APEAL, the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging, has appointed Alexis Van Maercke as Secretary General, effective from 17^th November.

Before joining APEAL, he was policy officer at the European Commission, Directorate General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs.

Prior to this he spent five years in the European Parliament as political advisor to Marianne Thyssen MEP, the current Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, where he was in charge of legislative files related to food safety, environment and consumer protection. 

 “APEAL benefits from a strong reputation as the reference of Steel for Packaging in Europe,” said Van Maercke.

“At the same time there is growing awareness of steel for packaging as a truly sustainable material, alongside already strong protection credentials relative to food safety and the environment, areas that I know well.

“I’m looking forward to joining APEAL and driving full recognition of steel for packaging as the model material for a circular economy.”

Van Maercke holds a Master's degree in Law from the University of Leuven in Belgium as well as a Master's in European Interdisciplinary Studies from the College of Europe in Warsaw, Poland.

He succeeds Alexander Mohr who has chosen to pursue new opportunities within another industry.

About APEAL

APEAL - the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging is a federation of four multi-national producers of steel for packaging (ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein, U.S. Steel Košice). In total these four companies employ over 200,000 workers in Europe. Founded in 1986, APEAL represents today about 95% of the total European production of steel for packaging.

About Steel for Packaging

Steel is a unique packaging material, combining exceptional performance capabilities with unrivalled environmental credentials. Strong, formable and long-lasting, steel offers numerous benefits for the safe packaging of a wide variety of products.