Plastics strategy
Why the Commission’s new plastic ban threatens to fall flat
The European Commission wants to ban disposable plastic dishware and cutlery. But critics say this is pointless and manufacturers are unimpressed by the idea. EURACTIV Germany’s media partner WirtschaftsWoche reports.
Packaging industry calls for policy reform to boost plastics recycling
A host of UK packaging organisations have called for more recycling collection points, tax reliefs for recycled content and a universal list of acceptable materials as part of a desired regulation reform to make it easier for consumers to recycle packaging waste. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
EU prepares to say adieu to single-use plastics
The European Commission is gearing up to reveal how it plans to tackle single-use plastics as part of the much vaunted Plastics Strategy. But an initial draft of the legislation has already received mix reviews.
Copernicus chief defends role of satellites in CAP’s ‘control’ system
The EU will launch a new satellite this week as part of the ‘Copernicus’ initiative. The earth observation programme has proved to be useful in dealing with natural disasters and its importance will grow to manage EU funds including the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020, director Philippe Brunet said.
Cotton buds and plastic straws could be banned in England next year
Cotton buds, plastic drinking straws and other single-use plastics could be banned from sale in England next year in the next phase of the campaign to try to halt the pollution of the world’s rivers and oceans. EURACTIV’s partner The Guardian reports.
Europeans will have to recycle half of their waste by 2025
European households and businesses will have to recycle at least 55% of their municipal waste by 2025, according to stricter new rules passed by the European Parliament on Wednesday (18 April).
Plastic packaging fails to reduce food waste, study warns
Plastic food packaging may be fuelling, rather than combating, Europe’s food waste problem, according to a new study that found both packaging and waste doubled in the EU between 2004 and 2014.
Safety first: Food packers shun recycled plastics, for now
Tetra Pak, the iconic Swedish maker of beverage cartons, is currently staying away from using recycled plastics in the inside lining of its packages – the most sensitive bit that comes in contact with drinks.
Bottle and can deposit return scheme gets green light in England
All drinks containers in England, whether plastic, glass or metal, will be covered by a deposit return scheme, the UK government has announced. EURACTIV's partner The Guardian reports.
EU circular economy’s REACH for the stars
As the EU doubles down on its waste management efforts and sets its sights on tackling plastic waste, the idea of a circular economy and internal market for recycling is gathering momentum. But it will not be an easy task for lawmakers or industry to realise.
Single-use plastics in the Commission’s crosshairs
The European Commission is aiming to reveal its plan to curb single-use plastics in May, in what will be the first proposal to come out of its much-vaunted Plastics Strategy. But industry and civil society are still divided over what should be its fundamental goal.
The Brief, powered by PLATFORMA – What if you drink faster than you read?
Next month, the EU’s alcohol industry will come up with a much-awaited self-regulatory proposal about labelling of alcoholic beverages.
Plastics Strategy: challenges and opportunities of recycling
Plastics are everywhere in our daily life: they are used in packaging, buildings, cars, electronics, agriculture and many other sectors. Plastics production is currently 20 times higher than in the '60s, and is expected to grow exponentially by 2050.
EU official: ‘Growing consensus’ for fresh plastic recycling laws
The European Commission is looking at targets for recycled plastics into new products as a way to boost demand for secondary raw materials, according to a senior EU official involved in drafting upcoming laws on recycling.
The Brief – Berlusconi’s puppet show
Silvio Berlusconi, like any half-decent B-movie villain or that spider that lives in your kitchen, refuses to stay (politically) dead. He has, inexplicably to non-Italians, clawed his way back into political relevance and his latest masterplan is just starting to become clear.
Karmenu Vella: ‘We were encouraged by EU ban on plastic bags’
Single-use plastics like cutlery could be banned under new EU proposals due out in May, said Karmenu Vella, the EU’s Environment Commissioner, in an interview with EURACTIV.com.
EU’s carbon market update clears final hurdle
The Council of the EU has given the final stamp of approval to an update to the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), which hopes to help the bloc cut emissions by 40% by 2030.
Benefits of EU carbon market reform for UK clouded by Brexit ‘uncertainty’
A recent vote in favour of reforming the EU's carbon market is a "strong signal" that energy-intensive businesses should accelerate decarbonisation processes, although the European Parliament's rapporteur on the reform has warned that Brexit will act as high-profile distraction. EURACTIV’s partner edie.net reports.
The future of packaging: It’s all about recyclability
The plastics industry is changing fast, and the way our food and products are packaged could look totally different in just a few years.
The Brief – May muddles through… again
Eighteen months after surprisingly winning the referendum that they had craved for so long, British Eurosceptics are increasingly depressed. They fear that the UK is sleep-walking into remaining a de facto member of the EU that will be paying into its budget and adopting EU laws without a say over them for the foreseeable future.
Katainen: ‘We need to change the fundamentals of the plastics market’
The European Commission is looking at different types of fiscal incentives to increase demand for recycled plastics, which are currently more costly than virgin materials, Jyrki Katainen told EURACTIV in an interview.
A plan for plastics
The EU is losing 95% of the value of the plastics it produces. But the European Commission has a strategy to make plastic packaging more sustainable, both environmentally and economically.
Parliament rubber-stamps EU carbon market reform
European lawmakers voted in favour of a deal to reform the EU’s carbon market after 2020 on Tuesday (6 February), as well as bolstering prices in the bloc’s flagship tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Circular economy? Not without the internal market!
Without oversight, the implementation of the circular economy package entails a huge risk of Member States going into different directions and introducing barriers to the internal market, warns Virginia Janssens.
The Brief – Beware the clean energy counter-revolution
The EU was supposed to enable us all to take part in the energy transition and help make Europe's economy a low-carbon one. It's easy to see why the member states would be against this but it's more surprising that the Parliament is not championing citizens' clean energy hopes.Supporter
Plastics Recycling Show Europe
Plastics Recycling Show Europe will feature a pan European exhibition and conference stream designed specifically for the plastics recycling industry. The event will bring together key players from the plastics and recycling sectors in order to learn, network and capitalise on the business opportunities plastic recycling offers.