Why Member States should reject the Norwegian proposal at OECD level

Following the adoption of the Norwegian proposal on the 10th of May 2019 to amend the Basel Convention by the Conference of Parties, FEAD concurs with the European Council’s position from 15th April 2019 concerning the outcome of the COP 14, and its potential incorporation into the legal framework.

FEAD supports maintaining the current proceedings for the shipment of non-hazardous plastic wastes, including mixtures of non-hazardous plastic wastes within the EU, EEA and OECD.

Member States of the European Union should therefore refrain from an incorporation of the changes made to the Basel Convention into the OECD Decision.

A restriction to the free movement of plastic waste would be an impediment to their effective recovery and recycling.

Please read our position paper for further details on this important issue.

Position Paper: Packaging - Better Essential Requirements for Better Recyclability

Successful reinforcement of the requirements found in Annex II of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive should be enacted with the objective of improving design for re-use, promoting high quality recycling, as well as strengthening enforcement in the aforementioned areas.

To this end, FEAD Members have prepared a list of main criteria concerning Annex II of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive to be taken into account in revision of the essential requirements for packaging. These criteria have been subdivided into distinct sections composed of: (1) Product Design, (2) Market Issues, and (3) Issues with Current Technology.

Read our list of main criteria here. 

Joint Statement on the Possible EN 643 Revision

EN 643 is the European List of Standard Grades of Paper and Board for Recycling and was revised in 2014. FEAD, CEPI and EuRIC have published a joint statement on the possible new revision of EN 643 and a possible approach.

At the moment, paper that has been in contact with food is in the prohibited materials section which means that foodstuffs are prohibited in recyclable paper. However, today's technology allows us to handle paper with traces of food and a "little tolerance" of foodstuffs should be allowed.

Therefore, instead of a formal EN 643 revision, we call on CEN to develop an approach to interpret the “zero tolerance” of “organic waste including foodstuffs” in the prohibited materials section by considering a low tolerance level for certain grades. For those, it is important to note that “zero tolerance”, or absolute zero for foodstuffs, does not exist, as a consequence the recycling industry needs a detection threshold for foodstuffs.

For futher details, please consult our position paper here.

FEAD Press Release - April 2018

FEAD welcomes the EP draft own-initiative report on the Plastics Strategy

FEAD members welcome the publication of the draft own-initiative report on a European strategy for plastics in a circular economy by rapporteur MEP Mark Demesmaeker as a step forward for designing a new vision for plastics as part of the transition to a circular economy. In view of the foreseen consideration of the draft report this week in the ENVI committee, FEAD would like to draw the attention of the MEPs to crucial points for the private waste and resource management industry.

A strong demand for recycled plastics will only result from concrete binding actions, accompanied by economic measures to bridge the price gap detrimental to plastics from recyclates.

Find more in our press release, available here. 

FEAD Press Release - April 2018

FEAD welcomes the progress made to pave the way for the transition to a circular economy

Following the adoption by the European Parliament of the final agreement on the Circular Economy Package, FEAD members welcome the progress made to pave the way for the transition to a circular economy.

The private waste and resource management industry welcomes the legally binding targets, as a necessary push towards better collection and sorting of waste.

For more information, please click here.

FEAD Press Release - November 2017

FEAD calls for EU-wide mandatory GPP criteria for plastic products

FEAD members welcome the non-legislative Public Procurement Package : “Increasing the impact of public investment through efficient and professional procurement” and support the Commission’s continued efforts to ensure that the public procurement rules are properly implemented across the internal market. FEAD believes that public procurement, and in particular GPP–green public procurement, is one of the tools that can contribute to the transition from a linear to a circular economy.

For more information, please click here