation. Iceland has transposed into national law the on waste covered by the EEA (European Economic Area) Agreement. The Act on Recycling Fees was passed in order to create conducive economic conditions for reuse and recovery, lowering the volume of waste going into final disposal and ensuring the proper disposal of hazardous substances. A recycling fee is collected on each product before it goes on the market after its manufacture or importation. .
h1|Iceland
h3|Packaging organisation/s in Iceland:
sp|by Insidea Icelandic Recycling Fund
em|acquis
pa|Romania transposed European Directive 94/62/EC into Governmental Decision no. 621/2005 regarding the management of packaging and packaging waste, as amended by the Governmental Decision no. 1872/2006 and by the Governmental Decision no. 247/2011. This law states that there are two options for companies who place household packaging on the Romanian market: have their own waste management system or joining an Integrated Management System (SIG). -Governmental Decision no. 621/2005amended by the Governmental Decision no. 1872/2006 and by the Governmental Decision no. 247/2011. - Regulations of Minister of Environment regarding the procedures, criteria for licensing, relicensing, revision, yearly endorsement, issuing and cancelling the operating license, as well as for the approval of the composition and duties of the licensing committee. Establish a contribution of 2 lei / kg of the economic operators which introduce on domestic market sales packaging and packaged goods for the difference corresponding to unfulfilled packaging waste targets. Population 19 042 936 inhabitants No. of local authorities 410 administrative units incorporated in the system for selective collection 9 million inhabitants covered by system No. of companies in system 2,526 companies Packaging introduced to the market 651,126 tons Recovered waste 398,463 tons recycled Types of packaging Household packaging. Commercial and Industrial packaging
li|Sets up the obligations for producers and importers for total packaging waste up to 55% recycling and 60% recovery in 2013 and for each type of packaging material – paper, plastic, PET, metal, Aluminum, glass and wood; Define the recycling and recovery obligations for producers and importer, as well as for other stakeholders of the system (retailers, generators of waste – population and any legal bodies, central and local authorities).
st|Management of packaging and packaging waste Governmental Emergency Ordinance no. 196/2005
h1|Romania
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Romania:
sp|by Insidea Eco-Rom Ambalaje
pa|The Responsible Chilean Industry supports EXPRA model The obliged industry in Chile under the leadership of the Food and beverage association “ABChile” is in the final stages of setting the first Packaging Recovery Organization in the country - (SIG)). This move is in compliance with the adopted EPR legislation in Chile and the process of becoming a partner of EXPRA has already been initiated. Thus, EXPRA will extend its reach to 27 PROs from 25 countries in Europe, Canada, Middle East and now to Latin America. You can read the full PR 29 October 2020 – The Digital Services Act represents a very good opportunity to bring sustainability into the digital debate, in line with the European Green Deal. EucoLight, Eucobat and EXPRA therefore welcome the reference to sustainability in the IMCO report led by MEP Saliba and would like to share some additional recommendations. Still, for the sustainability angle in the Digital Service Act to be comprehensive, it should include both provisions on providing clear information to consumers and ensuring that producers contribute financially to the costs of waste management. The Parliament’s , adopted on October 20, includes wording on “fighting false ‘environmental claims’ while calling on online marketplaces to promote sustainability of e-commerce by providing consumers with clear and easily understandable information on the environmental impact of the products. We strongly believe that information on meeting the Extended Producer Responsibility obligations regarding packaging, WEEE and other product-related waste streamsand delivery methods or services they buy online should be added to complete the ambition on information to consumers. You can read the full Press Release The objective of the Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0 is to prove the viability of digital watermarking technologies for accurate sorting and the business case at large scale. Digital watermarks are imperceptible codes, the size of a postage stamp, covering the surface of a consumer goods packaging and carrying a wide range of attributes. The aim is that once the packaging has entered into a waste sorting facility, the digital watermark can be detected and decoded by a standard high resolution camera on the sorting line, which then – based on the transferred attributes (e.g. food vs. non-food) – is able to sort the packaging in corresponding streams. This would result in better and more accurate sorting streams, thus consequently in higher-quality recyclates benefiting the complete packaging value chain. You can find the PR on the lounch of the initiative – The Board of Directors of CONAI unanimously elected as President Luca Ruini for the for 2020-2022 term. Ruini is currently the Director of Security, Environment & Energy at the Barilla Group. The Vice-presidents of the Consortium will be Angelo Tortorelli and Domenico Rinaldini. CONAI is a non-profit EPR organization created and designed by companies to manage the recycling and recovery of packaging across Italy and to pursue recycling and recovery objectives set by European legislation. In 2019, the Consortium allowed 70% of packaging waste to be recycled: a total of 9 million and 560 thousand tons were recycled, out of the 13 million and 655 thousand that entered into consumption. By adding the figures of energy recovery, the tons of packaging waste recovered exceeded 11 million, almost 81% of the consumption input. Press release available EXPRA is a founding partner of the action platform "Close the glass Loop" lounched officially today. Close The Glass Loop brings together glass manufacturers, glass processors, food & beverage producers, extended producer responsibility schemes and municipalities under a single Circular Economy Partnership for Glass Packaging. The multi-stakeholder Partnership demonstrates the commitment of the glass packaging value chain to work together, co-develop solutions within industrial ecosystems and support the European Commission’s ambition to foster Europe's transition towards a circular economy, innovation, and sustainable economic growth. : cooperation and open discussion and interaction between all actors of the life cycle chain. This platform provides an excellent opportunity EXPRA and members will be very happy to contribute withpractical You can read the official press release from the event You can see the video address of Joachim Quoden Green Dot Norway, which runs the plastics recycling company, and chemical recycling company Quantafuel AS, have signed a contract for the delivery of up to 10,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste, becoming some of the first in Europe to chemically recycle plastic packaging material. 24 February 2020: A Common Industry Association Position Paper on the EU ‘Plastics Levy’ was released today, signed by 59 stakeholders from several European industry value chains. EXPRA joined the European industries voicing their concern regarding the envisaged introduction an EU-wide plastics levy as an own resource in the new multiannual financial framework. As EXPRA, we are concerned that a levy on non-recycled plastic packaging would exert dealing with these materials at times when these face new waste legislation, calling for enhanced responsibilities over the end-of-life management of their producers’ packaging, including that made of plastics. Under the new regulatory framework, additional legal commitments will be assumed by both producers and their EPR schemes at significantly higher costs. In this light, EPR’s sustainability, as well as the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies across the EU, could be threatened by the additional economic burden that said tax would entail. Furthermore, a levy on non-recycled plastic packaging can have a . It could lead packaging producers to consider alternative solutions such as combining plastics with other materials. However, these multi-material packaging items are often more difficult to recycle. Some of the substitute materials could also prove to be less effective against food waste and increase CO2 emissions. In the , the Commission clearly states: . More detailed measures supporting this goal are expected with the announcement of the new on 10 March 2020. We fear that the adoption of a plastics levy would therefore divert from this target and is not in line with facilitating the smooth operation of EPR schemes and their considerable contribution to the transition towards a Circular Economy. Yoy can read the declaration Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ), the non for profit organization representing thousands of companies in their responsibilities to finance the collection and sorting of recycling bin contents, salutes the announcement made by the Government of Québec regarding the curbside recycling reform, specifically, that companies who produce and market containers, packaging and printed matter will be entrusted with the management of that system. This decision is key if we are to implement a circular economy for recyclable materials in Québec. The five success factors for a transformed and efficient curbside recycling system as well as the next steps for the different stakeholders and more information can be found at: Press release: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Organizations across Europe are committed to increasing the quality and efficiency of the glass recycling value chain through separate collection, quality recycling and closed loop manufacturing of glass. A practical example of how to achieve genuine circularity of glass packaging is “Close the Glass Loop” – the major industry stewardship programme for glass packaging initiated by FEVE and aiming to reach a post-consumer glass container collection target of 90% by 2030. In parallel, the initiative should ensure that the recycled material is reused again into a new production loop of glass containers. EPR Organizations, as the link between the different stakeholders, have a key role in promoting and facilitating better collection, high quality sorting and recycling of used packaging including glass, thus ensuring the achievement of the initiative’s objectives. EXPRA’s Managing Director, Joachim Quoden, commented: “EXPRA supports the “Close the Glass Loop” as our organization and its members strive to constantly improve their performance by supporting and investing in innovative collection models, high quality sorting & recycling and especially in communication and information campaigns for consumers, who at the end of the day are the engine at the core of the whole process. We look forward to closer cooperation with the other stakeholders in the value chain in finding the most efficient ways and means to face challenges but also exploit opportunities stemming from the new EU Waste Legislation. You can read the full PR GreenPak’s network of 800 smart iBiNs installed in 41 localities won the first place in the fifth edition of the Sustainable Enterprise Awards organised by the Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Businesses (MEIB). GreenPak Cooperative Society was awarded the overall prize for its efforts to increase the social, environmental and economical sustainability pillars. The use of these attractive containers increased sharply, registering a sharp rise in the collection of post-consumer products including plastic, paper, glass, and metal waste for recycling during 2019. Fitted with smart technology, the iBiNs provide citizens with a simpler and more convenient way to recycle 24/7. Looking ahead at future trends in the Maltese society and steering the need to recycle more as a country, GreenPak invest in smart bins to address current needs and be ready for the future Smart Cities. The iBiNs project utilizes the emerging latest technology of IoT (Internet of Things). It has the capability to monitor waste levels and feed information back to a central system using real-time data which enables GreenPak’ recycling service to prioritise and customise collection routes in the localities it serves across Malta and Gozo. You can read teh full article here: EXPRA, the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance, proudly signed today the Declaration of the Circular Plastics Alliance. The signing ceremony, which took place in Brussels in the presence of EU Industry Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska and EU Commission’s First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, brought together over 100 private and public stakeholders. By signing this declaration, EXPRA and its members reiterate their commitment to support the industry’s transformative ambition, enabling and accelerating change by optimising collection, sorting and recycling solutions for all packaging, including plastics. You can read the full Press release The describes the alliance's vision for more recycled plastics in Europe, as well as the alliance’s commitments to reach the EU target. Namely, that 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics find their way into products in the EU by 2025. Over 100 companies, business organisations and public authorities already signed the declaration, as well as standardisation bodies and research and technology organisations. See the . The packaging sector recognizes the need to minimise the environmental impact of both product and its packaging. That is why EXPRA, the umbrella organisation bringing together 26 non-profit packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems, developed , a dynamic online information tool aiming to facilitate the industry’s efforts in . Prepared in follow up to the EU’s 2015 Circular Economy Action Plan, the P4R project is centred around three main objectives: The tool is accessible through a dedicated website – You can read the PR EXPRA and PROsPA, alliances representing EPR Schemes for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling, and EPRO, the European Association of Plastics Recycling, are committed to continuing to increase the quality and efficiency of recycling of packaging waste within the framework of the on-going transposition of the recently-reviewed waste directives, in particular the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD). You can read the joint statement Mr Todor Bourgoudjiev, CEO of ECOPACK Bulgaria, was elected as a new member of the Board. Mr Bourgoudjiev has held the position of Executive Director of ECOPACK Bulgaria, the first and leading PRO in Bulgaria, since 2010. Prior to that he worked in the beer and soft drink industries. He will follow Mr Bogdan Ureche, CEO of ECO ROM Ambalaje, the Romanian member of EXPRA. After having served 3 consequent terms in EXPRA BOD, Mr Ureche has decided to focus even more on the national context that currently requires significant attention. “Being elected as a member of the EXPRA Board of Directors is an honor for me and recognizes that EPR schemes from “new” member states can also set examples in packaging waste management. I hope that with my experience and knowledge I will contribute to the further strengthening of the Organization in this important period,” said Mr Bourgoudjiev. Further 6 members of the Board who were re-elected for the next two-year term represent PROs from the Czech Republic, Italy, Malta, Norway, Belgium and Spain. The Board of 9 is completed by the Managing Director of EXPRA Joachim Quoden as its born member. “In this important and challenging period, when the new waste legislation will be transposed in the MS’s national legislation and its implementation in all EU MS, I am very glad to have such a strong Board with over 20 years of experience and such dedication,” said Joachim Quoden, EXPRA’s Managing Director. Mr Cees de Mol van Otterloo, the CEO of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen, EXPRA Dutch member was elected as the new President of EXPRA . Mr de Mol van Otterloo has long-term professional experience in soft drink industry and has served as the CEO of his organisation since its establishment in 2013. In becoming EXPRA’s new President, he succeeds William Vermeir, the former CEO of EXRPA’s Belgian member Fost Plus. “This period is crucial for the future development and optimized functioning of our members and EPR in general, with the transposition and following implementation of the new waste legislation as well as the plastic strategy impact. I would like to thank my predecessor, William Vermeir, the founding EXPRA President, for his great job and to assure you that I will continue to position EXPRA as key stakeholder in implementing these new conditions for our work as PROs in the coming years,” he said. All material streams should have an equal level of ambition when reporting recycling rates, regardless of the complexity of different recycling value chains. In the case of glass, FEVE, FERVER, EXPRA and EuRIC have a common understanding that the measurement point is at the input to the cullet treatment plant, as this is the “recycling operation” where waste is “actually reprocessed into products”. They also take the ambition further and propose that non-glass losses and non-targeted materials should be deducted. The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA), togather with the other members of the CEFLEX consortium: companies, associations and organisations collaborating to enhance the performance of flexible packaging in the circular economy in Europe, endorses the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) Global Commitment for a New Plastics Economy. This support is based on the EMF vision of a circular economy for plastic packaging being fully aligned with the CEFLEX vision. The Global Commitment clearly envisages a future where plastic packaging, including flexible packaging, is designed, used and the materials then made available again in the circular economy. That way they do not leak into the natural environment and they play an important and essential role in helping society live and consume more sustainably. Flexible packaging generally is very resource efficient and, in nearly all cases, helps to reduce overall plastic packaging waste while providing customised product protection, at the minimum cost, using the least resource and with the lowest environmental impact. The Global Commitment reinforces the work being undertaken by CEFLEX, where the consortium stakeholders are collaborating to identify, prove and implement how best to close the loop on all flexible packaging materials by 2025. You can read the full press release EXPRA joined the statement on the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive, signed by 73 European and national industry associations. The joint statement calls on EU negotiators to safeguard the Internal Market for packaging and packaged goods, in view of the trilogues on the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive. Its aim is to ensure that the Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment (so-called Single-Use Plastics Directive) will deliver the intended environmental objectives in a harmonised and competitive EU Internal Market. The co-signatories believe that it is crucial to avoid divergent packaging restrictions across the EU would undermine the free movement of packaging and packaged goods which would have a negative effect on investment, innovation - including eco-innovation – for circularity, growth and jobs in Europe. Among the recommended actions for the EU co-legislators are: to ensure that the PPWD (Directive 94/62/EC) remains the lex specialis for all packagingitems as defined by Article 3(1) of Directive 94/62/EC, that the measures adopted under Article 4 (SUP Directive) are without prejudice to Article 18 of Directive 94/62/EC and that Member States shall pre-notify the Commission of their measures in accordance with Directive 2015/1535 as well as to remove the reference in Recital 11 to market restrictions in relation to the measures on consumption reduction related to SUP Article 4. You can read the statement On 9 October, PROsPA (Producer Responsibility Organisations Packaging Alliance), EXPRA (Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance) and EPRO (European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisations) co-organised an expert talk on the “Eco-modulation of EPR fees as a tool towards a circular economy”. Amanda Fuso Nerini, CONAI, in her capacity as chair of the EXPRA WG Packaging & Sustainability and Joachim Quoden, EXPRA’s MD, engaged as speakers in the round tables whereas several other members, for example from Spain, Belgium, Greece, Slovakia, Norway, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Netherlands and even Quebec, Canada joint the discussion. Not only the Commission but also Peter Börkey from the OECD followed immediately our invitation and participated actively in the workshop. You can read the summary report from the Workshop With the success of internet trade which enables the (private and commercial) consumer to buy directly at a seller without visiting a stationary trade, more and more goods under EPR are sold via this distribution channel, often with a seller outside the jurisdiction where the user has its seat, or even outside the European Union. The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) received the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive proposal, published today, with mixed thoughts.While our members fully support European Union (EU) efforts towards preventing and reducing marine litter, we believe that some of the proposed measures are neither consistent with the recently-reviewed EU Waste Directives nor justified on grounds of proportionality. You can read the full PR Life EPS-SURE project, a R&D project for plastic recycling that will transform fish boxes into new food packages, launched its new website. With an attractive design, easy navigation and rich content, the website offers quick and easy access to detailed information on the project’s progress and deliverables. You can read the full PR Under the CEFLEX initiative, the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) is committed to increasing the collection and recycling of flexible packaging formats below A4 in size. CEFLEX’s ambitions are to make flexible packaging more relevant to the circular economy by advancing better system design solutions via stakeholder collaboration representing the entire value chain, by 2025. You can read the Press Release You can read more about CEFLEX The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) welcomes the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy. Our packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems, which are owned by the obliged industry and work on a non-profit basis, have come a long way to help implement the circular economy. We will continue to do so via renewing our commitment to plastics’ circularity. You can read the Press Release From 2019 onwards, all plastic packaging can be put in the blue bag. This new system both simplifies sorting for the general public and represents a major step forward towards a recycling solution for all packaging put on the market. You can read the full Press Release of Fost Plus EXPRA, WEEE Forum and EucoLight call on policymakers to introduce explicit obligations for online sellers under the new waste legislation The issue of free riding is one of growing concern in light of distance sales already representing up to 20 and 30 per cent of the market across various waste streams in certain Member States. In a bid to solve this problem, the three organizations propose online sellers and fulfilment houses to be required to take on the duties of a ‘producer’ under the Directive dealing with the product they sell or stock. New cooperation partner - The Icelandic Recycling Fund joins the EPR Network During its General Assembly meeting on 30 November, EXPRA, the umbrella organisation for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by the obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis, welcomed a new Cooperation partner - The Icelandic Recycling Fund, thus extending its presence in Northern Europe. “We look forward to working with EXPRA and its members”, said Ólafur Kjartansson, Managing Director of IRF. New initiative of EXPRA – publication of news and best practices from EXPRA members, aiming to inform and support all stakeholders in the packaging value chain in the process of developing more sustainable packaging, incorporating design for recycling/ eco-design. To develop more sustainable packaging is a challenge and an opportunity for all stakeholders along the value chain, as the overall objective is to do so by optimising the use of materials, water and energy, minimising waste (of product and used packaging) and maximising the recycling and recovery of used packaging. This is of course part of the Circular Economy concept and the respective measures and initiatives of the EU, aiming to modernise and transform the European economy, shifting it towards a more sustainable direction. In line with these efforts, EXPRA is starting a new initiative – publication of news and best practices from EXPRA members, aiming to inform and support all stakeholders along the packaging value chain in the process of developing more sustainable packaging, incorporating design for recycling/ eco-design. The publication will be issued on quarterly basis, providing summarized information with respective links to detailed documents and or sources, implemented with the support of the EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging Working Group. You can read the sustainability drops GreenPak Cooperative was recently presented with a Special Award by Koperattivi Malta, a non-political organisation promoting the co-operative business model and its social responsibility dimension. GreenPak was recognised for leading member businesses to adopt sustainable practices, as well as engaging a large number of companies in financing vital community waste recycling services despite competing on the market. Importantly, GreenPak was acknowledged for its positive results in waste recovery, amongst others through education in recycling. Two of GreenPak’s educational campaigns particularly stood out: ‘Nirrickla ghall-Istrina’ and ‘Irrickla u Irbah’. For the past six years, GreenPak’s ‘Nirrickla ghall-Istrina’ has each year encouraged schools and businesses to collect plastic caps. In 2016, over 14 million plastics caps, weighing almost 43 tonnes, were recycled. The proceedings go towards a charity – the Community Chest Fund Foundation; €20,000 were raised only in 2016. Meanwhile, the ‘Irrickla u Irbah’ campaign, which is a recycle and reward campaign, runs now its seventh edition. The campaign promotes recycling by randomly selecting and rewarding Maltese citizens that use one of GreenPak’s community recycling services. GreenPak’s innovative, citizen-focused approach will continue to successfully drive the collection and recycling of packaging waste in Malta while demonstrating the societal value of industry-driven extended producer responsibility. For more information on GreenPak’s campaigns, please see ECOEMBALAJES ESPAÑA, S.A. (Ecoembes), one of the two EXPRA Spanish members, a non-profit environmental organisation that promotes a circular economy through household packaging recycling, has recently launched TheCircularLab. This is a pioneering project in Europe that,through joint collaborative research within the circular economy framework, seeks to study, conceive, test and apply best practices in the field of packaging and recycling. Based in Logroño, Spanish region of Rioja, TheCircularLab aims to become an international reference in circular economy matters. Its goal is to turn the region into a large real-scale experimentation centre, in close cooperation with companies, the public administration and citizens. It also expects to develop circular economy patterns that are transferable to other areas in Spain, Europe and worldwide. Madrid, 28 April 2017. The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA), the umbrella organization for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by the obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis, at its General Assembly on 27 April, has re-elected its Board of Directors for the 2017-2019 mandate. EXPRA’s President, William Vermeir, was also re-appointed. EXPRA’s Board members represent Packaging Recovery Organizations from the Czech Republic (EKO-KOM), Italy (CONAI), Malta (GreenPak), Netherlands (Nedvang), Romania (Eco-Rom Ambalaje), Norway (Green Dot Norway) and Spain (EcoEmbes). They unanimously re-elected Mr Vermeir, Managing Director of Fost Plus, Belgium, as President for the next 2 years. You can read the Press Release . Consorzio Nazionale Imballaggi (CONAI), the Italian consortium in charge of implementing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and EXPRA member, was recognised today among ‘ . The award was formalised at an event organised by the Italian non-profit association Legambiente in the European Parliament, in the presence ofEuropean Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen, and European Parliament’s Rapporteur for the waste proposals, Simona Bonafè. CONAI is being rewarded for its role in implementing the circular economy model in Italy – as the national packaging consortium, it is responsible for recovering and recycling packaging waste involving steel, aluminum, paper, wood, plastic and glass. In 2015, recycling accounted for 66.9 per cent of the total packaging consumption, amounting to 8.2 million tonnes. Considering energy recovery rates, 78.6 per cent of the packaging waste (9.6 million tonnes) was, in fact, diverted from landfill. You can read the Press Release Brussels, 25 January 2017. Following the European Parliament’s Environment Committee vote on its draft report amending waste legislation, EXPRA (the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance) calls on policymakers to safeguard and enhance common general minimum requirements for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Read More: Read More: EXPRA is calling on policymakers to safeguard the primary role the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has to play in transitioning towards a circular economy. The reviewed EU waste legislation acknowledges that EPR forms an essential part of an efficient waste-management process. Now this approach needs to be translated into strong common requirements for EPR schemes. EXPRA moreover welcomes the options set out for recycling measurement. However, the “final recycling process” definition should be adjusted in a bid to ensure data accuracy and reliability as well as reporting transparency and compliance. r 2016 is going to be one of the most important years in the history of Ecoembes, as it will be for all the companies which take part in this enterprise. This year, the strategic plan developed during 2015 begins, with the aim of increasing the recycling rate until 80% for 2020. 18 years have passed since the foundation of the current recycling system of packaging was set, and during these years it has become a modern and efficient model, which highlights the success of cooperation between companies, public administrations and citizens. At our age of majority, looking forward to the enthralling challenges which appear in front of us, in Ecoembes we think it is the perfect moment to change our trademark as well. This new look, this new identity, which reflects the current Ecoembes belongs to you, to all the companies that are part of Ecoembes and give sense to our existence. On 29 January 2016, the Managing Director of EXPRA, Mr. Joachim Quoden participated in the Conference rganised by MWE, EUROCITIES and EC During the discussions it was highlighted that Extended Producer Responsibility ensures that adequate separate waste collection systems help achieve both sustainable resource management and legal recycling targets. Stakeholders across the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) value chain strongly welcomed the inclusion of common, minimum requirements for EPR schemes within the revised Waste Framework Directive (Article 8a). Modelled on the Extended Producer Responsibility, GreenPak fulfils its objectives by engaging the industry, the authorities, and the community to work together towards sustainable recycling. Ing. Mario Schembri, CEO of GreenPak himself has also been instrumental in setting up the international organisation Extended Producer Alliance (EXPRA), which promotes the not-for-profit concept that producers are best placed to recover end-of-life products. EXPRA welcomes the European Commission’s acknowledgement that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes form an essential part of an efficient waste management process, and their potential could be put to use as long as the right framework is applied Given that EPR is implemented in a variety of ways across the bloc, the proposed common requirements for EPR are likely to ensure a level-playing field for producers, Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) and other actors in the waste management chain. Two new members, SLOPAK Slovenia and EKOPAK Bosnia and Herzegovina, join the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Network. On 26 November 2015, during its General Assembly meeting, EXPRA, the umbrella organisation for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by the obligated industry and work on a non-profit basis, welcomed two new members - SLOPAK from Slovenia and EKOPAK from Bosnia and Herzegovina, thereby extending its presence in the Balkans. A new study, published today by the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA), concludes that EU Member States’ latest packaging recycling data shows inconsistencies and variances. CONAI, Italy opened the process for the selection of the monitoring trustee, provided by the Commitments pursuant to the deliberation made by , the Italian Antitrust Authority, on September 3, 2015. EXPRA joined the updated statement on the Circular Economy Package (CEP) signed by 29 members of the Packaging Chain Forum (PCF) - European industry associations from the whole packaging value chain and single PROs. The joint statement relates to the legislative proposal that would be a part of Circular Economy Package. Its aim is to leverage a joint, strong and cross industry message to the European Commission ahead of the published CEP on 2 December, and to other stakeholders. Among the recommended actions to further enable the transition towards a resource-efficient and competitive Circular Economy, are the need to ensure full implementation and enforcement of the Waste Framework Directive and PPWD and strengthening of the legal framework for EPR, that should further include introducing a clear definition of EPR in the PPWD and stipulating binding EU minimum performance requirements for EPR schemes. The need for establishing a comparable and harmonized calculation method and setting realistic and achievable packaging recycling targets is also highlighted in the document. With the growing of EXPRA and joining of new members we decided that it is time to update our leaflet. We hope that the new design of the leaflet will also help for the better transmission of our messages to external and internal audiences. The European Parliamenthas explicitly acknowledged today the primary role that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has to play in the transition towards a circular economy. Voting on MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen’s own initiative report on ‘ ’, legislators called on the European Commission to set ‘ ’ in a bid to ‘ ’ of EPR schemes. An article by Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA, published in the Renewable Matter Magazine: an intrenational bi-monthly pubication on the bioeconomy and the Circular Economy. Shared Views and Recommendations of European Producer Responsibility Organizations for Packaging and Packaging Waste Recovery The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) and 6 Packaging Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) have developed a joint paper that spells out some shared views concerning the future direction of the circular economy, EU waste review and EPR. These views were shaped as a result of an open dialogue and consultative process among the PROs, and include input from a number of international producers. ARA, Austria; Eco Emballages, France; Der Grüne Punkt – Duales System Deutschland GmbH, Germany; Rekopol, Poland; SPV, Portugal; and Valpak, United Kingdom. An article about EPR published in 's bi-monthly Magazine The article was published in the last issue of the by-monthly Magazine, Waste Management World (March-April 2015) by Piet Coopman. It states that the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can be a strong policy principle in waste management. Over the years it has been introduced worldwide for different waste streams and based on its European experience has defined some key considerations for successful implementation of EPR throughout the world. The Position paper focuses on mandatory lables used to give waste recycling recommendations. EXPRA, the umbrella organization for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis, has Ms. Jaana Røine, CEO of Green Dot Norway, was appointed as new member of the EXPRA Board and EXPRA’s President, William Vermeir, was re-elected. During its spring General Assembly meeting, EXPRA, the umbrella organization for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis, has welcomed two new members: ETO from Estonia and VAL I PAC from Belgium. With these incorporations, EXPRA extends its reach to 23 members from 21 countries in Europe, Canada and Middle East. The ISWA Working Group on Legal Issues (WGLI) with the lead author Tina Van Poelvoorde, Legal Affairs Manager at FostPlus EXPRA’s Belgian member, has developed a Discussion paper on Public-Private partnership. The paper focuses on the legal dimension of PPPs, in particular with regard to waste management. It provides information about the types of PPPs, their major characteristics and the Legal framework on PPPs in the European Union At this lunch debate, learn about the discussion on the topic of transparency until now and to . The aim of the event is to build on the findings from discussion on the topic and to go further; trying to come to a common message, at least on some specific waste streams, from the EPR Club on – During its General Assembly meeting, EXPRA, the umbrella organisation for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis, has welcomed two new members - FTI from Sweden and PYR from Finland, extending its presence in Northern Europe. Monthly Newsletter, October 2014 Challenges to separate collection systems for different waste streams - barriers and opportunities Informal sector valuable waste collection is a phenomenon that is developing rapidly, due to many factors, such as economic crises, inefficient functioning of the established WM systems, lack of adequate legal provisions and economic instruments. Over 80 representatives of all stakeholders from 13 countries: academics, researches, EPR schemes, local authorities and business met in Bucharest to exchange their experience and approaches to tackle the challenges. EXPRA – Mr Joachim Quoden, MD Eco-Rom Ambalaje – Mr. Sorin Popescu, CEO ISWA – Mr. Gerfried Habenicht Communications Manager RDN – Mr Alexei Atudorei , Member of ISWA Board Romanian National Environmental Guard – Florin Diaconu, General Commissar ISWA -Dr. Helmut Stadler Overview: “Integration of the invisible and Deniable: Challenges of integrating Informal Recycling within the EU” – Dr. Anne Scheinberg, Director, Noë Waste Measurement Consultants, Wageningen, the Netherlands, and Senior Researcher, UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands “From marginal to inclusive. About to change the paradigm approach” - Gelu Duminica, "Impreuna" Agency for Community Development Turkey – CEVKO (Mr Mete Imer, CEO) Greece – Herrco (Mr, Yiannis Razis, CEO) Malta – Greenpak (Mr. Daniel Tabone, Senior Operations Manager) Bulgaria – Eco Pack (Mr Todor Bourgoudjiev, CEO) Romania – Eco Rom (Ms Liliana Nichita, Director) The Federation of Development Intermunicipal Associations – Mr. Gabriel Moiceanu, President Moderator Joachim Quoden, EXPRA Romanian Ministry of Environment ISWA Representative – Dr. Helmut Stadler Municipalities-– Mr. Gabriel Moiceanu, President FADI NGO’s Mr. Cosmin Briciu, Green Partnets, Romania Mr. Maarten G. Labberton, Director EAA Packaging Group Waste Management Company- ARS, Mr. Domitru Mihalache Academics - Ms Gudrun Obersteiner, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna A feasibility study on The effects of the proposed EU packaging waste policy on waste management practice, developed by the Data and Reporting Working Group of the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA), concludes that the increased recycling targets proposed by the European Commission would lead to collect more packaging waste from households than the amount of packaging that is put on the market. Besides, the costs for collection, sorting and sale of packaging waste will more than double under the proposed legislation. EXPRA is pleased to invite you to a policy dialogue at 22 September 2014, 14:00-17:00 in BIP, Rue Royale 2-4 Brussels This event will discuss key elements of the Circular Economy Package, looking in particular at how EPR can contribute to optimal waste management and the instruments that are needed at EU level to enable its further development. Please find program and additional information in attached leaflet. Challenges to separate collection systems for different waste streams - barriers and opportunities. October 9, 2014 – NOVOTEL BUCAREST CITY CENTRE, Bucharest, Romania In the light of the proposed by the European Commission increased recycling targets, as part of the Circular Economy Package, the problem that certain valuable packaging is disappearing or even not reaching the established collection infrastructure of municipalities and compliance schemes, gains major importance. The higher the prices for secondary raw material are the more material is disappearing which makes it more and more difficult to finance the infrastructure and to reach recycling targets. The workshop will focus on the problem of the relation between the regular collection of valuable parts of the waste stream and the informal sector and will offer a platform to exchange experiences on the effects of this problem and possible solutions. More information about the workshop and registration please find . Monthly Newsletter, July 2014 EXPRA Position Paper on the EU Waste Target Review and the revision of related waste directives EXPRA’s key messages on the EU Waste Target Review and the revision of related waste directives Monthly Newsletter, May 2014 This glossary is a collection of terms that are commonly used in the field of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and in the waste management sector. This brochure explains EXPRA’s golden rules for EPR, the activities of EXPRA, and provides key facts and figures on its members’ activities. Monthly Newsletter, April 2014 EXPRA takes part in Public Consultation on Certification of Waste Treatment Facilities Monthly Newsletter, March 2014 This paper outlines the response of the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) to the Commission proposal on Lightweight Plastic Bags amending Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste. Position Paper clarifying the role of different stakeholders in EPR EXPRA Response Paper on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive Monthly Newsletter, January 2014 This time with some national stories of EXPRA members Expra consultation to the topic. The undersigned associations strongly believe that the Triman measure fragments the internal market, is a barrier to trade, is more strict than necessary and is not proportionate to meet the objective being pursued. follows the work carried out for the European Commission by BIO Intelligence Service, assisted by Arcadis (Belgium), UBA (Austria), Ecologic (Germany) and IEEP (United Kingdom), consisting in the analysis and comparison of 36 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes in the EU (on Packaging, EEE, B&A, Oils, Graphic Paper and Vehicles). , which contains best practices for successful Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. These rules aim to support the goals of obliged companies in their sustainability policy and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and should be incorporated in the forthcoming revision of the EU Waste Legislation on Packaging and Packaging Waste. Monthly Newsletter, November 2013 This newsletter will give you a glimpse of EXPRA’s activities in Brussels and beyond over the past month. Download Expra Monthly Newsletter about EXPRA activities. In early June, a public consultation by Eunomia on the review of EU Waste Targets was launched. The project aims to contribute to the best solutions for the targets of the EU Waste Framework Directive, Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and Landfill Directive. It responds both to the review clauses of these directives, but also aims to put the directives more in line with EU resource efficiency ambitions. The consultation includes sections on: The consultation includes separate sections on the three directives, asking questions about these, but also includes questions related to the aspirational targets from the Resource Efficiency Roadmap. The consultation will be open until 10 September 2013. EXPRA will take part in the consultation. Additional information and the online questionnaire are available The consultation period following the publication of the Commission’s closed on 7 June. EXPRA submitted its contribution to the public consultation welcoming the Commission’s Green Paper and the opportunity provided to stakeholder and citizens to take part in the EU discussion on ways to improve the management of plastic waste in Europe. The response provides EXPRA’s views on the 26 questions in the Green Paper, touching upon issues such as recycling and recovery targets, marine litter and how to achieve greater recycling rates. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in the context of plastic waste and that, moving forward, it will also be important to focus on efforts in the field of non-packaging plastic, through measures in fields including EPR and reinforced recycling targets. The contributions to the public consultation are now being analysed and will feed into the ongoing work under the Waste Policy Review and further policy action in 2014.
di|– During its autumn General Assembly meeting, EXPRA, the alliance of 26 producer responsibility organizations for packaging which are owned by obliged industry and work on a not-for-profit basis, has elected its Board of Directors for the 2018-2021 mandate. : FEVE, FERVER, EXPRA and EuRIC are committed to increasing the quality and efficiency of the glass recycling value chain through separate collection, quality recycling and closed loop manufacturing of glass. To help achieve this, a single, harmonised, ambitious and enforceable calculation methodology for the reporting of glass recycling in all Member States is needed. “ ” stated Adeline Farrelly, Secretary General of FEVE. “ FEVE, FERVER, EXPRA and EuRIC also recommend maintaining a clear and consistent legal framework between the End-of-Waste Regulation, the EU Waste Framework Directive and the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, which supports an ambitious and comparable implementation of the reporting. “ ” insisted Baudouin Ska, Secretary General of FERVER. Emmanuel Katrakis, EuRIC Secretary General, further emphasized that “ ”. The European Commission is still to finalise implementing legislation establishing rules for the calculation, verification and reporting of data for verifying compliance with the recycling targets set in the Waste Framework Directive and in the Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive. EXPRA’s Managing Director, Joachim Quoden, commented: “ t”. You can read the joint statment This has been boosted by the success of trading platforms like eBay, Amazon, etc. which makes it extremely easy for a consumer to find his seller of preference. The OECD has seen a growth in business in internet trade from 2014 to 2017 by over 60% in 8 major EU economies (150 to 230 billion €). Even more than before, this sector is not very compliant with EPR obligations (but also with VAT and other tax obligations) which leads to an increasing amount of free riding in national EPR systems. Free riding is also leading to an increased burden for those companies who are complying with their obligations, meaning that they have to pay indirectly the fees of the free riders as well. For the WEEE sector, the non-store EEE retail in the EU is thought to be >30% of the market so that the problem has reached a point where the competent authorities but also the value chain, including the selling platforms / fulfilment houses, have to take action to avoid the collapsing of the first EPR system. The new Waste Framework Directive has recognized this challenge by setting out the minimum requirements for EPR schemes (Article 8a), also especially for this distance selling sector: “Member States shall establish an adequate monitoring and enforcement framework with a view to ensuring that the producers of products and organisations implementing extended producer responsibility obligations on behalf of producers, implement their extended producer responsibility obligations, including in the case of distance sales, the financial means are properly used and all actors involved in the implementation of the schemes report reliable data.” You can read the full document
li|Raising and relevant guidelines Disseminating information on trends Strengthening the FYR Macedonia – Pakomak (Mr Filip Ivanovski, CEO) Project “Informal sector integration in solid waste management in Tunisia” , Mr. Cosmin Briciu, Green Partnets, Romania Serbia – Mr. Mihail Mateski, General Manager, GREENTECH d.o.o. WFD (key issues, suggestions for revision) Landfill directive (key issues, suggestions for revision) PPWD (key issues, suggestions for revision) Consultation Regarding the Aspirations of the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe Targets as a Tool in EU waste Legislation
st|The Sistema de Gestión Envases y Embalajes, EXPRA’s Managing Director, Joachim Quoden, commented “Close the Glass Loop”. further pressure on EPR systems negative impact on the life cycle of products European Green Deal Circular Economy Action Plan the Packaging for Recycling (P4R) Project improving the recyclability of packaging awareness of recyclability cutting-edge and innovative packaging link between packaging producers and recyclers Brussels, 7 December 2018 Brussels, November 2018 Brussels, November 2018. Brussels, 28 May 2018. Brussels, February 2018. Brussels, 25 January 2018. Brussels, 17 January 2018. Brussels, June 2017. Separate waste collection in the context of a Circular Economy in Europe, o . elected its Board of Directors for the mandate 2015-2017. EPR Club and EXPRA members will come together to discuss amongst each other “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has lead without any doubt to better recycling results for packaging waste, WEEE, and many other waste streams” states a recent publication of the (ISWA) on EPR. read more The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) extends its reach in Northern Europe Two new members, Packaging and Newspaper Collection Service (FTI) Sweden and t he Environmental Register of Packaging (PYR) Finland, join the EPR Network Brussels, 3 December 2014 October 9, 2014 – NOVOTEL BUCAREST CITY CENTRE, Bucharest, Romania Welcome by the organizers (EXPRA / ISWA / RDN) Welcome note Paving the floor to the topic – Inspiring the audience Experiences from different countries Key performance indicators of the informal waste sector – Mr. Roland Ramusch, Institute of Waste Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna Excurse No 1: Initiatives in South American countries - Mr Philippe Diexcsens, DANONE Excurse No 2: Challenges in the collection of bulky waste and overview about solutions in different countries to integrate the informal sector – Ms Gudrun Obersteiner, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna Experiences from different countries Panel Discussion – Learnings from the presentations and future steps –
h1|Overview
h2|PRESS RELEASE: The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) is expanding its network to Latin America EucoLight, Eucobat and EXPRA call for a more sustainable Digital Services Act EXPRA supporting innovation as a member of Digital Watermarks Initiative HolyGrail 2.0 Italian member of EXPRA, CONAI – the Italian National Packaging Consortium – elects new President EXPRA - founding partner in the action platform "Close the Glass loop" EXPRA Norwegian member Green Dot Norway among the very first in Europe on chemical material recycling of plastics EXPRA co-signs position on the EU 'Own Resource on Unrecycled Plastic Packaging' EXPRA Canadian member, Éco Entreprises Québec welcomes the curbside recycling reform, announced by the Government of Québec PRESS RELEASE: EPR Schemes across Europe join forces with Close The Glass Loop to promote circularity of Glass Packaging First prize for EXPRA Maltese member, GreenPak at Sustainable Enterprise Awards 2019 PRESS RELEASE: EXPRA signs Declaration of the Circular Plastics Alliance PRESS RELEASE EXPRA launches online information tool to facilitate packaging recyclability Joint Statement of EXPRA, PROsPA and EPRO on the Measurement of Recycling of Packaging Waste PRESS RELEASE: The members of the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) have elected the Board of Directors for the next two years. Mr. Cees de Mol van Otterloo, CEO of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen as the President of EXPRA FEVE, FERVER, EXPRA and EuRIC join forces for an ambitious and comparable measurement point for glass recycling Under the CEFLEX iniiative EXPRA endorses the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment EXPRA co-signs the cross-industry packaging value chain statement on the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive EXPRA, PROsPA & EPRO Workshop on Eco Modulation of EPR fees, October 9, Brussels EPR Club LUNCH DEBATE hosted by EucoLight, EXPRA and WEEE forum on EPR, online sales and free-riders, June 18, Brussels PRESS RELEASE New Single-Use Plastics legislation requires further assessment PRESS RELEASE LIFE EPS-SURE Project: Website launch PRESS RELEASE CEFLEX initiative:Extended Producer Responsibility supports circular economy solutions for flexible packaging PRESS RELEASE: Extended Producer Responsibility can help achieve plastics’ circularity Fost Plus, EXPRA Belgian member responsible for household packaging, extends and simplifies selective sorting PRESS RELEASE: EU waste legislation must address free-riding caused by distance selling PRESS RELEASE: The Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) extends its reach in Northern Europe Sustainability Drops: News from EXPRA members, Spring 2017 EXPRA member GreenPak wins Koperattivi Malta Special Award PRESS RELEASE: EXPRA Member Ecoembes launches first Circular Economy innovation, research and testing centre in Europe: TheCircularLab PRESS RELEASE: EXPRA’s President and Board re-elected PRESS RELEASE: EXPRA Member CONAI receives Circular Economy Award PRESS RELEASE: Circular Economy Package: EXPRA calls for safeguarding Extended Producer Responsibility and objectively measuring recycling 04/2016 Circular Economy Package: EXPRA calls for enhanced Extended Producer Responsibility and recycling criteria Ecoembes with new logo and strategic plan Separate waste collection best placed under the Extended Producer Responsibility principle EXPRA hosts EPR Club’s lunch debate on the new Circular Economy MAKING IT EASY TO BE GREEN EXPRA welcomes enhanced EPR criteria in new Circular economy Package Two new members, SLOPAK Slovenia and EKOPAK Bosnia and Herzegovina join EXPRA New EXPRA study highlights data reliability as major challenge for new EU waste management targets CONAI, Italy is opening a process for selection of the monitoring trustee EXPRA co-signs the Joint cross-industry packaging value chain recommendations on the Circular Economy Package Updated EXPRA leaflet published EXPRA welcomes EP call for Extended Producer Responsibility standards within the Circular Economy EPR as an Economic and Environmental Instrument Future Direction of the Circular Economy, EU Waste Review, Extended Producer Responsibility Extended Producer Responsibility: Getting it Right EXPRA Position paper on Labelling New appointment to EXPRA board and re-election of EXPRA President Two new members, the Estonian Recovery Organization (ETO) and VAL I PAC, the Belgium recovery organization, responsible for industrial packaging, join EXPRA New ISWA Discussion paper on Public-Private Partnerships INVITATION to the EPR Club / EXPRA / ACR+ lunch debate on Transparency in EPR schemes, 25 March 2015 ISWA Key Issue Paper on EPR EXPRA open letter to Commissioner Vella regarding the Circular Economy Package Two new members, Packaging and Newspaper Collection Service (FTI) Sweden and the Environmental Register of Packaging (PYR) Finland, join EXPRA Monthly Newsletter, October 2014 ISWA / RDN / EXPRA Workshop - results Circular Economy Package: EXPRA study warns of negative effects of proposed legislative changes on packaging recycling The role of EPR in the transition to a Circular Economy ISWA / RDN / EXPRA Workshop Monthly Newsletter, July 2014 EXPRA Position Paper on the EU Waste Target Review and the revision of related waste directives EXPRA’s key messages on the EU Waste Target Review and the revision of related waste directives Monthly Newsletter, May 2014 EPR Glossary EXPRA membership brochure Monthly Newsletter, April 2014 EXPRA takes part in Public Consultation on Certification of Waste Treatment Facilities Monthly Newsletter, March 2014 EXPRA Position Paper on the European Commission’s Plastic Bag Proposal EXPRA position papers on EPR and on the revision of the Waste Framework Directive Monthly Newsletter, January 2014 Public consultation on the establishment of a quantitative reduction Joint Industry Association Position on the Triman Mark Guidance on EPR – Stakeholders Consultation Best practices for successful EPR for packaging Monthly Newsletter, November 2013 Monthly Newsletter October 2013 New downloadable brochure about EXPRA activities Public consultation on the review of EU Waste Targets launched – EXPRA to contribute EXPRA takes part in Commission Public Consultation on Plastic Waste
h3|Declaration of the Circular Plastics Alliance
sp|by Insidea here here Plastretur will deliver between 7,000 and 10,000 tonnes of plastic packaging from Norwegian households to Quantafuel, for chemical recycling into raw materials to produce new plastic products. In short , the chemical process is to convert the used plastic into gas and then upgrade the gas to petrochemical raw material at Quantafuel's plant in Denmark. Subsequently, the product will be recycled to new plastic by the chemical giant BASF. This gives the plastic a quality that can be used in eg food packaging, avoiding the limitations in ordinary mechanical material recycling. You can read the full Press release here here here here here here here Read more Joint Paper read more read more download the presentation Workshop program Read here
em|Milan, July 23, 2020 EXPRA as a founding partner fully supports the ambitious targets of the We believe thatthey could be achieved only via a close to face the challenges but also exploit opportunities stemming from the new EU Waste Legislation. knowledge and best practices in innovative collection models, high quality sorting & recycling and especially in communication and information campaigns for consumers, who at the end of the day are the engine at the core of the whole process. “extended producer responsibility will also be strengthened” Brussels, 20 September 2019. Brussels 29 July 2019. We are delighted to have such a strong partnership calling for comparable and ambitious reporting on glass recycling Measuring real recycling will drive local implementation of high quality separate collection for glass”. The measurement point for reporting on recycling rates in the Directive clearly refers to the actual reprocessing into products, materials and substances and must therefore be consistent with the EU end-of-waste criteria established for glass it is key to show that the entire glass sector agrees on a single, robust and harmonised point of measurement for glass recycling which supports end-of-waste criteria and will further drive quality along the value chain We strongly welcome a uniform definition for the measurement of recycling and believe that recycled waste should be measured at the gate of the recycling plant as the data can only be ascertained until the plant’s gate, in order to deliver fair and reliable statistics. We welcome the initiative by the glass sector to agree on the “recycling operation”, which is crucial in this respec Brussels, 24 April 2017 100 Italian Circular Economy champions’ AGCM Resource efficiency: moving towards a circular economy clear minimum standards for extended producer responsibility requirements ensure transparency and cost effectiveness ISWA ISWA ISWA which level of transparency are we asking from the various actors within the EPR system what should be done on a European level to ensure a certain amount of transparency and what degree of confidentiality should be kept. International Solid Waste Association
pa|The Bulgarian legislation concerning the Packaging Waste Recycling includes the Waste Management Act (WMA) and an Ordinance on Packaging and Packaging Waste, was adopted in Bulgaria in the period 2003 – 2004. These documents met the related EU directives' requirements and defined the responsibilities of the parties involved in the process In July 2012 a new WMA was adopted by the Parliament, that fully reflects the provisions of Directive 2008/98/EC. A new Ordinance was adopted, defining that 6 000 000 inhabitants should be covered in separate collection systems by the acting ROs, according to their market share. According to the legal framework all producers or importers of packaged goods are obliged to collect, recycle and recover their packaging waste. They have obligation to achieve targets for recycling and recovery of packaging waste generated in result of the use of the produced/imported goods. They may fulfill their obligations under the WMA and the Regulation at their choice: The targets are quantitative and are defined in the Ordinance on Management of Packaging Waste as a percentage of the total quantity of packaging waste generated. Of course these resulted from Directive 94/62/EC and its later amendments and corrections.For Bulgaria the recovery targets started at 35 % for 2006 and currently, for 2013 they are 56 % . Population 2,870,340 No. of local authorities 86 No. of companies in system 1,200 clients Packaging introduced to the market 130,683 tons licensed packaging Recovered waste 70,553 Recovered 70,450 Recycled Types of packaging All types
li|, or , represented by a recovery organization.
st|individually through a collective system
h1|Bulgaria
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Bulgaria:
sp|by Insidea ECOPACK Bulgaria
pa|Redesigned Packaging Act No. 119/2010 Coll. became effective as of May 1, 2010. Among other things the definition of obliged industry has been amended in the Act. Based on the Packaging Act, an obliged person is obliged to meet its regulatory duties under the Packaging Act, mainly to ensure packaging waste collection, recovery and recycling at least in the extent of the binding recovery and recycling limits. The packaging Act enables any obliged person to meet its duties via a so-called authorized organization. In the Slovakia, there is 12 authorized companies, so it is very competitive market. Instead of sensitive current numbers, you can see some general figures. Population 5.43 mil. No. of local authorities 1,638 municipalities in system 3.1 mil. inhabitants covered by ENVI-PAK ENVI-PAK market share around 50% ENVI-PAK total spending on recovery of waste and packaging waste nearly 14 mil. euros/10 years ENVI-PAK recovered waste about 1.2 mil. tons of waste/10 years Types of packaging Household, commercial and industrial packaging waste.
li|Packaging Waste Law, May 2010 The Slovak government is preparing the new Packaging Act, which would become effective from summer 2014. Definite targets to 2020 - recover and recycle 50 % household waste Definite responsibility lies with obliged industry – entrepreneur and a legal entity who packs or fills its products in packaging, introduces packed products into market, introduces packages into market with the exception of packaging producers and importers, who supply empty unused packages to obliged industry.
h1|Slovakia
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Slovakia:
sp|by Insidea Envipak
pa|The management of the household (HH) packaging waste in Slovenia is based on shared responsibility between local waste management companies (WMC’s) and packaging recovery organizations (PRO’s). The collection of separately collected HH packaging waste is financed by WMC’s – they are legally and technically responsible for household packaging waste collection. PRO’s get the collected material for free from WMC’s. The sorting and recycling of the HH packaging waste is financed by the PRO’s (according to their market share). In Slovenia there are all together 6 operating packaging recovery organizations and except Slopak are all other vertically integrated ones. The collection, sorting and recycling of the industrial/commercial (I) packaging waste is sole financial responsibility of the PRO’s. The obliged companies have the possibility to enter a PRO (collective scheme) or meet their obligations individually (individual scheme). The collection network for household packaging is currently established for separate collection of paper, mixed household packaging (plastic packaging, beverage cartons, metal packaging) and glass. (OG RS No , , , , , in ) – entered into force 23.8.2006 EU Legal acts that were adopted by the Decree on packaging and packaging waste handling or the Decree enables the implementation of these acts: – Permission granted by Ministry for the Environment to Slopak who is authorized to carry out the activities of waste packaging management. Population 2 mil. No. of companies in system 819 Recycling/recovery 28.789 tons (73 %) recycled 36.062 tons (92 %) recovered
li|Commission Decision of 22 March 2005 establishing the formats relating to the database system pursuant to Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste Directive 2005/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2005 amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste
st|Decree on packaging and packaging waste handling Directive 94/62/EC of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste 97/129/EC: Commission Decision of 28 January 1997 establishing the identification system for packaging materials pursuant to European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste (Text with EEA relevance) Directive 2004/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste - Statement by the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament Environmental permit, No. 35472-148/2012-5, valid from 31.12.2012 to 15.01.2023
h1|Slovenia
h3|Data 2014 Packaging organisation/s in Slovenia:
sp|by Insidea SLOPAK
pa|FTI (Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen) is a company in the recycling industry that is responsible for ensuring that packaging and newspapers in Sweden are collected and recycled. We are responsible for the 5 800 recycling stations around the country where people can leave their used packaging and newspapers. The collection system is financed inter alia by packaging fees paid by the producers that import, fill, package and sell the products. Packing fees for packing of paper, plastic and metal are administered by FTI. Operations are conducted without profit and no economic dividends to the owners may be allowed under the company's charter. Our business is based on government regulations on producer responsibility for packaging and newspapers. The producer responsibility is a standard that has been created to develop an environmentally sustainable society for the future. The visionary scenario is a circuit adapted society where most of what is currently regarded as waste will be useful as some kind of new resource. The principal method adopted by Parliament in 1993 for this work is to put environmental responsibility on the producer of a product. Producers shall be obliged to take care of the packaging even after the consumer end use. Owners of FTI are the five materials companies Plastkretsen, MetallKretsen, Returkartong, Svensk GlasÅtervinning and Pressretur. There is also Svensk GlasÅtervinning with an agreed collaboration. The FTI's and materials companies' boards include representatives from the packaging and newspaper industry, commerce and trade associations. Our head-office is in Stockholm, but some of our staff is also located in other parts of Sweden. “Purchasing this ‘collection system service’ from us is simply a matter of companies complying with their statutory producer responsibility – to provide their own clients with a national collection system for packaging.” says Anette Löhnn, head of marketing at FTI. FTI is a commercial service function whith the aim that affiliated companies will be able to more easily benefit from the goodwill generated by helping to finance a collection system that is highly appreciated by their clients. FTI is seen by the public at large as being supported by a considerable portion of the Swedish business community. We always work for the best interests of companies with producer responsibility. Five material waste management companies organise collection and recycling/recovery of waste packaging. Collection is carried out under contract with privat and municipal organisations and companies, that compete for acquiring the right to collect. Recycling is carried out by contracted recycling units or by selling collected materials on the market. All five companies own FTI (Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen AB), which collects packaging fees for three of the owners. FTI does not handle deposit schemes for reuse and recycling of beverage packaging. Those are handled by the company Returpack. Box 17033, S-104 62 Stockholm Sweden (visiting address: Magnus Ladulåsgatan 63A, Stockholm) Tel.: (+46) 8 566 144 00 Fax: (+46) 8 566 144 44 For more detailed information concerning this green dot system please click on the address of the website or send an e-mail¨. E-mail: Web:
st|Förpacknings- och Tidningsinsamlingen (FTI)
h1|FTI
sp|by Insidea
pa|The Estonian Recovery Organization (ERO) came into force on July, 2004. ERO is a non-profit organization and does not share profit among its owners. All profit is reinvested to the collection and recovery for decreasing total costs. ERO's mission is to help packaging operators to fulfill Packaging Act economically reasonable, socially acceptable and environmentally effective way. ERO's aim is to transfer packaging operator's obligation to organization. ERO represents the interests of its members/clients in cooperation with public institutions. The scope of responsibility is to collect and recover its clients' packaging waste and to guarantee reporting for Packaging Register. ERO is not responsible for packaging circling in the deposit system. The highest decision making body is General Meeting which nominates board for 2 years. Board is responsible for fulfilment of ERO's targets. The Board consists of 6 members. To achieve its goals, board has formed office and hired Managing Director. Managing Director runs ERO with 6 employees. ERO is a collaborative industry body through which businesses work together to achieve the recovery and recycling of packaging waste. Membership is open to all types of obligated companies including manufacturers, converters, packer/fillers, sellers and also all sectors of industry. It aims to take the pressure away from businesses that would find it difficult and time consuming to comply with any legislation on an individual basis. Mustamäe tee 24 10621 Tallinn Estonia Tel.: +372 640 32 40 Fax: + 372 640 32 48 Skype: +372 640 32 40 Web: E-mail:
st|Eesti Taaskasutusorganisatsioon MTÜ
h1|ETO
sp|by Insidea
pa|Directive EC/94/62 about packaging and packaging waste Directive EC 2004/12 about packaging and packaging waste Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste Management, 2009 Population 2.1 mil. No. of local authorities 85 municipalities 65% inhabitants covered by system No. of companies in system 659 membres Packaging introduced to the market 110,000 tons (total estimated packaging waste) 40,200 tons (reported packaging waste to Pakomak) Recovered waste Recycled 7,600 tons packaging waste Types of packaging Household and commercial
h1|Macedonia
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Macedonia:
sp|by Insidea PAKOMAK
pa|The Grand-Ducal Regulation of October 31, 1998 which came into force on January 1, 1999 has as goal to prevent, reduce, reuse and recycle packaging. The people responsible for packaging are obliged to take back and recycle their packaging. However, they can transfer their responsibility to an officially approved company like VALORLUX. The tasks of Valorlux are the promotion, coordination and financial support of the separate collection, the sorting and the recycling of household packaging waste in the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg. Legislation on packaging waste is increasingly strict and binding be it at a European or at a national level. The amended grand-ducal Regulation of October 31 1998 transposes into national law the European Directive 94/62/EC on Packaging and Packaging Waste as well as its March 2005 revision. The regulation established several obligations the Party Responsible for Packaging has to abide by: The legal recycling/recovering rates are: Glass 60 % Paper/cardboard 60 % Metal 50 % Plastics 22,5 % Wood 15 % Total recovery 65 % The Party Responsible for Packaging may fulfill his obligation personally or ask a registered body to do it for him: VALORLUX a.s.b.l. for instance. In the name of its members, VALORLUX aims at reaching the recycling and recovery rates and the information and prevention targets imposed by the legislator. Population 524,853 No. of local authorities 106 municipalities 105 municipalities with VALORLUX blue bag collections 116 municipalities benefit from financial support No. of companies in system 1,076 membres Packaging introduced to the market 53,175 tons of declared household packaging 10,281 tons of declared commercial packaging Recovered waste 46,739 tons packaging waste 73.48% overall recovery 72.08% recycled Types of packaging Household and commercial In 2012, VALORLUX collected 90.56kg of packaging per inhabitant including 14.17 of PMC (Plastic bottles and containers, metal packaging, beverage cartons collected by blue bags), 59.69 kg was collected by the municipalities and 16.70 kg was commercial packaging.
li|collection of packaging for recycling and/or recovery purpose in order to reach the recycling and recovery rates defined by the amended Grand-Duchy Regulation; Information of the consumers about the measures taken to reduce packaging waste and what has become of the collected packaging. Yearly report to the Administration in charge of the environment; Prevention actions in relation with packaging
h1|Luxembourg
h3|Data 2012 Packaging organisation/s in Luxembourg:
sp|by Insidea VALORLUX
pa|TAMIR., a not-for-profit organization, was established in 2011 by the major Israeli manufacturers and importers for the purpose of becoming a Recognized Packaging Recovery Organization under the Israeli Packaging Law, enabling manufacturers and importers of pre-packed products and service packages to fulfill their legal obligations under the Packaging Law. TAMIR was granted with the authorization to operate as a Packaging Recovery Organization, on December 1, 2011, and started its operation on January 1, 2012. Currently TAMIR is the only Packaging Recovery Organization operates in Israel. In order to fulfill its obligations, which include funding the separation and collection of packaging waste, as well as compliance with recycling targets set forth by the Packaging Law, the manufacturers and importers are required to contract with TAMIR pay handling fees determined by the weight ' the material and the type of packages (Household or Industrial) they place in the market. TAMIR in a process to sign various agreements with the entire Israeli local authorities in order to fund all its activities related to separation, collection and removal of packaging waste. The arrangements for separation and collection of packaging waste, as implemented by the local authorities and financed by TAMIR, provide a solution to packaging waste formed in private homes by the consumers and enable the establishment of a broader infrastructure for the collection of household packaging waste on a national level. As being a very "young" organization TAMIR is investing in communicating the obligations set forth in the law towards manufacturers and importers of packaged products in order to increase the number of obliged companies participating in the implementation of the articles stipulated in the law. In addition, TAMIR is cooperating with local authorities in communicating the different selective collection systems to the consumers, mainly, the correct disposal of waste to the orange bins and to the new glass bins, encouraging them to separate packaging from waste and to use the correct system. Shenkar 18 st. Herzliya. P.O.B 2078. Israel. Tel: 972-9-8800046 Fax: 972-9-8866053 E-mail: Web:
st|TAMIR – Packaging Recovery Organization of Israel Ltd (cc).
h1|TAMIR
sp|by Insidea
pa|CONAI is a private system, created and designed by companies: with 830000 members, between packaging producers and users, CONAI is one of the largest consortium in Europe. Its task is to manage the recycling and the recovery of packaging in all of Italy and to pursue the recycling and recovery objectives set by European legislation, first acknowledged in Italy by the Ronchi Decree (legislative Decree 22/97), which was replaced by the legislative Decree "Environment Regulations" in 2006 (legislative Decree 152/06). The CONAI management was entrusted by law, on the basis of a unique model through which private effectively manage a matter of public interest: the protection of the environment. CONAI safeguards the environment by embracing the entire packaging lifecycle, from production to end-of-life management. To this purpose CONAI promotes the adoption of environment-friendly packaging at source, and then co-ordinates the recovery and recycling of packaging after use. The CONAI model is based on the principle of "shared responsibility" which assumes the cooperation of all participants involved in waste management: from companies, which produce / make and use packaging materials, to the Public Administration, which make the regulations for waste management, Each consortium must, for each material, coordinate, organize and increase: the take back of packaging waste (mainly from separated waste collection), the recycling and recovery processes. The ongoing environmental contribution made by the members provide the resources for CONAI'S activities. Via Pompeo Litta, 5 20122 Milano ITALY E-mail: Web:
st|CONAI Consorzio Nazionale Imballaggi
h1|CONAI
sp|by Insidea
em|The CONAI System is based on the activities of six consortia that represent materials that are used in the production of packaging: steel (CONSORZIO RICREA), aluminium (CIAL), paper (COMIECO), wood (RILEGNO), plastic (COREPLA) and glass (COREVE).
pa|ÇEVKO Foundation has been established in 1991, by the 14 leading packaging, detergent and beverage industrial companies of Turkey. The objective of ÇEVKO is to contribute and play a leading role in the establishment of Packaging Waste Recovery System in Turkey, while complying with the related European Union Legislations and with the Principles of Integrated Waste Management. The Principles of Shared Responsibility among the Consumer, Industry, Local and Central Government are the guiding principles of the activities of ÇEVKO. ÇEVKO Environmental Protection and Packaging Waste Recovery & Recycling Foundation was found in 1991 by 14 leading companies of Turkey. Currently 49 large, significant filler, packaged good importer and packaging manufacturer companies are members of ÇEVKO Foundation. In order to manage the financial issues more efficiently the ÇEVKO Foundation Economic Operations was found in 1996. The number of obliged companies signed agreements with CEVKO is 1509 by the end of 2012. The clients of CEVKO as obliged companies are brand owners, packers, fillers and importers. By the end of 2012, the number of the employees of ÇEVKO is 26. ÇEVKO fulfills its obligations in accordance with the Regulation on the Control of Packaging Waste. It carries out activities regarding communication, awareness raising and training. It engages in activities regarding the separate collection of packaging waste with municipal authorities and licensed companies. In training and publicity activities, professional teams inform consumers about the aim and advantages of separate collection at source, and how they can participate in separate collection activities. Consumers are also reminded that the separate collection of packaging waste is a legal obligation. The target audiences for those activities are residential dwellers, workplace owners, state employees, and primary and secondary school students. Training and publicity activities are done in the form of door-to-door briefings, building and group meetings, and "training the trainers" sessions. The door-to-door briefings mainly target housewives, children, building managers, and superintendents. ÇEVKO Foundation believes that training young minds about the recovery of packaging waste by separately collecting packaging waste at source is a significant investment for the future. Motivated by this belief, ÇEVKO Foundation has disseminated consciousness of recovery in students through sessions held by its specialist teams in primary schools between 1991 and 2009. ÇEVKO Foundation, aims to reach out to young individuals through their teachers and begins doing so in the year 2009-2010. ÇEVKO, has put into practice the project titled "Recovery for the Future", which was approved by Ministry of Education of the Republic of Turkey. know-how and experience transfer on the subject of recovery and recycling have been transferred to teachers through the "Training the Trainer" program within the "Recovery for the Future" project. ÇEVKO Foundation, has targeted consumers at malls, airports, hotels, restaurants and cinemas where the amount of packaging waste is excessive. Moreover, campaigns on television, radio, social media and outdoor commercials have been used to create awareness at consumers in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. Cenap Sahabettin Sk. No: 94 Kosuyolu Kadiköy - Istanbul / Türkiye Tel: +90 (216) 428 78 90 - 94 Fax: +90 (216) 428 78 95 Web: E-mail: For more detailed information concerning this green dot system please click on the address of the website or send an Email
st|ÇEVKO Foundation
h1|CEVKO
sp|by Insidea
pa|The mission of EXPRA (the "Alliance") is to be the umbrella organisation of not-for-profit producer responsibility organisation dealing with used, mainly household packaging which are owned by the obliged industry. It aims to act as the authoritative voice and common policy platform representing the interests of its member organizations, and to run a network for the exchange of best practices within its members. Finally, it is the promoter of the EPR Manifesto and works on the implementation of these golden rules into European and national legislation. This code ("Code") is a concise outline of the ethical principles, values and the rules of governance by which the Alliance's management and also its member organisations should be guided both in their internal role within the Alliance as in relations between the Alliance and the different stakeholders associated with it: shareholders, companies, public administrations, suppliers, employees and the general public. For purposes of this Code, the "Alliance's management" shall be deemed to encompass all (individual) members of management, all members of the board of directors as well as any other permanent or temporary committee or working group appointed from time to time as well as other advisory bodies. In so far the ethical principles, values and the rules of governance set out in this Code apply to the board of directors, this Code forms part of the rules of governance for the board of directors in the meaning of article 15 of the Alliance's articles of association. The Alliance undertakes to periodically revise and adapt this Code, and more in general undertakes to make any changes or amendments to this Code in any case so required by the circumstances.
h1|Rules of governance and Code of ethics
sp|by Insidea View the Code
pa|The “Besluit beheer verpakkingen en papier en karton”, the Dutch packaging decree, makes producers and importers responsible for eco designing their packaging and for reaching material specific recycling targets. Producers or importers are defined as “he who in his profession or acting as a company in the Netherlands is: Municipalities are responsible to collect the waste of citizens within their borders based on the “Wet milieubeheer”, the Dutch environment act. Furthermore, they have to collect at least paper/cardboard, glass and plastic packaging separately. As a result of the laws above, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment, the Association of Dutch municipalities and producers/importers have signed a covenant, the “Raamovereenkomst Verpakkingen” or packaging agreement. The first packaging agreement was signed in 2007, the second one in 2012 and is valid from 2013 until 2022. Based on the desire of all parties, producers/importers guarantee that they will have one, robust organization that finances extended producer responsibility for packaging. Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen is this aforementioned organization. It has signed a contract with large producer association for fast moving consumer goods, non-food and industrial packaging, and by publication in the official Dutch state gazette (“Staatscourant”), this agreement is declared legally binding for all producers/importers. Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen has taken over the responsibility from producers/importers to reach the recycling targets as published in the packaging decree. Population 16.655 mil. No. of local authorities 419 municipalities No. of companies in system 2,313 members (more than 50 tons of packaging/year) Packaging introduced to the market 2.748 mil. tons Recovered waste 1.977 mil. tons of the packaging is recycled 2.191 mil. tons of the packaging is recovered Types of packaging Household packaging or commercial packaging
li|the first to hand over packed products to another; the first to import packed products and discards the packaging; orders to put his name or mark on the packaging; the first to hand over last minute packaging to the user.”
h1|Netherlands
h3|Data 2011 Packaging organisation/s in Netherlands:
sp|by Insidea Afvalfonds Verpakkingen
pa|Ekopak is the first and leading packaging recovery organisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose goal is establishment and development of an efficient, integrated system for the management of all types of packaging waste: glass, paper, metal, plastic, wood and multilayer materials. The role of Ekopak, packaging recovery organisation, is to take responsibility for the fulfillment of legal obligations on behalf of its clients, producers of packaging, importers, fillers, distributors and retailers, with the lowest sustainable cost and for the benefit of the entire community. For detailed information, please visit Ekopak is a non-profit company established in 2011, with the aim of taking over the responsibility for fulfillment of legal obligations for recycling and re-use of packaging waste in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on behalf of packaging producers, importers, fillers, distributors and merchants.
h1|EKOPAK
sp|by Insidea
pa|The (HERRCO S.A.) was founded in December 2001 by industrial and commercial enterprises which, either supply packaged products to the Greek market, or manufacture different packaging items. In addition, the Central Union of Municipalities in Greece ( ) has a shareholding of 35% in the System’s capital. In compliance with the provisions of and in seeking to fulfill the obligations of packaging operators in an effective and cost-efficient way, HERRCO has developed and implemented the Collective Alternative Management System – “RECYCLING” ( ) contributing significantly to the achievement of the national objectives. HERRCO’s recycling system collects packaging waste from paper, plastic, glass, aluminium and tinplate. The collected stream is then transported to the Sorting Centers, where the recyclable materials are separated and forwarded for recycling. HERRCO’s operation is based on a set of fundamental principles ensuring the attainment of its goals and based on European practices. They are summarized in the following points: All packaging materials used by participating companies are treated in an equitable manner. HERRCO develops and implements specialized communication programs aiming to create awareness and motivate citizens in order to participate in Packaging Recycling by applying appropriate procedures: Issuing an setting out the recent actions of HERRCO so that the Mass Media and the partners of HERRCO from the fields of Local Authorities, the State and the packaging operators can be informed on a regular basis. Himaras 5 Maroussi 15125 Greece Tel.: 00 30 210 8010962/ 963 Fax : 00 30 210 8012272 Web: :
li|The contractual participation of packers and fillers is carried out subject to the same terms, regardless of whether they are shareholders or not. The possibility of acquiring a shareholding in the share capital is open to all operators, subject to the same terms with existing shareholders. The objective of HERRCO is not to achieve a positive financial outcome (not –for-profit company), but rather to utilize the financial resources allocated for the optimal recovery of packaging waste. It is for this reason that there is no provision for a dividend distribution to HERRCO’s shareholders. The activities of the System which aim at the recovery of packaging waste from municipal waste are developed in close partnership with Local Authorities, as set out in the legal framework. to all households in the areas where the recycling project is being developed, including: the standard recycling bag, a special leaflet with useful information regarding Packaging Recycling and a letter from each Mayor to the residents of his or her Municipality. In some of them about recycling are organized as well in supermarkets, cosmetic stores, toy stores, department stores, commercial stores, restaurants, cafes, bars, beaches through the branding of the back-end of buses in newspapers and magazines based in Athens and throughout Greece as well as in the local Press and in municipal journals. in the interior of the METRO coaches Broadcasting of with social messages in cooperation with the participating Municipalities (e.g. the Luna Park of Recycling) Placement of in municipal branches, Citizen Service Centers, companies, cinemas and other areas visited by large numbers of people. (direct mail, internet banners, text links etc.). by organizing the collection and recovery of recyclable materials and by implementing special informational activities. Development and implementation of the action within the school units of the cooperating Municipalities in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. presentations of the recycling process to students. Publication of Recycling programs and actions through
st|Hellenic Recovery Recycling Corporation KEDE C.A.M.S. – RECYCLING Operational Principles Distribution of information package Distribution of info-material to the personnel of the Companies affiliated with HERRCO. special events and seminars Promotional Activities Outdoor advertising campaigns Moving Media Campaigns Advertisements and other Informative publications Placement of advertising messages messages through the radio TV commercials Informational and promotional activities Recreational and Educational events information material Use of internet tools Social Media Campaigns Participation in social and cultural events "Recycling at School – Changing Attitudes" School visits at RSCs and Press Releases electronic newsletter HERRCO (Hellenic Recovery & Recycling Corporation)
h1|HERRCO
sp|by Insidea
pa|Slopak was established in 2002 by the obliged industry to manage the recovery of household and industry packaging waste based on not-for profit and profit-not-for distribution principle. The collection of HH packaging waste is responsibility of the local WMC’s (58), the collection of industrial packaging waste is responsibility of the PRO’s and is carried out mainly by subcontractors. Slopak is financed by the obliged companies (producers, importers, distributors) who pay the packaging fee. All members of Slopak are treated equally regardless of quantities and type of packaging put on the market. Over the years Slopak also established management of other types of waste: WEEE, waste tyres, waste medicals, waste batteries and residues of plant protection products. In accordance with legislation, in Slovenia it was established shared responsibility of operative and financial implementation of responsibilities of handling with packaging and packaging waste between the WMC’s and PRO’s. The WMC’s are responsible for the organisation, collection and financing of separately collected streams of household packaging waste (glass, paper, mixed municipal packaging -beverage cartons, plastic and metal packaging) and are obliged to pass free of charge all separately collected household waste packaging to PRO’s according to their market share. The PRO’s take over the collected packaging waste from WMC’s in the collection centres for further processing and recovery. For the financing of sorting and recycling of the collected HH packaging waste are responsible PRO’s. The management of industrial packaging waste is organised differently than household packaging waste. The responsibility for the organisation and financing of the collection, sorting and recycling of industrial packaging waste is borne solely by the PRO’s. (OG RS No , , , , , in ) – entered into force 23.8.2006 EU Legal acts that were adopted by the Decree on packaging and packaging waste handling or the Decree enables the implementation of these acts: – Permission granted by Ministry for the Environment to Slopak who is authorized to carry out the activities of waste packaging management. Slopak invests in nationwide communication activities towards clients, youngsters and general public. The activities are executed through different communication tools: national media, online tools, public events and educational programmes. Recent communication activities: – Website offers information for general public about separate collection of different types of waste (waste packaging, WEEE, waste tyres, waste medicals, waste batteries, residues of plant protection products, hazardous waste and organic waste), about recycling of waste, videos about waste management of different types of waste, etc. Vodovodna cesta 100 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia Tel.: +386 1 5600 250 Fax: +386 1 5600 260 Web: E-mail:
li|Commission Decision of 22 March 2005 establishing the formats relating to the database system pursuant to Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste Directive 2005/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2005 amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste Website for the consumers : information about proper separation of waste (packaging waste, waste tyres, WEEE, waste batteries, waste medicals, PPP), collection possibilities, educational videos, recycling schemes etc. Facebook Ločujem odpadke for general public: photos from events, fun facts, interesting news, advice about proper separation of waste etc. Slopak at summer festival in collaboration with obliged company Pivovarna Laško: Slopak is present at the festival Pivo in cvetje in Laško, where demonstrators raise awareness and motivate the visitors to keep the location clean through fun activities. The acquired knowledge is later adopted at their homes. ( ) Presentations in schools (primary schools, high schools, faculties): topics in accordance with the age of the students vary from how to properly separate waste, what is recycling to the presentation of the functioning of the system. Life project Ločujmo odpadke (LIFE 10 INS/SI/136): 6 films about recycling of waste, information points in shopping centres and student campuses, 4 mock-up (presenting recycling of PET bottle and beverage cartons, sorting line and dismantling of mobile phone), demonstration bins for student campuses, 4 surveys, 3 school contests (topics: recycling of can, glass bottle and PET bottle), promotion of collection centres, articles in national newspapers, publications and leaflets, posters, roll-ups, Layman’s report etc. ( ) Slopak website : information for the obliged companies about the functioning of the system, their obligations, legislation etc. ( ) Slopak publications, brochure, mailer news Media campaigns about functioning of the system, The Green Dot
st|Decree on packaging and packaging waste handling Directive 94/62/EC of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste 97/129/EC: Commission Decision of 28 January 1997 establishing the identification system for packaging materials pursuant to European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste (Text with EEA relevance) Directive 2004/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 amending Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste - Statement by the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament Environmental permit, No. 35472-148/2012-5, valid from 31.12.2012 to 15.01.2023 Slopak d.o.o.
h1|SLOPAK
h3|Website for the general public
sp|by Insidea
pa|Valipac is a non-profit organisation established to fulfill the obligations defined in the law and to stimulate the recycling of industrial packaging waste. Since '98, companies have legal obligations towards both the prevention and management of industrial packaging waste. We gather the proofs of recycling for over 8,000 companies responsible for packaging & we collaborate with 200 operators. We give financial support to companies which make the effort to correctly sort their packaging waste. Valipac is accredited by the Interregional Packaging Commission for the take-back and information obligations of its members. For more information visit
h1|Valipac
sp|by Insidea
pa|Eco - Rom Ambalaje is an organization established by the industry, acting as an interface in fulfilling a public interest mission: environmental protection by observing the commitments to reach packaging waste recovery and recycling objectives. By the contract taking over responsibility, Eco-Rom Ambalaje fulfils the objectives related to the recovery and recycling of the package materials introduced on the market by the companies manufacturing or importing packaged products. It was established in order to develop an Integrated Management System (SIG) to implement the specific legislation. At the begging of 2013 Eco-Rom Ambalaje had already more than 2.526 member companies. The mission of Eco-Rom Ambalaje is to successfully achieve the recycling and recovery objectives for its clients, to increase awareness of the importance of separate collection of waste packaging among the population, to implement and develop a system of separate collection of waste packaging that concern both economic agents and population, to contribute to the Romanian waste market by facilitating a mix of effective solutions, to moderate dialogues between its clients thus as to enable the development of related activities. The vision is to implement a nationwide system of separate collection in continuous development, to be an engine for sustainable development of waste packaging recycling market in Romania, to guarantee for its customers freedom of choice for the best solutions by safe fulfilling of the current and future targets for recycling packaging. In anticipation of the Articles of Incorporation and at the initiative of a group of companies active on the domestic market laid the foundations of Eco-Rom Ambalaje, and took the initiative of implementing in Romania the "Green Dot" system. SC Eco-Rom Ambalaje SA was set up on the 27 of October 2003. There were established the decision-making bodies consist of ShareholdersMeeting, an Executive Committee and the auditing made by KPMG. The share capital of the Company is divided into registered shares, each shareholder is having equal number of shares. Eco-Rom Ambalaje currently employees are nearly 40 people. Eco-Rom Ambalaje plays a crucial role in aware the population, companies and public sector on the significant role of separate collection of packaging waste. Since the extension of services dedicated to population increased rapidly up to 450 administrative units in 2013, meaning access to 45% of Romanian population, the campaigns encourage people responsibility on waste packaging generated in households are a priority. National campaigns or local ones, targeted comunication to various people and communities are developed each year using a variety of channels including a web site dedicated Projects design to various important partners and actors in the field of waste management are organized in order raise awareness and built partnerships for coherent and efficient system at national level. An example is the program which aims to involve local authority in raise the performance services for local waste collection and fulfill the ambitious new requirements recycling Waste Framework Directive. Programs addressed to primary school were created in order to arouse the interest and creativity of young participating in a different kind of educational experience than usual. and , the latest programs, reached more than 30,000 students only in 2012 by giving them each a solid information base and challenging them to get involved and to prove that they acquired information about recycling. Green Recycling Laboratory was awarded with Golden Award for Excellence by European CSR Awards in 2013. 51-55, 1 Mai Blvd. Bucharest, 061629 Romania Tel.: +4021.413.08.44 Fax: +4021.413.08.57 E-mail: Web:
st|ECO-ROM AMBALAJE
h1|Eco-Rom Ambalaje
h3|Campaigns Educational programs
sp|by Insidea
em|City of Recycling Green Recycling Laboratory ECOlimpiada
pa|ECOPACK is the first licensed recovery organization in Bulgaria by the Ministry of Environment and Waters in January 2004, established by the industry - 18 leading local and multinational companies. It is a legal entity registered under the Commerce Act and Waste Management Act, which does not distribute profit and is responsible for separate collection, recycling and recovery of packaging waste on behalf of its member companies. Since its establishment, ECOPACK is a market leader. ECOPACK Bulgaria is certified for BDS EN ISO 9001:2008 Reg. № TRBA 100 0607 and BDS EN ISO 14001:2005 Reg. № TRBA 110 0070. The revenue (fees) from our clients and from selling the materials to recyclers is invested in the development and operation of separate collection systems in the municipalities. The systems include: containers, sorting facilities and transport equipment. ECOPACK Bulgaria develops the three colored containers system: blue for paper and cardboard, yellow - for plastic and cans, and green - for glass packaging. ECOPACK Bulgaria works with sub-contractors - some companies are engaged in picking up and transporting the packaging waste from the containers, others are responsible for the separation of recyclable packaging waste. Then the sorted recyclable packaging waste is sold to recyclers as a raw material for use in production. The channels for collection of packaging waste are: separate collection from household, administrative and other buildings, Industrial/commercial and collectors. The municipalities do not have any financial relations with the Recovery Organization. Their only obligation is to define the locations of the three containers, to implement control over the population on the separate collection of waste and to support the information and education campaigns for promotion of separate collection of packaging waste. Since its establishment, ECOPACK Bulgaria is organizing different information and communication activities targeted at the public, the clients and the partner municipalities. The used channels are TV, radio, on-line and social media. ECOPACK is a partner in major nation TV green initiatives like the "Let's do it" campaign. We also work with the municipalities via regional media. An e-newsletter is issued every quarter and a printed edition – twice per year. Our special focus is on the kids. ECOPACK Bulgaria has developed two national campaigns, especially for this target group, implemented in the period 2011-2013. These are: Organization of eco class in over 400 schools (produced and sent training materials: 680 sets of posters, 400 manuals for teachers and 70 000 books) and the visit of the 3 D Green Eco bus (visited 66 municipalities, 430 schools, 73 000 kids). ECOPACK organizes or supports numerous Green outdoor activities, targeted both at the public and clients. For the clients are also organized seminars and conferences on waste management, recent legal changes, etc. 1750 Sofia 60 Tzarigradsko Shousse Blvd. Bulgaria Tel.: +359 2 401 91 00, +359 2 975 19 25 Fax: +359 2 401 91 01, +359 2 975 19 26 Web: E-mail:
st|ECOPACK Bulgaria Jsc
h1|ECOPACK Bulgaria
sp|by Insidea
pa|Redesigned Packaging Act No. 119/2010 Coll. became effective as of May 1, 2010. Among other things the definition of obliged industry has been amended in the Act. Based on the Packaging Act, an obliged person is obliged to meet its regulatory duties under the Packaging Act, mainly to ensure packaging waste collection, recovery and recycling at least in the extent of the binding recovery and recycling limits. The packaging Act enables any obliged person to meet its duties via a so-called authorized organization. Authorized Organization ENVI-PAK was founded in May 2003. It became the first authorized organization under Art. 8 Par. 2 of the Packaging Act. ENVI-PAK was registered in the Register of Obliged Personsindustry and Authorized Organizations of the Slovak Ministry for the Environment under the sequence number OO_0000001 in August 2004. This year ENVI-PAK is celebrating 10 years being on the market. ENVI-PAK’s management comprises strong and unique companies (multinationals as Coca Cola, Unilever, Nestle, Modules, Pepsi, Tetrapak, Henkel, Procter & Gamble) with international experience and know-how also in the field of compliance with the EU Directive 94/62/EC. ENVI-PAK has developed a coordinated collection, recovery and recycling system of municipal and industrial packaging waste with cooperation of all stakeholders involved in the packaging waste material flow in Slovakia pursuant to Art. 7, Par. 1 of the Packaging Act No. 119/2010 Coll. ENVI-PAK market share is around 50 per cent. The authorized organization ENVI-PAK helps obliged industry to meet duties in a convenient, transparent and efficient manner. Moreover, ENVI-PAK offers a broad range of additional practical services: electronic reporting, E-newsletters, monitoring of legislative amendments and Client advocacy, waste management audits conducted directly at the Client’s company, free-of-charge professional seminars and training, professional and legal consulting The quality of internal processes at ENVI-PAK has been certified by the integrated management quality system under the ISO 9001:2008 Standard (Quality Management System), ISO 14001:2004 Standard (Environmental Management System) and ISO/IEC 27001:2005 (Information Security Management System). ENVI-PAK was honoured by award the for efficiently maintained certified management system in the areas of quality management , environment and information security maintainedby ASTRAIA Certification, Ltd. The green award as a sign of public recognition was given to ENVI-PAK by Pontis Foundation for environmental project aimed at direct financial and managerial support regarding separate waste collection in Slovak municipalities. ENVI-PAK prepares professional conference for municipalities every year. Focus themes are current questions about household waste collection and sorting and new waste legislation with emphasis on packaging. ENVI-PAK prepares education activities of various target groups: obliged industry, representatives of municipalities, public – specially targeted for children and students. ENVI-PAK organizes educational activities during culture festivals, summer camps, road shows. ENVI-PAK has managed the waste separation of plastic, metal and paper, biological waste during the biggest summer music festival (named Bažant Pohoda) in Slovakia for 7 years. Branded containers, posters in the stands, leaflets and a lot of interactive programmes “How to separate waste” – everything is very visible for 30,000 of visitors. ENVI-PAK visits and educates children from foster homes, schools, colleges, festival visitors and people shopping in malls. Cooperates with NGO´s (Živica, Daphné, Young scientists of Slovakia, Better Earth for people with mental disability) ENVI-PAK is a socially responsible organization. Every year it participates in the program called 'Our City' that supports public and not for profit community sector. 'Our City' is an annual volunteer event, which gathers together volunteers from various businesses and public to provide social beneficial activities. ENVI-PAK closely cooperates with government departments for environment, with the different Regions, Local authorities and also media. Facebook is good way to communicate with youth. Galvaniho 7/B 821 04 Bratislava 2 Slovensko Tel.: +421 2 333 227 10 Fax: +421 2 335 200 10 Web: E-mail:
st|. ENVI-PAK, a. s.
h1|Envipak
sp|by Insidea
pa|Pakomak is a nonprofit company, founded on 3/12/2010, whose main activity is management of packaging waste. According to the Law on Packaging and Packaging Waste, since January 10, 2011 Pakomak is the first company in Macedonia, licensed by the Ministry of environment for selection and processing of packaging waste. Eleven leading manufacturing companies in Macedonia are founders of the company: Pivara Skopje AD Skopje (Coca-Cola & Heineken), Prilepska Pivarnica AD Prilep (Pepsi) ; Vitaminka AD Prilep; Pelisterka DOO Skopje; Magroni DOO (Ladna, Dobra Voda); Koding Dooel Kavadarci (Gorska Voda) Kozhufchanka DOO Kavadarci (Sinalco) ; Vivaks Dooel Skopje; Blagoj Gjorev AD Veles; Vinery Tikvesh AD.; Vinery Stobi AD. Company’s goal is to build long-lasting and solid cooperation with its customers and the Government and in accordance with European regulations - to minimize the negative impact of packaging waste on the environment, to promote a responsible attitude towards the companies packaging waste, thus allowing better quality of life to all. Pakomak provides collection and recovery of packaging waste through municipal schemes of separate collection, but also through private waste management companies. This solution is based on legal framework given by the Macedonian packaging and waste law. It obliges producers, importers, fillers, and distributors of packaging and packaged products to provide collection and recovery of packaging waste. They co-finance costs of municipal separate collection of waste through the Pakomak system and network of partners. Based on the same Law, the municipalities are obliged to separate and recover waste. Part of sorted components of municipal waste is also consumer packaging, which should be recovered. Pakomak is obliged to offer the same terms of service to any client-company and waste operator interested to participate in compliance scheme and same time to offer the same terms of support to any municipality interested to participate in packaging collection and recovery system. Pakomak network and system cooperates with 15 municipalities and their communal waste companies, but also cooperate with more than 10 private waste management companies. Pakomak uses a wide range of communication activities towards clients, municipalities and public. Communication takes place through the national and regional media, advertising, online, local and regional information and school program. On national level for communication with consumers, Pakomak use radio spots, newspapers and magazines and online space like FB and web portals. Our facebook page has over 22,000 fans. Pakomak educates children from 10-14 years through the school classes performed together with the NGO. Since 2011, the program undergone almost 5.000 children. Pakomak also educates the municipalities representatives, teachers and has seminars for its clients. Pakomak has organized annually “Trash-for-Art” contest on nationa l level every November, a s well “Sound of Green” concert in June, when in order to get ticket potential visitors have to bring 3 PET bottles. Pakomak is present with activities in all bigger supermarket chains, festivals and mass evenets when lot of packaging waste is generated. blv, Partizanski odredi, Porta Vlae blok 4, 1000 Skopje R. Macedonia Tel.: 389 2 20 44 567 E-mail:
st|Pakomak - Asset packaging and packaging waste
h1|PAKOMAK
sp|by Insidea
pa|In the Czech Republic are municipalities technically and also legally responsible for household waste collection and sorting. There is one Packaging recovery organization - EKO-KOM. This organization does finance costs of municipal separate collection of packaging waste from households. The collection network is currently made up of more than 241 thousand containers for separate collection of paper, plastic, glass and beverage cartons and also partly for metal. 1997-2001 2002 2004 2006 Population 10.5 mil. No. of local authorities 6,251 municipalities (6,073 covered by system) 99% inhabitants covered by system No. of companies in system 20,277 membres Packaging introduced to the market 2,979,976 tons total amount of licensed packaging 921,799 tons of one way licensed packaging Recovered waste Recycled 690,047 tons packaging waste Types of packaging Household and commercial The Financial income of EKO-KOM comes from fillers/producers/importers who do conclude contracts with EKO-KOM. Payments to EKO-KOM are based on quarterly reported amount of packaging placed to the market in tons. Different payments are due to compliance scheme per ton of packaging depending on packaging material and packaging purpose (household and industrial packaging do differ substantially). All EKO-KOM income is used to ensure packaging waste recovery as EKO-KOM is a non profit company. Main part of income is used to cover additional costs incurred in municipalities.
li|- §18 and §19 „Semi-voluntary“ take-back and recovery obligations – recovery rate of packaging - list of recovery packaging „Voluntary Agreement“ between Ministry of Environment and CICPEN – takes effect on January 1, 2002 28. 03. 2002: EKO-KOM Authorisation Ministry of Environment directs a new conditions for New obligation from the certificate of authorization è new Contracts with companies and municipalities, new fees and subsidies structure, new reporting system – takes effect on March 3, 2004 – takes effect on March 15, 2006
st|Waste Act no.125/1997 Regulation form of the Ministry of Environment nr. 338/1997 Government Act 1999 Packaging Act 477/01 AUTHORIZED PACKAGING COMPANY Amendment 9 4/2004 Amendment 66/2006
h1|Czech Republic
h3|Directive EC/94/62 about packaging and packaging waste Directive EC 2004/12 about packaging and packaging waste Data 2014 Packaging organisation/s in Czech Republic:
sp|by Insidea EKO-KOM
pa|Integrated Recovery System EKO-KOM was created by industry to handle recovery of both household and business-to-business packaging. While collection of industrial packaging is organized mainly through business channels, household packaging is collected and recovered as an integrated part of municipal waste. To ensure this system, EKO-KOM is co-operating on contractual basis with more than 6,000 municipalities. The EKO-KOM System provides collection and recovery of packaging waste mainly through municipal schemes of separate collection. This solution is based on legal framework given by the czech packaging and waste law: EKO-KOM company is obliged to offer the same terms of service to any economic operator interested to participate in compliance scheme and same time to offer the same terms of support to any municipality interested to participate in packaging collection and recovery system. EKO-KOM uses a wide range of communication activities towards clients, municipalities and public. Communication takes place through the national media and advertising, online, local and regional informations and school program. On national level EKO-KOM uses for communication with consumers TV spots, newspapers and online space. Especially online space has huge success lately, our websites about sorting and recycling are frequently visited, our facebook page has 50,000 fans. EKO-KOM educates children through the school program, which was founded in 1998. Since then, the program undergone almost 2 million children. EKO-KOM also educates the municipalities representatives, teachers and has seminars for its clients. There are plenty of outdoor activities that promote the importance of sorting and recycling. For example through the project “Clean festival”, where are at the 20 biggest music festivals possibilities to sort the waste and get more information about this theme. – website about sorting and recycling – entertainment recycling website which attracts the theme sorting and recycling through the music a movies – website for children and teachers – website about our challenge exposition made from recycle materials and including the only recycled exhibits. Na Pankráci 1685/17 140 21 Prague 4 Czech Republic Tel.: +420 729 848 111 Fax: +420 729 848 119 Web: E-mail:
li|Producers, importers, fillers, and distributors of packaging and packaged products shall ensure collection and recovery of packaging waste. They co-finance costs of municipal separate collection of waste through the EKO-KOM System. Based on the Waste Act, the municipalities shall separate and recover waste. Part of sorted components of municipal waste is also consumer packaging, which should be recovered. We distributed sets of special bags for sorting in selected areas in almost each region Special stickers on public transport Labels on containers with mixed waste "Thank you" stickers on containers of sorted waste Brochures about the disposal of household waste in households Posters and leaflets on local message boards for sorting support PR articles in the regional media Promotional spots and reportage in the regional media
st|EKO‑KOM, a.s.
h1|EKO-KOM
h3|Local communication activities Websites linked to our campaigns are made for different types of consumers:
sp|by Insidea
pa|“EU action plan for the Circular Economy” describes the as an economy wherein the value of products, materials and resources is maintained for as long as possible, and the generation of waste shall be minimised. The EU’s (CEP) includes a set of amended waste directives, was approved by the EU institutions in July 2018. The new rules establish legally binding targets for waste recycling and the reduction of landfilling with fixed deadlines. These targets will increase the share of municipal waste and packaging waste which is recycled, with specific targets for the recycling of materials used in packaging. The rules also include targets for reducing the amount of municipal waste which is landfilled. For EXPRA, the two key pieces of waste legislation are the amended Waste Framework Directive and the amended Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. You can find additional information about them below. Directive (EU) of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive on waste. The adopted in 2018 requires Member States to improve their waste management systems into the management of sustainable material, to improve the efficiency of resource use, and to ensure that waste is valued as a resource. The Directive sets the following : Municipal waste 55% 60% 65% Member states will have to set up, by 1 January 2025, separate collection for and for from households. In addition, they have to ensure that by 31 December 2023, is either collected separately or recycled at source (e. g. home composting). This is in addition to the separate collection which already exists for paper and cardboard, glass, metals and plastic. The Directive states that Extended producer responsibility schemes form an essential part of efficient waste management and sets minimum operating requirements for such extended producer responsibility schemes. amends (which sets out the ’s rules on managing packaging and packaging waste) and contains updated measures designed to: The Directive as amended covers all packaging placed on the European market and all packaging waste, whether it is used or released at industrial, commercial, office, shop, service, household or any other level, regardless of the material used. EU countries must take measures, such as national programmes, incentives through extended producer responsibility schemes and other economic instruments, to prevent the generation of packaging waste and to minimise the environmental impact of packaging. EU countries must also take the necessary measures to meet certain recycling targets which vary depending on a packaging material and for this purpose apply the new calculation rules. By 31 December 2025, at least 65% by weight of all packaging must be recycled and by 31 December 2030, at least 70% of packaging must be recycled. The recycling targets for each material are: Material Recycling target by 31 December 2025 Recycling target by 31 December 2030 Plastic 50% 55% Glass 70% 75% Paper and cardboard 75% 85% Ferrous metals 70% 80% Aluminium 50% 60% Wood 25% 30% EU countries must ensure that the packaging placed on the market meets the essential requirements contained in Annex II of the directive: Biodegradable packaging: oxo-degradable plastic packaging must not be considered as biodegradable. The is currently examining how to reinforce the essential requirements with the view to improving packaging design for reuse and promoting high-quality recycling, as well as strengthening the enforcement of the essential requirements. EU countries should ensure that systems are set up to provide for the return and/or collection of used packaging and/or packaging waste, as well as the reuse or recovery including recycling of the packaging and/or packaging waste collected. By 2025, EU countries should ensure that producer responsibility schemes are established for all packaging. Producer responsibility schemes provide for the return and/or collection of used packaging and/or packaging waste and its channelling to the most appropriate waste management option, as well as for reuse or recycling of the collected packaging and packaging waste. These schemes will need to comply with some minimum requirements established under the . The schemes should help incentivise packaging that is designed, produced and commercialised in a way that allows its reuse or recovery and that has minimal impact on the environment.
li|prevent the production of packaging waste, and promote the reuse, recycling and other forms of recovering of packaging waste, instead of its final disposal, thus contributing to the transition towards a . to limit the weight and volume of packaging to a minimum in order to meet the required level of safety, hygiene and acceptability for consumers; to reduce the content of hazardous substances and materials in the packaging material and its components; to design reusable or recoverable packaging.
st|Circular Economy and Waste Management “Circular Economy” Circular Economy Package Waste Framework Directive: targets for the preparing for reuse and recycling of municipal waste by 2025 by 2030 by 2035 textiles hazardous waste bio-waste Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive Targets Essential requirements Packaging recovery systems Producer responsibility
h1|Legal basis
sp|by Insidea
pa|GreenPak, first established in 2004, operates a compliance scheme to recover packaging waste in Malta and Gozo, on behalf of importers/producers. Its main aim is to tackle the steadily increasing waste problem across Europe, and to provide Maltese organisations with the facility to conform to their packaging recovery obligations with minimal effort and at the least possible cost. As the pioneer in its field the GreenPak Compliance Scheme is the longest running registered compliance scheme in Malta fully authorised by the environment regulator, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. From its humble beginnings in 2004 with 100 members, GreenPak now has a membership base of over 1300 members. During 2010 GreenPak invited its members to actively take part in the scheme and evolved from a private limited company to a Cooperative run by a Board consisting of its own members. The members of the Board represent all the sections of the Scheme’s membership base i.e. from the largest organization to the smallest. During 2011 GreenPak was awarded the “Management Award for Sustainable Development” by the Cleaner Technology Centre. GreenPak carries out numerous educational initiatives with the general public such as, amongst others Over four million green recycling bags have been given away by GreenPak to consumers. GreenPak has striven to encourage and facilitate the public’s participation in recycling practices, distributing free green recycling bags to households whose Local Council forms part of the GreenPak recycling scheme. GreenPak's aim is to further promote “Recycling on Tuesdays”. In addition to distributing door-to-door recycling bags, GreenPak disseminated educational guidance and leaflets to residents by its appointed recycling advisors. Residents learnt about the direct environmental and economical benefits derived from recycling, as well as what can be recycled in respect to door-to-door collections, and bring-in sites. Furthermore, residents were advised about the civic amenity site options, such as the used battery drop points and the bulky collection services organised by the local councils. Over 350 volunteers and 42 organizations helped in the task of simultaneously cleaning eight locations around Malta and Gozo on the same day! A record number of over 350 volunteers and 42 organisations teamed up with GreenPak to make the 4th Annual Seabed Clean Up Malta's largest clean up drive on record, extending its annual Clean up event to cover not one, but eight different locations around Malta and Gozo By coordinating a Clean up of such magnitude, GreenPak highlighted the important message that through the public utilisation of recycling facilities, the majority of plastics, paper and glass can be prevented from entering our seas and thusly avoid adding to the marine dumping ground. As a result of the Clean Up, tons of material were removed from the sea and beaches. Members of the public who recycled were rewarded with a bag full of products sponsored by GreenPak members. With most localities registering an increase in recycling participation, GreenPak launched the Reward-Reuse-Recycle campaign in appreciation of the public's commitment towards recycling more. Representatives from GreenPak gave out free gifts to unsuspecting residents who have either through the use of the Recycling Bag door-to-door collections or by disposing their separated waste in GreenPak's Recycling Banks have helped make a difference. A green-cloth bag, adeptly named the 3R Bag, doubles up as a carrier bag and is being given away full of a wide selection of consumer products ranging from biscuits, toiletries, dairy products and various other groceries. The general public was asked to write their mobile number on the packaging disposed of in GreenPak’s recycling bags and Recycling Banks and a weekly lottery was held. A weekly prize of €200 was awarded to the lucky winner. GreenPak’s campaign lottery “You win…The environment wins” has registered an increase of 3% in residents participating in waste recycling practices. The weekly environmental lottery presented cash prizes to residents for properly disposing their packaging waste in GreenPak Recycling Banks or through door-to-door collections. Almost 3,000kg of recyclable waste made up of plastic and paper was collected from primary schools in a collective effort to recycle more and create awareness about the importance of waste separation. Organised by GreenPak Coop Society, the schools campaign ‘Nirriciklaw l-iskart’ ran for six weeks between April and May 2012. In all 2,070 pupils participated from nine primary schools. The Eco-Skola committee at each school assisted GreenPak’s initiative and encouraged their pupils to take recyclable waste to school. Students were provided with GreenPak’s recycling bags to deposit the recyclable material, such as plastic and paper, which they brought with them from home. They also had the opportunity to observe the complete recycling process at the recycling facility. During the collection phase from each school, Green Gary entertained the pupils. All participating students were presented with stationary made from recycled material, while a certificate with the weight measured was presented to the head of each school. A staggering 2.7 million plastic caps amounting to 8.4 tonnes of recyclable plastic was gathered in less than two months by hundreds of school children. Their enthusiasm remains unabated to help the less fortunate as once again they eagerly participated in this year’s edition of ‘Irriċkla għall-Istrina’ orgnaised by GreenPak. This effort led to the donation of a €7,000 cheque that was presented by members of the GreenPak Coop Society to the President of Malta, Dr. George Abela, during l-Istrina 2012. Launched by GreenPak last November, the campaign saw the participation of 56 primary schools across Malta and Gozo. GreenPak’s educators, along with GreenPak’s mascot, Green Gary, visited schools to supply recycling bags and explain the benefits of Irriċkla għall-Istrina initiative. Collectively, the students managed to deposit over 2.7 million plastic caps that were collected and recycled by GreenPak. The GreenPak Awards for Local Councils, instituted by GreenPak Cooperative Society and held for the first time in 2013, recognise the local councils that have striven most to improve their green credentials. The awards were divided into five categories with three local councils nominated in each category as finalists. Awarded prizes under five environmental categories ranged from “Most Committed to Recycling” to “Best Improvement in Recycling” Besides the trophies and certification, GreenPak gave out a prize of €1,000 to each Local Council winning one of the five awards. These funds will be used to support an environmental project through which the locality and its residents will directly benefit. St. John Street Fgura FGR1447 Malta Tel.: (00356) 21 660233 Fax: (00356) 21 803434 E-mail: info@greenpak.com.mt Web: www.greenpak.com.mt
st|GreenPak Cooperative Society Ltd
h1|Greenpak
h3|GreenPak encourages public participation door to door: Clean up the Seabed: 3R Bag (Reward, Reuse, Recycle): GreenPak Lottery ‘You win..The environment wins': Recycling competitions in schools: Charity National Event ‘L-Istrina’: Local Council Awards 2013:
sp|by Insidea
pa|The purpose of Ecoembes is to run, in collaboration with local and regional governments, system for selective collection of household lightweight and paper-cardboard packaging waste for subsequent treatment and recovery in order to fulfill the legal recovery and recycling targets in the most environmental and economical efficient way. Besides, Ecoembes provides its licensed companies with technical support in prevention and R&D in order to minimize the impact of packaging waste and make better use for materials. In anticipation of the Act and at the initiative of 57 companies and business associations, Ecoembalajes España, S.A. (Ecoembes) was set up on the 22nd of November, 1996, although it started operating in 1998. Fillers, packers, retailers and distributors, raw material and packaging manufacturers, and also recyclers are represented in the company. Ecoembes’ decision-making bodies consist of ShareholdersMeeting, Board of Directors made up of 55 representatives, an Executive Committee, Auditing Committee, Management Committee and Technical Materials Commissions. The stakeholders are made up of 55% Packagers/Fillers, 20% Retail and Distribution, 20% Raw Materials and packaging manufacturers, and 5% Recyclers. Ecoembes currently employees nearly 100 people. Ecoembes is going to develop a number of activities in order to encourage the social conscience about packaging of waste: Paseo de la Castellana, 83-85 (Planta 11) 28046 Madrid Spain Department of Member Companies Tel.: 00 34 / 91 567 24 03 Fax: 00 34 / 91 598 06 24 E-mail: Web:
li|ECOEMBALAJES ESPAÑA, S.A. (ECOEMBES) was founded by Spanish industry and trade in order to develop an Integrated Management System (SIG) to implement this legislation, and already boasts more than 12,051 member companies, having signed agreements with 107 local and regional authorities. Ecoembes has realized more for the different Regions and Local authorities to have a wide and complete method of communication to make their citizens aware of the selective withdrawal and the recycling of packaging. The “Impropios” campaign aims to drive the reduction of improper materials deposited erroneously in a yellow container with the intention of increasing the quality of the selective withdrawal and to make possible a global improvement of the recycling of packaging. . Every year we meet with up to 700,000 children with the principal aim to teach them to respect their environment and encourage them to do the right thing in order to move our society towards working to a more sustainable planet. Ecoembes is also aware that it is necessary by means of the diffusion of information across the different channels of communication, including , social networks, and institutional relation with the mass media. As an example we emphasize the I Edition R Prizes, an initiative to reward the effort of companies, mass media, investigators, administration and citizens in general in favour of recycling and sustainability initiatives.
st|of 300 awareness communication campaigns Environmental Education Activities in the Schools to take actions in order to make our citizens conscious about the importance of recycling packaging Ecoembalajes España
h1|EcoEmbes
sp|by Insidea
pa|Valorlux is a voluntary initiative of the private sector, a non-profit association, founded on October 2, 1995 by 24 associated members and by 6 supporting members. The associated members represent the producers and importers of packaged goods, retailers, producers of packaging materials and professional associations. VALORLUX provides an overall sustainable and cost-effective solution to the management of household packaging waste flows with a view to providing for a better environment. The collection of Plastic bottles and containers, Metal packaging and Beverage Cartons by means of the blue bag is entirely organized and taken in charge by VALORLUX. The bags are collected from door to door every two weeks in municipalities linked to VALORLUX by contract. Packages are then passed on to the sorting plant where they are sorted by material and forwarded towards different recycling plants. Each citizen, organization or company can participate to the collection of PMC through the blue bag on condition that they reside in a municipality that takes part in the collection system. VALORLUX gets its income from the Green Dot contributions paid by all participating depending on the volume, weight and composition of the packaging they place on the market and on the complexity of the recycling process related to the packaging in question. The sale of collected materials represents another source of income, but nevertheless remains marginal. VALORLUX’s main communication objective is the education and motivation in the correct sorting of packaging waste. VALORLUX main message is that sorting and recycling of packaging are eco-responsible actions. The and are VALORLUX’s main communication tools listing all the instructions to sort right and minimize sorting residue. Children and teenagers also have their brochure and the magazine . Since 2011 VALORLUX has been reaching out to the consumer with its mobile information stand VALORLUX on Tour. In 2012, the number of animations has more than doubled compared to 2011 reaching more than 9,400 visitors. Furthermore, children were able to learn and have fun by throwing the right packaging in the right bin. But they also discovered how sorted packaging waste from the blue bag is recycled. In supermarkets clients who did their shopping with a reusable bag, were rewarded with a gift and encouraged to continue to use reusable bags. Consumers in Luxembourg are diligent sorters. However, some sorting errors remain. More the sorting quality is good, the easier the recycling is. To remind the importance of a correct sorting VALORLUX produced a TV spot. To watch the spot : Twice a year VALORLUX sends to its members the newsletter . In addition to administrative information, the main themes are VALORLUX activities and developments in the legal area of the sector. Several brochures to facilitate administrative procedures for members are available including a notebook with a memory aid. Since 2012, VALORLUX members can access a tool on our website to calculate the reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions which they contributed to by recycling their packaging waste in the VALORLUX system. Based on the amount of packaging declared by VALORLUX members, the calculator estimates the overall CO e reduction by material for a given year. At the end of the simulation, it is also possible to request a free personalized certificate. Accordingly, VALORLUX values the commitment of its members. Thanks to them, 39,118 tons of CO e were economized in 2012. The “Eco-bag” project was started in 2004 by a public-private partnership between the Environmental Agency Luxembourg (Ministry of Sustainability and Infrastructures), clc (Luxembourg Confederation of Commerce) and Valorlux a.s.b.l. as a national packaging waste prevention plan. The “Eco-bag” main objective is to reduce the use of one way shopping bags. In collaboration with 85 retailers, including five major supermarkets, the “Eco-Bag” initiative has been a resounding success. . 9, rue Nicolas Brosius L-3372 Leudelange B.P. 26 L-3205 Leudelange Luxemburg / Luxembourg Tel.: + 352/37 00 06-1 Fax: + 352/37 11 37 E-mail: Web:
st|VALORLUX A.S.B.L
h1|VALORLUX
h3|Encourage correct sorting VALORLUX on Tour TV Spot: wanting to do something is good, doing it right is even better. Communication toward members CO equivalent reduction calculator The Eco-bag action
sp|by Insidea
em|Guide du tri Journal du tri Valorkid Cyclus Mag What’s New
pa|Ecovidrio is the non-for-profit entity entrusted with glass packaging recycling in Spain, representing container glass companies and contributing to their compliance with waste-related regulations at EU and national level. Ecovidrio manages separate collection of glass packaging through specific containers throughout Spain, implements communication and awareness-raising campaigns and collaborates with the industry in waste prevention and ecodesign policies and measures. Ecovidrio was set up in 1995 and started operations in 1997. Fillers, packaging producers and waste recyclers are represented in the General Assembly of the entity. Obliged industry has the majority of shares in the organisation (16 fillers, 4 packaging producers, 5 waste recyclers) and fully controls the Board (11 directors). Ecovidrio employs 10 people and provides nation-wide coverage in Spain. Ecovidrio develops communication and awareness-raising campaigns targeted at citizens and the hospitality sector to recycle glass packaging waste. Communication channels to the general public: Awareness-raising campaigns targeted at and customized to different publics: General Oraa, 3 – 2. 28006 Madrid (Spain) Tel.: 00 34 91 411 83 44 E-mail: Web:
li|Ecovidrio’s website: general information to consumers regarding the functioning of Ecovidrio and its activities: Corporate movie on glass recycling chain: 2.0.: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube Children (schools plan, educational campaigns, mobile apps, awards, etc) Youngsters (awareness through leisure activities – music, sports, etc) Adults and hospitality sector (actions in popular events, customized containers, TV spots, etc)
st|Ecovidrio.
h1|Ecovidrio
sp|by Insidea
pa|Fost Plus promotes, coordinates and finances the selective collection, sorting and recycling of household packaging waste in Belgium. Fost Plus is a not-for-profit organization, set up and financed by industry. It cooperates with inter-municipalities, private waste management companies and recyclers to organize the collection and recycling of household packaging. This includes glass, paper-cardboard and PMD (Plastic bottles & flasks, Metal packaging and Drinks cartons). Fost Plus introduced the system of selective collection in 1994 and continues investing in its further optimization. Fost Plus actively encourages citizens to sort properly and respect In order to achieve the stringent legal recycling objectives, obliged companies can become a member of Fost Plus. They are required to pay a contribution to Fost Plus, depending on the quantity and the type of packaging they put onto the market. Fost Plus cooperates with inter-municipal authorities, who are responsible for waste management within their borders. They can execute the selective collection themselves or use the services of specialized subcontractors. In order to guarantee an efficient collection, Fost Plus foresees the following collection scheme: Glass, paper and cardboard go straight to recycling companies. The blue PMD bags are first taken to sorting centers, where they are sorted into mono-material streams (PET bottles, HDPE flasks, aluminium packaging, steel packaging and drinks cartons) before going to specialized recyclers. The correct sorting of packaging waste is essential in order to guarantee an effective recycling process. That is why Fost Plus continuously invests in campaigns that remind the public at large of the sorting guidelines, both at a national and a local level. Sorting has become a natural reflex for consumers in their homes. Outside of the residential environment however, sorting does not come as naturally. Fost Plus has launched several initiatives to stimulate people to sort wherever they may be — at school, at work, on the beach, during festivals, in sports and recreational centres, and in public places such as stations and airports. At the same time, Fost Plus and its members also continue their battle against street litter, the uncivilized behaviour of consumers who abandon their waste—including cigarette butts, cans and tissues—in public places. Fost Plus also organizes various initiatives to promote company efforts in the area of prevention. Along with other partners, Fost Plus has launched which aims to inform and support companies in their prevention initiatives. Fost Plus has also created the Website which enables companies to test how easy their packaging is to recycle. avenue des Olympiades 2 BE-1140 Brussel Tel: +32 2 775 03 50 Web: E-mail:
li|PMD: transparent blue bags are collected door-to-door. They can only contain plastic bottles and flasks, metal packaging and drinks cartons. Paper and cardboard are collected door-to-door. Glass is collected via bottle banks. Colored glass is separated from white glass.
st|asbl Fost Plus vzw
h1|Fost Plus
sp|by Insidea
pa|From 2003 till 2011 ÖKO-Pannon was operated to help its partners fulfil their obligations stipulated by national law and to support sustainable development. Within its core activities, ÖKO-Pannon co-ordinated the waste management circle from the output of packers and fillers, through the collection and recycling activities. In a close co-operation with municipalities, ÖKO-Pannon was contracted to all parties in the waste management circle. The Company was founded at the end of 1996 the decisive companies of the environmental committee of CSAOSZ (Hungarian Association of Packaging and Material Handling), in order to realize the organized collection and recovery of packaging waste in Hungary, in compliance with the practices of the EU member countries. Currently, 32 large, significant packaging, filling, packaged good importer and packaging manufacturer companies belong to the founders of ÖKO-Pannon. Within its regional activities, ÖKO-Pannon set standard contracts with municipalities and municipal waste collection companies, helping cities and regions to operate their selective collection system. As part of its regional programs, ÖKO-Pannon provided communication and education support to municipalities to help them run their system effectively. The main objective of these programs was to inform people and draw their attention to the effectiveness of selective waste collection and its environmental concerns. ÖKO-Pannon developed an education program with tailor-made materials to different age groups, from nurseries to primary and secondary schools. From 2012 ÖKO-Pannon has been operating only the most important parts of its communications program and provide education services for payment. 1146 Budapest Hungária krt. 179-187. Hungary Tel: +36-1-383-9305 Fax: +36-1-383-9306 Web: E-mail:
st|ÖKO-Pannon Nonprofit Kft.
h1|Öko Pannon
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h1|Position papers
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pa|Green Dot (Cyprus) Public Co Ltd was founder by the Cypriot industry after an initiative at the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2004, to develop a collective packaging management system. The system was accredited by the authorities in 2006 and to date it represents 831 companies and cooperates with 28 out of 30 municipalities and about 50 communities around the island, covering 85% of the population with an organised packaging recycling system. The role of the organisation is to develop recycling initiatives with the Local Authorities and also to recover Commercial and Industrial Packaging to cover the responsibilities for packaging recovery and recycling its members, in the most environmental and economic efficient way. The work of the organisation has been very instrumental in improving the recycling performance of the country and, the system has been achieving its recovery and recycling targets since 2010 and thereafter. At the initiative of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and following the enactment of the Packaging Law, in 2004, 30 large companies joined forces and set-up Green Dot Cyprus which began operations in mid 2005. The organisation was accredited by the authorities in 2006 and immediately begun recovery of Commercial/Industrial packaging. The first projects for the recovery of Household packaging begun in 5 municipalities in February 2007. The organisation is owned by fillers, packers, retailers, distributors, raw material and packaging manufacturers and its’ by Law, registered as a not-for-profit organisation. The organisation decision making bodies consist of the Shareholders Meeting, the Board of Directors with 9 members and an Executive Committee of 4 members. The organisation also undertook to set-up and manage two other collective systems of behalf of the industry. One for the management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (Electrocyclosis) and one for the management of batteries (AFIS). The organisation employs 17 people, while the collection, sorting and material trading operations are performed by a network of waste operators (contractors). Overall in the network of operators another 200 people are employed for the projects of the organisation. Green Dot Cyprus has deployed a large number of communication activities to promote sorting at source and selective collection of packaging waste. The recycling results of Cyprus in the last 6 years have been delivered due to the Green Dot Cyprus campaigns and the sensitisation of people, since sorting at source in still voluntary and there are no financial incentives for people to recycle. Among the most important initiatives, are the following: Green Dot Cyprus has also developed a recycling voluntary group called “Green Team” which has now more than 2,000 members (mainly youngsters). The volunteers undertake to communicate the recycling messages to their neighbours and cover at least 20 households each, per year. 229 Tseriou Avenue, 2047 Strovolos, Nicosia P.O.Box 25463 1310 Nicosia Cyprus Tel.: +357 22 586020 Fax: +357 22 586001 Web: E-mail:
li|Green Dot Cyprus has deployed three large communication campaigns (with duration of 2 years each), with three main messages. The first was aimed to inform people on WHAT to do (sort) (quantity), the second to inform them HOW to do it better (quality) and the third, WHY to do it (consolidation). The campaigns included over time all the basic media for above the line communication (TV, radio, print, internet) and numerous below the line activities including fairs, festivals, local authority events, e.t.c.. One of the organisations’ biggest educational programs involves the school children. Representatives have visited all the schools and organised recycling days, around the island. In the last 2 years the organisation has developed full educational kits with the support of the Ministry of Education and has equipped all the teachers at Elementary and High schools with the necessary material to teach environmental behaviour and recycling. In 2013, the organisation plans to launch an equivalent kit for kindergarten teachers. In the last years Green Dot Cyprus has developed its internet campaigns by modernising its websites, engaging in social media and through the development of interactive recycling games. The latest addition is a mobile application to inform people about recycling programs on their mobile devices.
st|Green Dot (Cyprus) Public Co Ltd
h1|Green Dot Cyprus
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pa|Grønt Punkt Norge AS ("Green Dot Norway plc") is a privately owned non-profit company responsible for financing the recovery and recycling of used packaging on behalf of the industrial sector. These five material companies own Green Dot Norway, which is a non-profit company. Green Dot Norway collects license fees on behalf of all the five companies, and in addition Green Dot Norway runs the recovery schemes for plastic packaging, beverage cartons and cardboard. Parallel with Green Dot system there are two a non-mandatory deposit systems for PET-bottles. One is owned by breweries and handles reuse beverage containers, mainly PET, but also some glass. The other deposit scheme handles recyclable PET, PE and aluminium cans and is owned by breweries and grocery chains. It is not mandatory to be a member of Green Dot Norway, but all companies that use produce or use packaging has a responsibility to ensure the packaging is being handled in a proper way. Except for beverage containers there are no other alternatives than Green Dot Norway. Visiting address: Karenslyst alle 9 A Postal address: Postbok 91Skøyen, 0212 Oslo, Norway Tel.: +47 22121500 E-mail: Web:
li|Green Dot Norway is focusing on three main target groups: Households including schools, trade and industry as waste owners and trade and industry as members/potential members for the company’s communication activities. Green Dot Norway uses a wide range of communication tools to reach all audiences. To reach households to motivate them to sort packaging Green Dot Norway use TV commercials, web-campaigns, social media, print, boards etc. Green Dot Norway is also working close with municipalities which are the “first line” communicators towards the citizens contributing to local activities that complement the national activities Green Dot Norway is doing separately. Visit to see some of the activities aimed at consumers from Green Dot Norway. To see what we are doing towards schools and pupils, visit Dot Norway is also responsible for collection and recycling plastic packaging from trade and industry. Activities are mainly web-based, or print such as ads and brochures. Example of brochure for rigid plastics here: . Members and potential members are of course very important to Green Dot Norway. Over the last years we have been focusing on using the web for as many tasks as possible. We also do profile work through ads, and some more recruit oriented activities to ensure all companies that should pay license fee is a member of Green Dot Norway. To reach out t this audience we also use educational films, brochures designated web member pages etc. To learn more about this visit: .
st|Grønt Punkt Norge
h1|Green Dot Norway
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pa|You can find here common information about Expra members. Overview of the 2020 contributions for compliance with the respective national recovery systems for packaging and packaging waste. (updated August 2020) This brochure explains EXPRA’s golden rules for EPR, the activities of EXPRA, and provides key facts and figures on its members’ activities.
h1|All members info
sp|by Insidea View
h1|Common information
h3|Packaging organisation/s in Common information:
sp|by Insidea All members info
pa|This website provides a dynamic online information tool aimed at allowing users to self-assess the recyclability of packaging and a roadmap based on the following recyclability critical control points: design, labelling, collection and sorting. It brings together best practices by the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) membership as well as information on how to best reduce the environmental impact of packaging while optimising its resource efficiency. The toolkit particularly covers the most-frequently used materials for packaging: aluminium, glass, paper, plastic, steel and wood. You can reach the tool at: New leaflet on Packaging 4 Recycling online tool has been developed by EXPRA Sustaibnability and Packaging WG. You can dwnlioad the leaflet The EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging working group (S&P WG) stimulates the activities of producers and importers of packed products towards the eco-design/design for recycling of their packaging. The S&P WG gathers, pools and exchanges information on the activities regarding packaging prevention. The information is shared with both members of EXPRA (best practices) and other stakeholders (demonstrated expertise), particularly with producers and importers of packed products. The activities and latest projects of the S&P WG and its members have been summarised and presented in a Leaflet, which you can download from EXPRA Position paper: Towards a common approach to modulated fees You can download the document This paper outlines EXPRA’s views on the Essential Requirements in the context of preparation of the European Commission’s future review, as envisioned in the 2018 Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD). This paper outlines EXPRA’s views on the Essential Requirements in the context of preparation of the European Commission’s future review, as envisioned in the 2018 Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD). You can read the full position paper In the Webinar participated 30 representatives including EXPRA’s Packaging and sustainability WG members as well as representatives of Industry and relevant associations. You can see the agenda You can read the full report You can see the presentations below as follows: Grønt Punkt Norge : focus on Metallized plastics nd EVOH, , Liz Morrish /max thresholds, The EXPRA Packaging and Sustainability Working Group organised its annual Workshop on packaging and recycling on 22 May 2019 at the EXPRA Offices (Avenue Olympiades 2, 1140 Evere, Brussels). This year Workshop had a Amanda Fuso Nerini (Chair of S&P WG, CONAI) presented the Packaging recyclability toolkit R4R: www.packaging4recycling.eu. She informed the industry representatives about the overall objective of this initiative, namely to provide practical and useful information to obliged industry regarding packaging in an unbiased way. In the following discussion the industry representatives appreciated the project and Mr James Ede, Kellogg’s, suggested that it could be interesting to add also information on voluntary guidelines. The full text is available P4R, Packaging for Recycling project: Amanda Fuso Nerini (Chair of S&P WG) Downlad ATICELCA Method of Paper and cardboard recyclability assessment: Mr Massimo Ramunni, Chair of ATICELCA and deputy Chair of ASSOCARTA Download Marc Bailli INDUDEF/COBELPA Willem van Veen INDUFED FETRA Download Eco-design guidelines of FILPAP: Jan Cardon, FILPAP Download In the workshop participated over 15 representatives of MNs (P&G, Packaging Cluster, DOW CHEMICAL Henkel and DANONE), associations and EPR organizations. As a guest to the workshop Mr. Jan Le Moux, Directeur Eco-conception et Recyclage, of Eco Emballages also took part. The program included two presentations: on design of plastic packaging and recommendations from the point of view of a recycler. You can read the full text Designing for Recyclability,Designing for the Future, by Ms An Vossen, Plastic Recycling Expert & Executive Manager PLAREBEL Download You can download the presentation You can download the presentation You can download the presentation
di|NEW: P4R: Packaging recyclability roadmap Packaging Recyclability Roadmap New leaflet on Packaging 4 Recycling online tool EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging Working Group Publications EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging Working Group Leaflet EXPRA Position paper: Towards a common approach to modulated fees EXPRA position paper on Essential Requirements: proposed approach EXPRA Networking Workshops on Packaging Sustainability EXPRA External Workshop on Packaging and Sustainability WG with focus on Flexible Packaging, May 13 2020 Workshop On Packaging For Recycling - Focus on Metals, 22 May 2019 During the Workshop was also presneted the brand new EXPRA Dynamic web-based tool " www.packaging4recycling.eu ". The overall objective of this initiative is to provide practical and useful information to obliged industry regarding packaging in an unbiased way. AGENDA & PRESENTATIONS 2:00 PM: Welcome and introduction Monika Romenska, EXPRA Public Affairs Manager 2:15 PM: Presentation of the P4R tool www.packaging4recycling.eu Amanda Fuso Nerini, EXPRA S&P WG Chair 2:45 PM: Guidelines to facilitate the recycling of aluminium packaging Stefano Stellini, CIAL Public Affairs Manager Dowload the presentation 3:15 PM: Design for recycling of steel packaging Steve Claus, Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL), Sustainability & Circular Economy Officer Dowload the presentation 3: 45 PM: Round table discussion and conclusions Workshop on packaging for recycling, 22 February 2018, Brussels Workshop on Design for Recycling, 30 November 2016 Events & Documents EXPRA P4R - A project of the EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging Working group Towards a common approach to modulated fee - A project of EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging Working Group
st|focus on metals, providing analysis and concrete examples for steel and aluminium packaging. Presentations: , Presentations:
h1|Activities
h3|Packaging4Recycling online tool New leaflet on Packaging 4 Recycling online tool EXPRA Sustainability and Packaging Working Group Leaflet 2018 EXPRA Position paper: Towards a common approach to modulated fees EXPRA position paper on Essential Requirements: proposed approach MN Workshop of Packaging and Sustainability WG with focus on Flexible Packaging Workshop On Packaging For Recycling - Focus on Metals, 22 May 2019 Representatives of the paper and cardboard industry and multinational companies also took part in the Workshop. The Workshop focused on Plastic Packaging and recycling Presentation delivered at the a meeting of the Sustainable Development Committee of the European Brands Association (AIM) 20 March 2018 Presentation delivered at AMI's international Multilayer Flexible Packaging conference, 19-21 November 2018, Vienna, Austria. Presentation delivered at the EPR Toolkit Seminar, 24th Packaging and Packaging Waste Forum - Brussels 5-7 June 2018
sp|by Insidea here Presentation by Mr Raf Bemelmans, Chief Supply Chain Officer at QCP, on the recycling process of PE/PP packaging Download here
em|Lars Brede Johansen, Utviklingssjef , GD Norway , CEFLEX Karen van de Stadt KIDV, The Netherlands
pa|Afvalfonds Verpakkingen ('Packaging Waste Fund') was established by producers and importers to collectively meet the extended producer responsibilities as stated in and Packaging Agreement. It is a not-for-profit organisation governed by a board of directors, who are themselves appointed by producers and importers. The binding Waste Management Contribution Agreement (ABBO, in Dutch) between all producers and importers and Afvalfonds Verpakkingen, came into effect on the 1st of January 2013. Afvalfonds Verpakkingen establishes and collects the packaging waste management contribution, and outsources other tasks to various organisations through service level agreements and/or funding. These organisations include: Education and communication are key elements in stimulating citizens to separately collect their packaging waste in order to have it recycled. Nedvang provides municipalities with information for their own communication, but also organizes various communication activities, ranging from indications what packaging waste has to be sorted to national publicity campaigns. Typical forms of communication to support separate collection and recycling are Besides, education is crucial to Nedvang. Together with organizations aimed at the recycling of the separate materials, Nedvang develops education packages for elementary schools and their children. Overgoo 13 2266 JZ Leidschendam The Netherlands Tel.:+31 (0)85 401 26 60 E-mail: Web:
di|The main goal of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen is to implement the Packaging Agreement. To achieve this goal, we focus on the coordination and implementation of various tasks such as:
li|establishing and maintaining a waste management system to achieve national recycling targets; working with municipalities and other parties to compensate for the collection or processing of (separated) waste packaging; the minimisation of packaging litter; monitoring and reporting on the usage, collection, and re-use of packaging materials; and establishing the rates, and collecting contributions from producers and importers. : Monitoring of packaging off the market and recycled packaging waste; : Prevention of packaging litter; : (Kennisinstituut Duurzaam Verpakken, KIDV) is responsible for the development, consolidation and sharing of factual knowledge about sustainable packaging based on the following principles: reduce, re-use, renew and recycle. Recycling newspapers Advertisements Commercials Factsheets and other messages to municipalities Education materials for primary schools Online games TV shows (especially for children)
st|Goal of Afvalfonds Verpakkingen Outsourced tasks Afvalfonds Verpakkingen
h1|Afvalfonds Verpakkingen
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pa|The organization has been certified by the Quebec government since 2005 to establish a fee structure and collect company contributions. Those obligations make the province of Quebec the most demanding legislative framework in Canada with regard to extended producer responsibility (EPR). ÉEQ’s guiding principles of fairness, integrity, thoroughness and transparency as well as its innovative spirit and its entrepreneurial vision of curbside recycling are the reasons why its initiatives are gaining recognition throughout Canada and North America. In partnership with its stakeholders, ÉEQ has taken a leadership position to improve the performance of the recycling value chain by optimizing at the source materials generated by companies through eco-design, enhancing the curbside recycling system and promoting efforts to increase the quantities of recovered materials at the lowest possible cost. ÉEQ is also dedicated to improving materials sorting and conditioning and the economic value of recovered materials. Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is a private, non-profit organization that represents companies with regard to their responsibility to financially compensate 100% of the net costs of municipal curbside recycling in a sustainable development perspective. With company contributions, ÉEQ finances municipal services for the collection, transportation, sorting and conditioning of containers, packaging and printed matter put on Quebec’s market. Our contributors include retailers, distributors, food and consumer products manufacturers, durable goods manufacturers and services companies (i.e. financial and insurance services, accommodations, food services, government and para-government agencies, etc.). As an organization founded by the industry, ÉEQ is naturally concerned by each step in the curbside recycling value chain. Along with our partners, we track and capitalize on every opportunity to enhance efficiency, optimize costs and recover increasing quantities of better quality materials. In 2013, EPR Canada, a private independent organization, ranked the province of Quebec first, along with British Columbia, for its commitment to the implementation of EPR programs. Also, as part of its benchmarking of Canadian EPR programs for containers, packaging and printed matter, the American Product Stewardship Institute (PSI), under the direction of the Packaging Association of Canada, ranked Quebec as having the "Highest Performing Program" with regard to the greatest number of indicators assessed. As for the fee structure, criteria used by ÉEQ to determine company contributions are legally required to evolve over the years to make targeted companies accountable for the environmental footprint of the products they manufacture, market, distribute or commercialize. A variety of factors are therefore considered: In 2013, ÉEQ will introduce the first credit for post-consumer recycled content in some plastic and fiber containers and packaging to grant a 20% credit to companies who include 100% recycled content in their containers and packaging. More than 99% of residents have access to curbside recycling programs, which consist mostly in the collection of comingled materials using 360 L rolling carts. To ensure system efficiency continues to improve, ÉEQ gets involved in numerous communication activities intended for consumers and targeted companies, such as: This interactive portal is the first packaging optimization portal to offer optimization strategies in a sustainable development perspective. It is specifically intended for companies in all sectors who do business in Canada and manufacture, design or distribute containers and packaging or packaged products. In keeping with internationally-recognized norms and standards, the suggested process is based on a life cycle approach, including materials’ potential for recycling. The portal also offers a tool called OptimAction, which enables companies to measure and promote the benefits of their initiative. (French only) Founded by ÉEQ, bacs+ (acronym for , or benefits of improving curbside recycling) represents tens of thousands of companies, entrepreneurs and stakeholders from every sector. The group believes that curbside recycling is the system of choice to recover the greatest quantities of materials and meet the environmental objectives set in Quebec’s Residual Materials Management Policy. Over the past ten years, more Quebecers have been participating in the recycling effort and are recycling more materials than ever before, but there is still room for improvement to reach the 70% target set in the government’s Policy. That is why Éco Entreprises Québec and RECYC-QUÉBEC (a government agency) launched a joint multimedia awareness campaign to encourage recycling and explain how we all benefit from doing so. (French only) ÉEQ co-founded the (away-from-home recovery program), which it has been financing for more than six years. The program provides financial grants to municipalities to aquire recovery equipment for public spaces. ÉEQ has been the sole member of the since 2012 and co-finances the organization in cooperation with the government as part of a five-year commitment totalling Can$8 million. The most recent recovery program is intended exclusively for municipal organizations to provide equipment for indoor and outdoor public spaces. As an eco-responsible partner of the Mosaïcultures Internationales Montréal 2013 (MIM2013), the largest eco-friendly event in Quebec in terms of duration and number of visitors (more than 1 million), ÉEQ promoted recycling and industry's financial contributions. In addition, 80 recycling bins were permanently installed throughout the site to encourage recycling at this and future events. Plus, on-site hosts interacted with visitors to promote materials recovery during “Éco Entreprises Québec Weekends.” »» 1600, René-Lévesque Blvd. West Suite 600 Montréal (Québec) H3H 1P9 Phone: 1-514-987-1491 E-mail: Web:
li|recycled content nature of materials used volume of residual materials produced potential for recovery, recycling or reclamation Fact Sheets - Impact of Packaging on the Curbside Recycling Collection and Recycling System Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Guidelines on Packaging Voluntary Code - Shopping bags
st|OptimEco.ca | Bacs+ | Recycling is Remaking Awareness Campaign | Away-from-home Recovery Program | Mosaïcultures International Montreal 2013 | More initiatives supporting companies in their efforts to optimize their containers, packaging and printed matter… Éco Entreprises Québec
h1|Éco Entreprises Québec
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em|bénéfices de l’augmentation de la collecte sélective Table pour la récupération hors foyer Table
pa|The Icelandic Recycling Fund was establised in 2003 based on the Act on recycling fees. Its objective is to create an economic framework for the reuse and reutilisation of waste, with the purpose of reducing the amount of waste that goes to final disposal and ensuring the suitable disposal of hazardous waste. Suðurlandsbraut 24, 108 Reykjavík e-mail: website:
st|The Icelandic Recycling Fund/ Úrvinnslusjóður
h1|Icelandic Recycling Fund
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h1|EXPRA initiatives and events
sp|by Insidea EXPRA - founding partner of "Close the glass loop" initiaive Close the glass loop Masterclass | EPR Understanding the basics ISWA and EXPRA What is EPR? What is Extended Producer Responsibility? How EPR fees are calculated? How EPR fees are calculated? EXPRA Webinar: PR Masterclass 2021 - Extended Producer Responsibility Webinar Series EPR Masterclass 2021 - Extended Producer Responsibility Webinar Series
pa|We in EXPRA strongly believe that EPR organizations should support an environmentally and economically sustainable recycling society, which benefits the inhabitants of the country. For that purpose the communication with consumers is a key prerequisite for a successful EPR organization - irrespective of the type of system chosen, selective collection cannot perform up to standard without the consumers‘ understanding and involvement. Our members, industry-owned, not for profit PROs, for over 20 years engage in raising awareness about sorting and recycling and generally promoting environmentally friendly behavior among the inhabitants, as well, as providing support for educational programmes. Bellow you can see some of the best examples of these efforts:
h1|EXPRA members communication campaigns
sp|by Insidea El reciclaje es una oportunidad, aprovéchala Ecoembes Har ikke plastgjenvinning system? Grønt Punkt Norge Lovecycle CONAI, Italy You Ecoembes, Spain Recycle & Breathe Ecoembes, Spain The Passover - Recycled version no 1 feat. Club Killers” Ebbot Lundberg FTI, Sweden Extreme Campaign TAMIR, Israel TOUR_Cliente CONAI, Italy Il tuo pianeta CONAI, Italy CONAI backstage CONAI, Italy CONAI 20” Trailer CONAI, Italy Get a grip! Campaign Green Dot Norway Little quarrel Ecoembes, Spain Dinner Ecoembes, Spain Later Ecoembes, Spain Crush and Win Campaign 1 GreenPak Malta Crush and Win Campaign 2 GreenPak Malta Crush and Win Campaign Game GreenPak Malta The unbearable diffculty of recycling packaging RINKI, Finland When you recycle, you are part of a world that does not stop turning! Ecoembes, Spain
pa|This activity has been realized thanks to the collaboration between the research team from the Chemistry, Material and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” of Politecnico di Milano, and the experts from COMIECO. Collaboration with the whole chain has been crucial, from the paper factories to the companies that contributed to the document with their specific know-how and witnesses. The document describes the peculiarities of paper packaging, the different kinds of packaging material and their characteristics. Detailed analysis of the collection, selection and recycling processes sheds light on the points of attention for each stage, bringing out the design for recycling guidelines. As the Quebec curbside recycling system undergoes , businesses will become responsible for managing the end-of-life cycle for containers, packaging, printed matter and newspaper (C, P, PM & N) they put on the market. Therefore, it’s a good time for them to rethink their C, P, PM & N and make sure they limit their impact on the environment. That’s why Éco Entreprises Québec is launching a revamped version of its , which helps businesses who are interested in carrying out an ecodesign initiative to lay a solid foundation that will ensure their project’s success. The Knowledge Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV) has developed a Recycle Check for paper and cardboard packaging. The tool is intended for packaging designers, but also for marketeers and purchasers, when introducing a new product or packaging to the market. The Recycle Check contains a decision tree to check whether a packaging is collected after use and can be recycled properly (in the Dutch situation). The user is asked a brief number of questions about the material and about packaging components that influence recycling. Background information is provided with each question and various points of attention are explained. This enables a producer to improve the recyclability of the packaging. The KIDV has previously developed recycling checks for rigid plastic packaging and flexible plastic packaging. These have also been translated into English. Click to download the various Recycle Checks. Currently the KIDV is working on recycle checks for glass and metal packaging The Knowledge Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV) has developed a tool to calculate the environmental impact and economic profitability of reusable packaging. The calculation tool gives an overview of all the chain steps of reusable packaging and provides an indication of the CO2 emissions and integral costs, compared to one-way packaging. The calculation tool makes it clear where the tipping point for reusable packaging lies compared to one-way packaging. By operating various buttons, such as the number of rotations, the transport distance and the means of transport, it is possible to optimise the CO2 impact and the integral costs. The development of the tool was an initiative of the KIDV's Community of Practice Reusable Packaging. This involves parties that are working on making their packaging more sustainable by studying and implementing reusable options. Participants include supermarkets, brand owners, service providers, start-ups, knowledge institutions and NGOs. You can download the Reusable Packaging Calculation Tool . Click for more information about the Community of Practice Reusable Packaging. These are multi-layer and flexible materials which, due to their excellent packaging properties, are often used to pack food stuffs. Laminates are currently not (fully) compatible with a circular economy. Companies with ambitions to have their plastic packaging portfolio completely recyclable and wish to use less fossil based raw materials by 2030 are facing serious challenges. For this reason the KIDV carried out a study into possible alternatives for laminate packaging available in the short and medium term, and that are (more) compatible with a circular economy (fully recyclable) and offer the same packaging properties. The KIDV reviewed ten laminates and compared the materials with possible alternative materials. The study showed that, in practice, direct one-on-one substitution of laminates in plastic packaging is difficult or impossible. In the research KIDV describes the steps The Netherlands and Europe must take to achieve circular solutions for flexible multilayer materials. Through a simple guided questionnaire, the simplified LCA it assesses the environmental impact of the packaging at all stages of its life cycle in relation to water consumption, energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The tool therefore suggests personalized eco-design actions and dispositions to carry out comparisons between the simulations, from the point of view of the environmental impact and circularity. Ecoembes, AECOC (GS1 Spain) and IHOBE (Society of Environmental Management of the Basque Government), presented the last 24th October in Bilbao, a document with recommendations to improve the sustainability of e-commerce packaging. The purpose is to help companies to design and develop packagings that, with the minimum amount of material, guarantee the protection of the product along its value chain, thus contributing to reduce the environmental and economic impact associated. The report also outlines that the 43% of online shoppers are willing to pay more for more ‘environmentally friendly’ packaging. The guide will show how good packaging can be both environmentally - and cost efficient. It will cover all packaging materials, and the topics packaging optimization, circular economy, reduction, reuse, design for recycling and the use of recycled materials. News and examples about trends and examples from members will be added for inspiration The 2019 edition of the Prevention Dossier, entitled ‘Pensare Circolare – Risorse e idee per la sostenibilità’, or "Circular Thinking - Resources and ideas for sustainability" takes stock of trends relating to the sustainability of packaging and the strategies adopted by companies The document describes the work of virtuous companies that adopt a sustainability strategy by taking into consideration the multiple functions of packaging and its environmental characteristics as well as the implications on the same organizations and their investments.The aim of the research is to provide a roadmap for the sustainability of packaging defining the main factors to be considered in a sustainability strategy. Led by the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging the Community of Practice reusable packaging started in October 2019. Representatives of twenty companies and organizations joined together in this community. They discussed market developments, shared challenges and the necessity and opportunities of reusable packaging. The more often a packaging is used the lower the environmental impact will be. In that sense reusable packaging will be more favorable to use in comparison to single use packaging. The participants vary from multinationals to start-ups, brand-owners, retailers, (logistical) service providers, universities and NGO’s. In October 2019, we once again awarded two prizes to highlight innovative packaging that contributes to circularity. This year, the prizes were awarded to L’Oréal for their shampoo refill system in the household packaging category, and to Werner & Mertz for the circularity of their bottles in the industrial packaging category. More infromation can be found here: lastløftet will help Norwegian companies contribute to reaching the EU-goals for material recycling of plastic (50% of all plastics by 2025 and 55% by 2030). Plastløftet focuses on increasing the use of recycled plastic, avoiding unnecessary plastic and design for recycling. Companies taking Plastløftet commit themselves to: 1. Set ambitious goals for the increased use of recycled plastic. 2. Prevent plastic waste. The company must work to reduce, reuse and design the plastic packaging for recycling. 3. Attend three annual seminars where producers share knowledge, and experts offer updates on regulations, new materials, recycling technology, design for recycling, etc. The companies set ambitious goals, and report on activities and results annually. 50 companies have signed Plastløftet in 2019, and it will continue through 2020 The information explains into which waste bin to discard each package as well as aims to to strengthen the environmental image of the manufacturers and importers that have signed agreements with “TAMIR”. Yellow bin: Waste bottles of 1.5 liters or more and their corks (these are non-deposit family drinking bottles), other plastic bottles and their caps Orange bin: PMD or packaging waste of all kinds (except glass and cardboard) Purple bin: Glass packaging waste such as olive oil bottles, perfume bottles, coffee jars, jam or honey jars, etc. Blue bin: household cardboard packaging waste, white paper, magazines, newspaper papers, notebooks and cartons such as egg cartons, toilet rolls, etc. Wienerberger Belgium won the Packaging Award during the 61 Ufemat congress in Montreux. The Spanish Danosa and the British Lakes Showering Spaces were the other Award finalists. Wienerberger entered the contest with the that is protecting Wienerberger’s Eco-Bricks. The jury supported the Wienerberger project because of the holistic combination of an ecological product protected by an equally sustainable packaging solution. Valipac is proud because through our connect and develop efforts, Wienerberger is now the first construction materials company that is using shrink hoods containing 50% PCR. Throughout 2015-2019, the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV) executed a Sustainable Packaging research programme in collaboration with the Top Institute Food & Nutrition (TIFN). The programme was geared towards urgent, relevant issues that would contribute to a structural decrease of the environmental impact in the Dutch product packaging chain. The programme explored a large range of topics: consumer experience and behaviour when purchasing and disposing of items, the environmental impact of packaging, the collection and processing of plastic packaging waste, and business models for making sustainable packaging practically feasible. It also involved research into the way people experience packaging in online business, business models in the Packaging Loop, the use of rPET in PET bottles, and mitigating measures in production processes to prevent mineral oils in recycled paper and cardboard. Starting from May 2019, labeling for packaging and magazines has been updated to become even clearer. The marking is designed so that it works on both packaging and recycling containers. All to make it easier for consumers to sort properly. The idea is to have a uniform label that acts as a red thread throughout the recycling journey, with the same symbol on the packaging itself as on the recycling bins. Valipac is now disseminating the learnings with Benelux companies – who already ordered 10 tonnes worth of circular shrink hoods. At the same time the Circular Stretch film project is progressing very well. The production trial showed that a 23 micron film can be produced with 15% and 25 % PCR. However some more formulation work is needed to bring the performance of the circular stretch film to the same high level as a film produced with 100% virgin plastic. Flanders Circular made this summer another call for projects. This time Valipac made 3 entries: Circular Stretch Hood, Circle Strap and Circular Ink. All projects were declared admissible now let’s keep our fingers crossed that they will receive a grant too. Together with the Netherlands Institute of Sustainable Packaging more than twenty sector organizations have drawn up their sector innovation plans for 2019-2022. Amongst these organizations there are those active in the food industry, cosmetics, plants and flowers and the e-commerce. The sector innovation plans contain goals and measures which will improve the sustainability of the packaging used. These are intended to reduce the amount of packaging used and to improve the recyclability and reusability of plastic packaging. KIDV expects that the sector innovation plans will contribute to reduction, reuse and improved recycling of resources and packaging materials. [link to webpage sector innovation plans] This year CONAI promotes environmental sustainability with the “CONAI contest for prevention and packaging sustainability: 2019 edition”, aimed at rewarding the most innovative and ecofriendly packaging solutions placed on the market in the 2017-2018 biennium. The available budget is equal to € 500,000, which is divided as follows: A conscious consumer is someone who considers the health effects, and environmental and social impacts before making a decision on what to buy. Learn the top 10 ways to be a more conscious consumer by considering the health effects, and environmental and social impacts of products and companies before making the decision to buy. The 5thSustainable Business Awards, which aim to reward the successful sustainable business models, were given to projects that created major effects on social, economic, and environmental issues. Members of ÇEVKO Foundation L’Oreal Turkey, Mey İçki, and Sütaş were awarded with their projects. • Co-operation – In the B2B category L’Oreal Turkey was awarded with its Project “Beauty Knows No Obstacles”. You cane read more here: • Mey İçki was rewarded in the Carbon and Energy Management category with the Carbon Footprint Calculation and Reduction Project of Kayra Vintage Wines. • In the Waste Management category Sütaş received the award with “From Farm to Dinner Table” Value Chain Waste Management Model. For the paper and cardboard supply chain, the diversification concerns “polylaminated packaging with a prevalence of cartons suitable for containing liquids", such as containers used for fruit juices, milk and preserves. The course, which will be 100% online, will begin on November 19th and will last four months. At the end of the course, participants will be able to: • Manage, evaluate and validate technical, economic and commercially new packaging designs. • Integrate the environmental variable within the packaging design process and ensure that packaging is reusable or easily recyclable. • Translate packaging sustainability into technical improvements and real economic savings. • Improve the competitiveness of the product, making the environmental advantages an added value to the market. The combination of theoretical content and practical material, and the global approach of the final business case, will allow to practice and connect all the acquired knowledge. More information at New knowledge domain on the KIDV website with background information from different perspectives on how to work on sustainable product-packaging combinations. The WRF is organizing the 2019 forum in the city of Antwerp around the general theme ‘Closing Loops – Transitions at Work’. The Valipac proposal has the title : ‘To more Circular Plastic Packaging for Construction Materials’ and during a presentation on ‘Eternal life of a shrink hood’ will be delivered. Shrink hoods for pallets can stay in circulation much longer if the entire value chain makes good agreements. Still,iIn order to achieve a higher rate of circularity, Valipac started a project to bring the shrink hoods of building materials back into the value chain as ... new shrink hoods. Therefore, we involve all actors: packers, construction contractors, waste collectors, recyclers and shrink hood producers. A step forward in the right direction, but more ideas are welcome. Come and brainstorm with us and let us inspire you by a more circular economy. To register please follow this link: At present, Fost Plus already recycles 89.1% of the packaging placed on the market in Belgium. With the expanded collection of PMD we will capture much more plastic packaging and increase the recycling rate of plastic packaging. "There are still a number of types of packaging that are very difficult to recycle," says Nicolas Egri, Prevention Advisor at Fost Plus. "Today, we want to tackle this problem in close collaboration with our members. " During the first phase, Fost Plus has inventoried the packaging which is difficult to recycle based on the declarations of the members. Based on this a potential of 17,000 tons of packaging has been identified, which will be tackled as a priority. Some of such identified packaging include potato chips, coffee packaging, black EPS trays, drug blister packs and infant milk packaging. It's often packaging that combines different materials from plastic, paper or metal - usually for hygienic reasons and for better preservation. "We are nevertheless convinced that we can find alternatives in collaboration with producers. In the coming months, we will be sitting around the table with many of our members to discuss this issue. "These initiatives will reconcile the ecological and economic aspects, by reducing the contribution to the Green Dot rate by our members who are putting more recyclable packaging on the market. " Do you place on the market non-recyclable packaging, and want to discuss possible recyclable alternatives that exist? Do not hesitate to contact our prevention department at Within the prevention measures of CONAI to reduce the environmental impact of packaging, CONAI is evaluating the methodology to define the contribution levels on the basis of three base criteria: A route already taken with modulate fees for reusable packaging. More information These services are offered to Ecoembes members at no cost. Ecoembes organised conferences in 10 Spanish cities, six on-line sessions and with the collaboration of sectorial associations (ANEABE, ADELMA and STANPA) will organize three more conferences for their members. In the initiative took part 593 companies, increasing the attendance by an 18% compared to the previous year. The participating companies rated Ecoembes activity with an average of 8.88 points (from 10 possible), improving their evaluation by 2.5% compared to 2015. Especially successful were the on-line sessions, tripling the 2015 attendance of companies. Respectively on line trainings will be further increase and will play a greater role in coming editions. These aim to help them implement their ecodesign initiatives: • Ecodesign strategies • Self-diagnosis quiz • Tools and solutions The optimization team also to support businesses in their efforts to implement an ecodesign approach. Through analysis of each step in the value chain Clear recommendations are given where it has been possible, and in areas where there is more than one correct solution, options have been given. The recommendations are based on existing sorting and recycling technologies for Norwegian and Swedish plastic packaging products, and is meant to assist Norwegian and Swedish producers when designing their packaging for recycling. In addition to the report there The Netherlands Institute for Sustainable packaging (KIDV) wants to help designers, developers and buyers of packaging as well as marketers to make choices that make their packaging more recyclable. As a start, the KIDV drafted a document for consultation, concerning tips and tricks to improve the recyclability of 5 types of plastic packaging. It is a living document: in 2017 the KIDV will extend the content of this document with other types of packaging. Since 2012 the bi-annual competition recognizes Belgian companies for their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging These prizes reward companies that make special efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging. The numerous applications submitted for these Awards illustrate how strong companies are interested in the environment. Indeed, innovative designs that also focus on the packaging life cycle are interesting from an ecological as well as an economic point of view. As in previous years, the bi-annual competition recognizes Belgian companies for their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging. Interested companies could apply until the website . The initiative is aimed at rewarding the most innovative packaging solutions and ecofriendly placed on the market in 2015-2016 biennium. The companies that, in the period 2015-2016, have invested in prevention activities aimed at environmental sustainability of their packaging can participate, acting on at least one of the following levers: reuse, saving raw materials, optimization of logistics, facilitation of activities recycling, use of materials from recycling, simplifying the packaging system and optimization of production processes 'LIBERA, nature without littering', a project created by the environmental NGO, SEO / BirdLife, in partnership with Ecoembes, the non-profit environmental organization that promotes circular economy through the recycling of packaging Http://www.proyectolibera.org/que-es-libera with the objective of raising awareness and mobilizing citizens to keep the natural spaces free of littering. To this end, LIBERA proposes an approach to the problem in three dimensions: knowledge, prevention and participation. It is necessary to improve and deepen the knowledge about littering: knowing more about the quantity, typology and origin of the waste will allow the identification of effective solutions for its prevention. In prevention, LIBERA works to avoid the abandonment of rubbish from the sensitization, the reinforcement of the infrastructures in sensitive points and, above all, from the education. LIBERA also wants to promote the mobilization of citizens, so that, among all, the situation can be changed. This mobilization is channeled through sponsorship projects (50 throughout Spain) http://www.proyectolibera.org/apadrinamientos, to help associations and citizens committed to the cleaning and conservation of natural spaces. In addition to massive collaborative littering collection or other ecosystems collection to get data. Http://www.proyectolibera.org/1m2-playas Packplay 2 is a . The objective of this project is to gather the best packaging design projects from design schools around the world for a , an and a . Specifically, the competition aims to promote research and innovation in packaging eco-design and showcase the work of designers of tomorrow in all packaging design related fields, including graphic design, industrial design, object design, branding etc.. The will be part of the which will be held in October in Montréal. To know more about the summit: Since the year 2005 we have organized at least 12 big seminars for clients, in Prague as well as in regions a year. During 2 hours on seminars we have explained them legislation and standardization for prevention and minimization in detail and we have shown them the best results from other companies from Czech Republic and abroad. In addition, the clients have the option of individual consultations. Our employees has been part of CEN Working Groups. So, we have been able to provide our clients with the most up-to-date information and knowledges. EKO-KOM´s financial system is based on the weight of produced packaging. All clients/packaging producers are motivated to minimize your packaging. Fost Plus has a widespread know-how for designing packaging in a most effective and sustainable way as possible. It is a pleasure for us to share this knowledge with various organizations as for example a big retailer, who contacted Fost Plus this year to obtain concrete advice on the environmental footprint of their packaging. In its strategy towards sustainability, the company drives a full attention to packaging. For all its new products, the company analyses the most relevant and intelligent packaging, and can count on the support from Fost Plus to help them on this matter. Fost Plus has therefore recently organized a workshop with the buyers from the retailer to review the packaging they have brought during an interactive session. We also invite you to visit or participate to the Greener Packaging Seminar to get some ideas on the contribution Fost Plus can offer. Some tools like or can help industries to assess the environmental impact of their packaging In France, the use of opaque PET in packaging has increased significantly in recent years. This is a plastic that has been made opaque by the addition of certain pigments. Opaque PET can disrupt the recycling process. In the Netherlands, the plastic is not being widely used yet, but in France this material is already causing problems in the recycling chain. This factsheet provides more information on the use of opaque PET, why it disrupts recycling and how France deals with the increased use of opaque PET. You can find the factsheet . The Netherlands Institute for Sustainable packaging (KIDV) wants to help designers, developers and buyers of packaging as well as marketeers to make choices that make their packaging more recyclable. A public consultation was opened on the web-based platform the result of a collaboration with the research group of Politecnico di Torino and the support of professionals from CiAl. Starting with sustainable packaging, you will quickly discover that this involves more than simply using less or a different material. Over 10,600 volunteers rallied by June 16th across Spain to fight the environmental catastrophe that means the waste abandonment in natural environments, within the ‘1m2 –one square meter- for the Nature’ campaign. It is an action carried out by SEO/Birdlife in partnership with Ecoembes to double the number of heroes who have dedicated their time to clean natural environment. In its second call 420 natural areas of all over the country have been cleared from waste Increasing the use of recycled plastic is an ongoing effort involving a stakeholders through the value chain. By increasing the demand and use of recycled plastic, producers will create a pull in the circular economy. Several Grønt Punkt Norge members are already using recycled plastic in their packaging as a result of their own decisions and research. To increase the use of recycled materials, we need more knowledge on suppliers and qualities, and production - and user tests. All involved producers are well aware that consumer satisfaction and physical/technical functions are at the core of an optimized packaging solution. At the same time, they know that using recycled plastics is the single most effective way of reducing packaging materials’ footprint. The Norwegian project SirkulærPlast (CircularPlastics) is providing technical data for a broad range of recycled materials. This will answer questions from packaging - and commodity producers, and surely accelerate their transition to recycled plastics. The Consortium for the Recovery and Cellulose-based Recycling, member of Conai, Call for Proposals provides for the awarding of 3 prizes for an amount of 35,000 euros to be allocated to the best patents for inventions (€ 20,000), utility model patents (€ 10,000) and design and model registrations (€ 5,000) that relate to packaging or solutions applicable to it with measurable benefits in environmental terms. 4th Green Dot Award 2018 - category of Prevention Applications by Reducing Resources in Packaging Design EKO-KOM together with The Institute of Experimental Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Research Institute of Plant Production made study “Biodegradable plastics in waste management processes TA01020744” This study was financed by Technological Agencies of the Czech Republic. The study was realized in the period of 5 years (2011-2015) to cover the lack of consistency with regard to the subsequent handling of bioplastics as waste. There is a potential problem for existing systems of recycling organized by PRO in Czech Republic. Last March 31st Ecoembes presented the ‘2015 – 2017 Prevention Plan´s Monitoring Closure Report’ to all the Spanish Autonomous Regions with the following results: Once again this year, Fost Plus is committed to offering its members numerous tools and services that help them in their packaging eco-design and design for recycling. In addition to organizing monitoring projects with more than 40 member companies, together with VAL-I-PAC, Fost Plus has carried out 12 diagnostics of packaging solutions with the help of university partners specialized in the field of packaging. This service was developed to help companies optimize their packaging. A clear and precise report is sent to the member companies of Fost Plus and VAL-I-PAC with a description of the actions to be taken to reduce the ecological footprint of their packaging. Members are then free to apply the proposed improvements at their convenience, without significant investment in new technologies. Thus, in December 2017, a big retailer company carried out a packaging diagnosis in three main product categories, giving rise to numerous eco-design perspectives for their packaging. The Conai (Italy) Eco Tool is an online instrument that allows companies in the Conai consortium to evaluate the environmental efficiency (eco-efficiency) of their packaging through a comparison of environmental impact of the packaging BEFORE and AFTER the implemented action. This tool permits calculation, through simplified LAC analyses, of the effects of prevention actions implemented by companies on their packaging. The result of the analyses are expressed through reduction of CO2 emissions, reduced energy consumption and reduced water consumption Ecoembes (Spain) coordinated the Packaging Session at the Basque Ecodesign Meeting (BEM2017), one of the most important meetings on Ecodesign throughout Europe, facing the challenge of sustainability from the Ecodesign point of view. Biannually, the Basque Ecodesign Center organizes this International Ecodesign Event, which is one of the most important meetings on this field in Europe that brings together about five hundred business professionals with strategic decisions making capability, and with an interest in introducing Ecodesign and environmental product innovation into their corporate policies in order to obtain competitive advantages. Ecoembes took this opportunity to launch its , developed in collaboration with IHOBE (the Basque government’s environmental entity). This guide aims to help and guide how to implement a Packaging Ecodesign Methodoly from a practical point of view. During the Packaging season, speakers from several companies, such as L'oreal, Procter & Gamble, Eroski, Pescanova, Químicos Vinalopó, Wite and Solá, A & B biotechnology laboratories… presented their cases of success in Ecodesign, putting their collaborative projects with Ecoembes in value. With this event, another milestone of the work plan was achieved, promoting the environmental improvement of packaging. For the past three years, ÉEQ has been a partner in the Baromètre sur la consommation responsable published by the Observatoire sur la consommation responsable (OCR) of ESG UQAM School of Management. In 2015, the collaboration led to the release of the 1st eco-responsible packaging knowledge indicator and a survey on the myths and realities of eco-responsible packaging. You can find more information Organized in cooperation between Fost Plus and Valipac (Belgium), the 4th edition of the Greener packaging Awards ceremony took place on 23rd November 2017 in Brussels. The awards give recognition to the companies that put every effort in reducing the ecological footprint of their packaging in one or many of the following fields: packaging weight and / or volume reduction, circular economy, product waste reduction. Two bigger awards are also attributed to the best eco-design improvement for household packaging and for industrial packaging, and this year a new voting system was introduced to allow the public to vote for their favorite packaging eco-design initiative out of the nominates. The ceremony also gives the opportunity to get inspiration from a keynote speaker that introduces the audience to sustainable products and initiatives, and it is also an opportunity to get to know and network with other players in the field of sustainable packaging. Please visit the following site to know more about the Greener Packaging Awards and to discover the nominates and winners of this 4th edition: Circular Economy Package demands a shift in knowledge and practice in the Member States of the European Union. One key driver is the drastically increased recycling targets for municipal waste. Specifically, plastic packaging may see targets increasing from 30 % up to 55 %. The main aim of this project is contributing to higher recycling rates of plastic packaging by supporting Nordic producers implement validated design for recyclability principles when designing their packaging. The project focuses on helping the producers design packaging solutions that are actually recyclable. This demands general, validated knowledge of how design choices influence recyclability, and success stories showing how this can be converted into practice. Circular economy calls for solutions that are both technologically feasible and produces recycled materials that are in demand. By meeting these criteria, designing for recyclability will facilitate higher levels of recycling at a reasonable cost. This project will bring the value chain of plastic packaging together, to learn and find solutions that enable more efficient recycling. The effects of source separated biodegradable plastics in the recycling stream will also be described. Designing for recyclability requires an understanding of the current technology for sorting and recycling. It is therefore important that this knowledge is communicated and implemented among producers in the Nordic countries. One project aim is to develop design for recyclability guidelines that help producers to make informed design choices and validate the results in test facilities. For this, the KIDV made a website on which everyone can find tips and tricks to improve the recyclability of their packaging: recyclability.kidv.nl. There are tips and tricks for each of the five materials (plastic, glass, metal, paper/board and wood). The tips are based on the knowledge of the KIDV, input on the consultation, collaboration with the different material organisations and internationally agreed standards, such as EPBP. Per material one or more packaging types are elaborated. The website can be found here: The Trophéco award aims to reward and promote sustainable and eco-friendly packaging sold in Luxembourg with the help of a panel of experts. It offers winning businesses a unique opportunity to promote their products. Winning the Trophéco competition means obtaining certification in the form of a strong and recognizable logo. This certification is designed to make it easier to recognize the product packaging's sustainable characteristics. For consumers, it guarantees that the packaging has been produced using environmentally-friendly methods.
di|Autumn/Winter 2020 Sustainability drops: News from EXPRA members CONAI Design for recycling guidelines for paper packaging Éco Entreprises Québec: Packaging ecodesign KIDV Recycle check for paper and cardboard packaging KIDV calculation tool for CO2 impact and costs of reusable packaging Spring 2020 SUSTAINABILITY DROPS: News from EXPRA members KIDV: Study on recyclable alternatives for laminate packaging CONAI: EcoD Tool Ecoembes : Recommendations for Packaging Optimization in E-Commerce “Emballasjeguiden” - a guide to more sustainable packaging Winter 2019 Sustainability Drops: News from EXPRA members CONAI: Circular Thinking - Resources and ideas for sustainability KIDV: Community of Practice reusable packaging Greener Packaging Awards and Get Smart in Packaging join forces GD Norway: “Plastløftet” (The Plastic Pledge) TAMIR: PACKAGING LABELLING PROJECT Valipac: Circular Shrink Hood wins prestigious Packaging Award Summer 2019 Sustainability drops: News from members KIDV Design for Circularity Scientific Research Programme 2015-2019 FTI (Sweden) Labeling of packaging and magazines Valipac supports Circular Projects Spring 2019 Sustainability drops: News from members KIDV: Sector innovation plans 2019-2022 CONAI contest for prevention and packaging sustainability: 2019 edition Green Dot Cyprus: 10 WAYS TO BE A CONSCIOUS CONSUMER Autumn - Winter 2018 Sustainability Drops: News from EXPRA members ÇEVKO (TURKEY) 5TH SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS AWARDS 2018 CONAI (ITALY) DIVERSIFICATION FOR PAPER AND CARDBOARD PACKAGING AND NEW RULES FORTHE PLASTIC SUPPLY CHAIN LAUNCHED The Diversified Contribution for these types of packaging is aimed at improving the effectiveness of the value creation process by consolidating and developing collection and sorting activities for dedicated ecycling. The project is therefore oriented towards the development of collection and investments for sorting and recycling operations. For plastic packaging, on the other hand, the Contribution diversification already in place as from 1 January 2018 is further reinforced, making clearer the distinction between packaging solutions subject to sorting and recycling and those that are still not. ECOEMBES (SPAIN) LAUNCHES THE FIRST ON-LINE UNIVERSITY EXPERT COURSE IN PACKAGING AND ECO-DESIGN KIDV (THE NETHERLANDS) FIVE PERSPECTIVES ON SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT-PACKAGING COMBINATIONS Starting with sustainable packaging, you will quickly discover that this involves more than simply using less or a different material. The development of a successful sustainable packaging also requires you to consider for example the packaging process and the logistics, your customers’ purchasing and disposal behaviour, and your organisation’s packaging and sustainability strategies. That is why the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV) developed a model called Five perspectives on sustainable packaging®. You can read moer here: VAL I PAC (BELGIUM) THE ETERNAL LIFE OF A SHRINKHOOD The World Resources Forum (WRF) is a non-profit organization for sharing knowledge about economic, political, social and environmental implications of global resource use. WRF creates a platform for researchers, policymakers, business, NGO’s and the public with the aim to expand their vision of a sustainable use of resources. FOST PLUS (BELGIUM) RECYCABLE PACKAGING CHALLENGE Spring 2017 Sustainability Drops: News from EXPRA members CONAI, Italy: Project on modulated plastic fees Ecoembes, Spain: Packaging and Waste Prevention Training Conferences. Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ): OptimEco.ca’s portal Gren Dot Norway: Basic facts report on Design for plastic packaging recyclability KIDV, The Netherlands provides support to designers, developers and buyers of packaging Fost Plus, Belgium: Greener Packaging Awards 2017 Summer - Autumn 2017 Sustainability Drops: News from EXPRA members CONAI, ITALY: TENDER FOR PREVENTION ECOEMBES, SPAIN 'LIBERA, NATURE WITHOUT LITTERING' ÉCO ENTREPRISES QUÉBEC (ÉEQ): DESIGN COMPETITION EKOKOM, CZECH REPUBLIC : SEMINARS ON PACKAGING AND WASTE PREVENTION. FOST PLUS, BELGIUM PROVIDING KNOW-HOW FOR DESIGNING PACKAGING KIDV/AFVALFONDS VERPAKKINGEN, NETHERLANDS KIDV started by drafting a document which gave tips and tricks to improve the recyclability of five types of plastic packaging. This document was presented for consultation. The input from the consultation was processed and the resulting information is presented here: https://recyclability.kidv.nl/ Subsequently the KIDV added recycling tips for packaging consisting of glass, metal, cardboard/paper and wood. Currently KIDV is in a process of adding more packaging types after consulting the various material organizations. During this consultation existing examples will be further completed. Summer 2018: Sustainability drops - News from EXPRA members CONAI AND CIAL, ITALY, GUIDELINES TO FACILITATE THE RECYCLING OF ALUMINIUM PACKAGING This document analyses the selection and recycling phases of the aluminium packaging with the aim of identifying which elements of the processes deserve attention and are to be considered in the designing phase, in order to optimize the recycling processes and to reduce the related environmental impacts. The guidelines are enriched with designing indications and considerations on characteristics and recyclability for specific types of packaging. KIDV MODEL ‘FIVE PERSPECTIVES ON SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING’ ® The development of a successful sustainable packaging also requires you to consider for example the packaging process and the logistics, your customers’ purchasing and disposal behaviour, and your organisation’s packaging and sustainability strategies. That is why the Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV) developed a model called Five perspectives on sustainable packaging®. This KIDV model provides a clear overview of the key areas of attention that you have to take into account when developing sustainable packaging. It also gives you the opportunity to zoom in on issues that are relevant to your specific situation from any angle. It offers background information, tips, guidelines, and examples that can help you along the way. More information available at: ‘1M2 –ONE SQUARE METER- FOR THE NATURE’ ECOEMBES CAMPAIGN GREEN DOT NORWAY: MEMBERS’ USE OF RECYCLED PLASTIC IN THEIR PACKAGING Spring 2018: Sustainability drops - News from EXPRA members CONAI, ITALY: PROMOTING BEST SUSTAINABLE INVENTIONS Tender to enhance and reward the best sustainable inventions developed in the cellulosic packaging sector ÇEVKO, TURKEY: 4TH GREEN DOT AWARD 2018 The main purpose of the Green Dot Awards is to inform the public of the recycling efforts of the Green Dot family members that are steadily growing and gaining strength in our country as well as in the world. Also, among the targets of the awards are rewarding the companies that participate in the Green Dot organization and highly fulfill the set criteria while setting an example with their works beyond their legal responsibilities alongside encouraging other launching companies. EKO-KOM, CZECH REPUBLIC: STUDY ON BIOPLASTIC PACKAGING MATERIALS ECOEMBES, SPAIN ‘2015 – 2017 PREVENTION PLAN´S MONITORING CLOSURE REPORT’ FOST PLUS (BELGIUM) DIAGNOSTICS OF PACKAGING SOLUTIONS Winter 2017 Sustainability drops: News from EXPRA members CONAI (ITALY) ECO TOOL ECOEMBES (SPAIN) LAUNCHED ITS “PACKAGING ECODESIGN GUIDE” ÉCO ENTREPRISES QUÉBEC (ÉEQ) : ECO-RESPONSIBLE PACKAGING SURVEY FOST PLUS (BELGIUM) : GREENER PACKAGING AWARDS GREEN DOT NORWAY: NORDIC RESEARCH PROJECT KIDV (THE NETHELANDS) : TIPS AND TRICKS TO IMPROVE THE RECYCLABILITY OF PACKAGING VALORLUX (LUXEMBURG) : THE TROPHÉCO AWARD
li|€ 410,000 in proportion to the score of all admitted solutions; € 60,000 for best solutions referred to single material (steel, aluminium, paper, wood, plastic and glass); € 30,000 in Enlarged Technical Committee opinion (Awards for Circular Economy), for one or more of the following eco-design drivers: Design for reuse, Design for recycling, Use of secondary materials. sortability, recyclability and destination circuit in a LCA approach .
st|In collaboration with designers specializing in product and packaging design, Tamir have created unique recycling symbols Circular Shrink Hood offers a personalized training and coaching program recommendations regarding design for recycling are given. will be developed a set of guidelines that can be easily communicated. 30 June 2017 via student packaging design competition jointly organized by the School of Design at UQAM and Éco Entreprises Québec (EEQ) competition exhibition book exhibition World Design Summit,
h1|Sustainability drops: News from EXPRA members
h3|Design for recycling guidelines for paper packaging A modernized portal to provide better guidance for companies KIDV Recycle check for paper and cardboard packaging KIDV calculation tool for CO2 impact and costs of reusable packaging KIDV carried out a study into possible alternatives for laminate packaging New online tool allows also to simulate eco-design interventions. A joint effort of Ecoembes, AECOC (GS1 Spain) and IHOBE (Society of Environmental Management of the Basque Government) Grønt Punkt Norge (Green Dot Norway) is developing a website to help our members develop more sustainable packaging 2019 edition of the Prevention Dossier, he Community of Practice reusable packaging started in October 2019 Fost Plus: Greener Packaging Awards 2019 Grønt Punkt Norge (Green Dot Norway) launched Plastløftet in January TAMIR has set the goal of promoting simple and clear information for the residents Wienerberger Belgium won the Packaging Award Design for Circularity Labeling of packaging and magazines The Circular Shrink Hood has proven its robustness on production scale trials and during EUMOS transportation test. Together with KIDV more than twenty sector organizations have drawn up their sector innovation plans for 2019-2022 CONAI promotes environmental sustainability Green Dot Cyprus promoting responsible consumer behaviour Members of ÇEVKO Foundation L’Oreal Turkey, Mey İçki, and Sütaş were awarded with their projects. The CONAI Board of Directors has approved the introduction of the Diversified Contribution for certain paper and cardboard packaging and the evolution of diversification for plastic packaging since 1st January 2019. Ecoembes, with the collaboration of the International University of La Rioja (UNIR), have launched the course `University Expert in Packaging and Digital Ecodesign’ Five perspectives on sustainable product-packaging combinations To more Circular Plastic Packaging for Construction Materials Fost Plus tackles packaging that is difficult to recycle Plastic modulated fee CONAI project, to incentive the use of more recyclable packaging. The initiative aims to explain to the obliged industry how to comply with the legal requirements in Spain and the available tools and services that Ecoembes offers OptimEco.ca’s portal offers businesses a range of fact-based information, documentation on packaging optimization and practical tools Green Dot Norway and Förpacknings- och Tidningsinnsamlingen (FTI) in Sweden have in cooperation carried out a study to better understand what actually happens to plastic packaging after collection when it is sorted and recycled. Draft consultation document on tips and tricks how to improve the recyclability of 5 types of plastic packaging The competition recognizes Belgian companies for their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging CONAI promotes environmental sustainability with the “CONAI tender for prevention and packaging sustainability” 'LIBERA, nature without littering', a project created by the environmental NGO, SEO / BirdLife, in partnership with Ecoembes Packplay 2 is a student packaging design competition jointly organized by the School of Design at UQAM and Éco Entreprises Québec (EEQ). EVERY YEAR EKO-KOM ORGANIZES CONFERENCE FOR ITS CLIENTS Fost Plus has a widespread know-how for designing packaging in a most effective and sustainable way as possible. Factsheet Opaque PET bottles and recycling KIDV: TIPS AND TRICKS TO IMPROVE THE RECYCLABILITY OF PACKAGING Result of a collaboration of CONAI with the research group of Politecnico di Torino and the support of professionals from CiAl The model provides a clear overview of the key areas of attention Over 10,600 volunteers rallied by June 16th across Spain Increasing the use of recycled plastic Enhance and reward the best sustainable inventions developed in the cellulosic packaging sector ÇEVKO, Turkey: 4th Green Dot Award 2018 STUDY ON BIOPLASTIC PACKAGING MATERIALS Ecoembes ‘2015 – 2017 Prevention Plan´s Monitoring Closure Report’ Fost Plus is committed to support its members in packaging eco-design and design for recycling The Conai (Italy) Eco Tool is an online instrument that allows companies in the Conai consortium to evaluate the environmental efficiency THE PACKAGING ECODESIGN GUIDE WAS LAUNCHED AT THE BASQUE ECODESIGN MEETING A survey published by the Observatoire sur la consommation responsable (OCR) The 4th edition of the Greener packaging Awards ceremony took place in November 2017 in Brussels Nordic Council of Ministers awarded Green Dot Norway’s support for the project ‘Plastic packaging recyclability in a Nordic context’ The Netherlands Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV) wants to help designers, developers and buyers of packaging as well as marketers to make choices that make their packaging more recyclable. The Trophéco award aims to reward and promote sustainable and eco-friendly packaging
sp|by Insidea www.greenerpackaging.be https://fr-ca.facebook.com/Packplay2/ here - 2,135 member companies adhered that represent 89% of the Spanish fast-moving-goods market - 8,639 ecodesign measures saving 52,238 tons of packaging raw materials - Packaged-to-product ratio decreased in 2.7% during the 2015-2017 period, above the objective (1.1%) In addition, in May 2018 Ecoembes has presented the new “2018-2020 Prevention Plan”, aiming to achieve the following: - 2,072 Member companies adhered. - 88% tons adhered - 3,043 prevention measures forecast. - 0.7% reduction of the Packaged-to-product ratio.
em|Scientific Research Programme 2015-2019
pa|The Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd. is a non-profit firm, operating in conjunction with producer organisations in the packaging sector. It helps firms registered with RINKI and the authorities to fulfil packaging recovery obligations economically and easily. The Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd operates in conjunction with the producer organisations for the packaging sector. It assists firms registered with the company and the authorities to fulfil the obligations pursuant to the EU packaging directive and corresponding Finnish legislation economically and easily. By making a contract with RINKI a firm transfers the recovery obligations for the packaging it has placed on the market to the producer organisations. The firm does not then have to take care of packaging recovery at its own costs or to report to the authorities on how it has arranged recovery. The producer organisations are responsible for the attainment of recovery targets. Recovery is funded through recovery fees invoiced by RINKI and deposited without deductions into the accounts of the producer organisations. RINKI’s operations are funded through registration and annual fees paid by the registered firms. Both RINI and the producer organisations are non-profit organisations. The statutory recovery obligations for packaging apply to packers and importers of packed products with a turnover of EUR 1m or over. Recovery activities are financed through recovery fees, which RINKI invoices and deposits in the producer organisation’s accounts without reductions. RINKI’s operations, on the other hand, are financed through registration and annual fees paid by registered firms. Both RINKI Ltd and the producer organisations are non-profit organisations. RINKI Ltd’s registration and annual fees are based on the firm’s turnover. Firms that have combined several locations in one contract receive a discount on their registration and annual fees. Recovery fees are set by the producer organisations. The invoices sent to firms are based on the packaging quantities declared to RINKI by packers and importers for the previous year. A firm with its name entered on the list of firms registered with RINKI on the RINKI website is entitled to use the RINKI trademark and RINKI’s annually issued certificate of membership. By using the RINKI trademark and certificate a firm can easily convey a message to its customers and proof to stakeholders that it is meeting its responsibility to the environment in relation to the recovery of packaging, which is a means to improving its image. A firm may use the RINKI trademark, for instance, on its packaging, on its website, in advertising and its printed matter. RINKI’s websites are a useful source of information. RINKI’s website at contains, for example, instructions on how to fill in the packaging data declaration form, the latest recovery statistics, prices and information about relevant legislation. A website is being developed specifically for consumers. A key message on the new website for consumers will be “sort correctly – take back packaging for recycling”. The RINKI Info magazine for stakeholders appears four times a year with a circulation of 9,000 copies in print and on the net in electronic format. English summary: Communication tools in conformance with the strategy for the take-back of consumer packaging are currently under development. Similarly, customer service is also being developed at present. Effective cooperation with local waste management companies lies at the core of communications plans. The aim is that each Finnish home is informed where the nearest take-back site for packaging waste is located. By means of communications we wish to motivate people to deliver properly sorted packaging waste to take-back sites. Mikonkatu 15 B FI-00100 HELSINKI Finland Tel. +3589 616 230 Fax: +3589 6162 3100 Web: E-mail
li|registers firms that have placed packaging on the market in Finland together with their products and have made a contract with PYR compiles statistics on the packaging materials and quantities annually reported by registered firms invoices the packaging material-specific recovery fees as authorised by the producer organisations reports to the authorities on the packaging statistics compiled by the company and on registered firms. The statistics are only shown in total quantities. The Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd does not forward any data on individual firms. offers advice on matters pertaining to recovery provides information protects the interests of packers
st|RINKI trademark and certificate Websites Info magazine The communication strategy for the take-back of consumer packaging Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd
h1|Finnish Packaging Recycling RINKI Ltd
h3|THE FINNISH PACKAGING RECYCLING RINKI LTD RINKI
sp|by Insidea