The forthcoming EU ELV Regulation is expected to significantly affect automotive recycling and vehicle manufacturing supply chains worldwide. Industry representatives discussed the regulation and its implications during the latest meeting of the International Environment Council held on 3 June in Gothenburg.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) sets a lofty goal for recycled content invplastic food packaging. By 2030, contact-sensitive packaging (which includes food-contact applications) will need to contain 10% recycled plastic.
The stainless steel and special alloys sector continues to adapt to changing market conditions, evolving trade flows and new regulatory requirements. These themes dominated discussions at the latest meeting of the Stainless Steel & Special Alloys Committee of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR), held in Gothenburg on 2 June.
GreenDot and osapiens have entered into a strategic partnership to develop and market a digital software solution for extended producer responsibility (EPR) compliance in Europe.
The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) Non-Ferrous Metals Division has presented its second Non-Ferrous Legend award to Murat Bayram in recognition of his contribution to the global recycling industry.
A European consortium of research projects and technical experts has published a white paper on AAS/RDF interoperability.
The global recycling industry continues to advocate for free and fair trade as a prerequisite for efficient material flows and sustainable resource management.
The European Commission has announced a law on the circular economy for the third quarter. Now the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has also commented on this. In the report "The EU Circular Economy Act-Key policy levers for Europe's Industrial Strategy", the organisation has outlined its ideas for the law.
European waste policy is at a turning point. Despite extensive regulation and increas-ing recycling rates, significant amounts of residual waste remain that are landfilled or incinerated, thus affecting both climate and resource targets. The report "Marginalis-ing waste: A trade scheme to reduce residuals", prepared by Dr. Dominic Hogg for Reloop and Zero Waste Europe, examines the conception of an EU-wide cap-and-trade system for municipal residual waste as an innovative management tool.
The Single-Use Plastics Directive (SEA Directive) requires Member States to report regularly on their activities. Now the European Commission has published the first figures for 2022.
The organisations call for stronger safeguards to ensure fair competition in public procurement across the European Union. They warn that the growing use of in-house procurement and public-public cooperation without competitive procedures reduces market access for private companies and weakens investment incentives in key sectors.
The update marks an important step for the tire pyrolysis sector. It establishes a clearer certification pathway for the fossil share of ELT-derived tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) and complements the established relevance of the biogenic share linked mainly to natural rubber content.
The reports, "Navigating Europe's twin transition — opportunities and challenges of digitalisation in the green transition" and "Artificial intelligence and sustainable consumption in Europe", examine how digitalisation affects climate policy, resource efficiency and economic resilience.
Without the amendment, exports of mixed municipal waste for recovery to countries outside the European Economic Area, including Switzerland, will be banned from 21 May under current European Union legislation.
With the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the European Union is pursuing the goal of reducing environmental pollution to a level that is harmless to humans and nature by 2050. The mid-term review presented by the European Commission shows that significant progress has already been made in individual areas, but at the same time structural deficits in implementation, governance and policy integration remain.
The report "Nature Positive: Role of the Technology Sector" presented by the World Economic Forum positions the digital and technology industries as potentially key players in the protection of biodiversity and natural resources. The report is embedded in the international "Nature Positive" narrative, which has increasingly served as a guiding principle for business and politics since the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. According to the report, the tech sector should not only reduce its own environmental impact, but also contribute to the ecological transformation of other industries through digitalisation, data availability and efficiency gains. This perspective is ambitious - and of immediate importance for the circular and waste management industry.
