Brussels, 23 November 2023 – FEAD, the European Waste Management Association, welcomes the adoption in the European Parliament of the position on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. This is a step closer to new and ambitious rules for more sustainable and circular packaging in the EU, where the fundamental role of proper waste management is recognised.

Sustainability begins with reduction and design. The European Parliament has introduced new reduction targets and voted for all packaging in the EU to be recyclable by 2030. This measure was one of the cornerstones of the new Circular Economy Action Plan in 2020 and today, we are closer to having it transformed into a legal requirement, and showing tangible results of the EU Green Deal. In addition to this, the Parliament set the bar high with a welcomed target of 90% separate collection for packaging materials that will help deliver the needed feedstock of mandatory recycled content in new plastic packaging.

Mandatory recycled content targets are essential to pull demand and stimulate recycling markets.  Therefore, it is essential that biobased plastic feedstock is not equated to recycled materials. The Parliament’s position is all but clear on this, with different and contradictory amendments that were adopted in plenary. Bio-based materials are made of raw materials from biomass and does not come from a waste recycling process, so it cannot be considered recycled content.

Market restrictions work against a circular economy because they prevent the sector from being the competitive and innovative industry we need it to be, to achieve the EU objectives. This is why FEAD especially celebrates that the Parliament has found the right balance to define high-quality recycling while remaining in line with the Waste Framework Directive. At the same time, FEAD remains highly concerned about the priority access to recycled materials linked to closed loop recycling that the Parliament has granted to specific market players. This is a free market distortion that must be corrected immediately, because every actor should contribute to the circular economy without shortcuts.  

In this sense, FEAD looks forward to (further) improvements during the inter-institutional negotiations and is confident in the role of the Council, which can further support the European recycling and waste management sector to become a stable and sustainable reality in the long term. The association continues its work on the file with its unwavering commitment to the circular economy.

For additional information or any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@fead.be.

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