Michael Brunn

What does a company do when its core business is getting smaller and smaller? It is looking for new ways. The Japanese company Fujifilm has also done so. The former specialist in film and photographic paper is now a diversified group that is active in a wide variety of areas. The core competencies have been retained - and the focus is also on sustainability.

Packaging is responsible for about 40 percent of plastic consumption. At the same time, they cause a considerable amount of waste. So far, however, less than half of it has been recycled. However, the EU requires a quota of 50 percent by 2025, and in 2030 it is to be as high as 55 percent. Therefore, further progress in recycling is needed. The report "The factors influencing the recycling of plastic and composite packaging waste" examined the factors that have a significant influence on the recycling of plastic and composite packaging. The report, written by scientists from Lithuania, was published in "Sustainability".

It is precisely the rich democracies that have developed effective strategies for the transition to a decarbonised energy system or a circular economy. However, even pioneering states must better coordinate goals and measures. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation's report "How far have the economically strongest democracies come in implementing effective political transformation strategies for a climate-neutral and resource-efficient economy?"

For a number of reasons, the EU has lost at least some of its competitiveness. The European Commission is not alone in this opinion. Last year, the Draghi report had a similar tone. The Commission refers to this report, among other things. With the new Competition Compass, everything is now supposed to get better again.

The Commission stresses the importance of the industrial base for Europe's competitiveness. However, the EU faces a number of challenges that must be met at the same time. These are the climate crisis and its consequences, declining competitiveness and economic resilience. Therefore, a transformative economic plan is needed. The Clean Industrial Deal is intended to bring climate protection and competitiveness together in an overarching growth strategy.

As global climate and biodiversity challenges intensify, the Nordic Council of Ministers has engaged Sweco to provide expert recommendations on accelerating waste prevention across the region. The project, which centres on municipal waste, was conducted by a team of Sweco experts from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway."As a trusted European advisor in sustainability, Sweco is uniquely positioned to support the Nordic Council of Ministers in reviewing and enhancing existing policies and programmes, and in providing recommendations based on best practise. The report's main takeaway is that while waste prevention is a priority in the Nordic countries, a clear need exists for systematic, robust measures to turn these policies into tangible outcomes," said Thomas Hietto, Business Area President of Sweco Finland.The report draws on international best practices and evaluates a range of effective economic instruments that could be adopted by the Nordic countries, such as targeted fees on fast fashion, VAT reductions for second-hand trade and repair services, and R&D funding for innovative circular business models."The Nordic countries are well-positioned to take the next steps in waste prevention and reuse, and Sweco is excited to provide the Nordic Council of Ministers with recommendations for this transition. Sweco's report provides critical insights on how the Nordic countries can advance their waste management systems from traditional recycling to a fully integrated circular economy. This approach addresses the entire product value chain and makes it easier for citizens to make sustainable choices," said Hietto. 

The guidelines will provide further crucial support to the mechanical recycling of PET trays industry in Europe, providing the required quality and food safety of both the monolayer and multilayer tray recycling streams.

The new ASR plant from Matec collects and refines shredder light fractions (SLF) and Zorba materials from a total of six other Matec plants. It consists of two separate sorting lines that are geared towards different material streams and target metals. While one line concentrates stainless steel and heavy metals, the second line is focused on separating metals from a light fraction. Even the smallest particles of less than 6 mm are processed and fed into the recycling process. The plant in Tomakomai utilizes a total of 10 Steinert sensor sorting systems, 6 non-ferrous metal separators, and 2 electromagnets.

The report, released today, analyses the utilisation of EU waste management funding in nine central and eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland. It finds that many of these countries are lagging far behind optimal waste management practices, especially in biowaste separation and recycling. This is largely due to a lack of targeted funding for higher-tier waste management solutions, such as waste prevention, reduction, and recycling.

Held at the Midland Hotel in Manchester, England, Lindemann Metal Recycling held its inaugural Customer Advisory Board (CAB), attracting senior executives from leading names in the recycling sector to chart the future of the industry.