EUROPEN co-signs the Circular Plastics Alliance Declaration with shared goal to increase the uptake of recycled plastics in Europe

Brussels, 20 September 2019 - EUROPEN – the European Organization for Packaging and the Environment- is pleased to sign today the Declaration of the Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA) at the European Commission’s high-level event with Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska, and gathering representatives of industry and public authorities.

With this signature, EUROPEN and its members are signalling their commitment to play their part in the achievement of the CPA’s stated objective, i.e. to reach the ambitious target of 10 million tons of recycled plastics in Europe by 2025, finding their ways into products and packaging in Europe.

EUROPEN’s Managing Director, Virginia Janssens, says: “The CPA’s cross-industry value chain collaboration is engrained in EUROPEN’s DNA and reflects its diverse membership. Only together and working towards the same goals at the same pace will we be able to achieve the collective tasks set out in the Declaration. We therefore also welcome the participation of public authorities and NGOs towards this shared objective. We welcome this voluntary approach to find workable, yet ambitious solutions to increase the uptake of recycled plastics. Several EUROPEN members have already taken part in the voluntary pledging exercise on recycled plastic content in packaging that preceded the CPA and have developed ambitious corporate commitments on recycled content and other environmental improvements.”

Hans van Bochove of Coca-Cola European Partners and EUROPEN Chairman adds: “There are still several regulatory and market barriers which hinder the completion of a circular plastics market. To overcome such barriers, we have identified 10 key framework conditions which are essential to increase the uptake of recycled content in plastic packaging. We will strive to ensure that these conditions, such as a proper functioning market for secondary raw materials of quality and at competitive prices and advancing the EU approval process of the pending EFSA authorisations for the use of recycled content in food contact materials, are included in the working programme of the CPA”. Mr van Bochove concludes: “EUROPEN is ready for the next phase of the CPA and looks forward to a successful outcome with the combined efforts of all concerned stakeholders.”