To safeguard sustainable treatment of waste in Europe, the proposed new waste shipment Regulation needs clear rules for intra-EU shipments.

BIR supports the recent initiative of its European member federation EuRIC regarding the potential impact of the upcoming European Waste Shipment Regulation on global free and fair trade of "raw materials from recycling".

Lisbon is the first European capital to roll out a city-wide reusable cup system backed by a local deposit-return model. The initiative - driven by a collaboration between the City of Lisbon, Tomra, and AHRESP (Associação da Hotelaria, Restauração e Similares de Portugal) - is designed to tackle plastic waste, slash emissions, and bring a smarter reuse model to the city's bustling nightlife and hospitality sector.

Reiling was previously represented with 10 glass recycling plants and 2 glass logistics centres in Germany, Poland, Denmark and Sweden. In Sweden, Reiling has been operating its own collection logistics for flat glass for over 20 years. To date, this has been carried out by the subsidiary in Nastved (DK) and its Swedish company Swede Glass United AB.

Presona will be integrated into the System Solutions business area. The transaction will close on June 30, 2025. 

The result is that maintenance measures can be scheduled in good time and, in contrast to routine preventive maintenance, are only performed if they are really necessary. Personnel deployment and spare parts procurement can be better coordinated, reducing maintenance costs and increasing system uptime. PredictOn provides instructions on recommended maintenance tasks, supported in part by video tutorials.

The EU Emissions Trading System is the main policy tool for managing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation and industrial installations in Europe. The iron and steel industry is the industrial sector with the highest absolute CO₂ emissions. The sector plays an important role in value creation and employment in the EU-28 and induces significant intra-EU and international trade. In its report "Development of the iron and steelmaking sector under the EU ETS", the Oeko-Institut examined the sector on behalf of the German Environment Agency.

Air pollutants are considered one of the main causes of numerous diseases and pose a significant environmental risk, making it essential to find solutions to mitigate this issue. The DACCO2 project, led by Aimplas, aims to improve urban air quality by significantly reducing pollutants in both indoor and outdoor environments through the development of active coatings capable of directly adsorbing and/or transforming these pollutants into less harmful compounds.

Although plastics play an important role in almost all areas of life, there are two major problems with the material. Firstly, plastics enter the environment through improper disposal and pollution. Secondly, there is the question of how to handle the material at the end of its life. A circular economy that avoids waste and keeps materials in circulation can help to solve both problems. However, only about 9% of all plastic waste worldwide is currently recycled. The study "Disruptive technologies that deliver a circular economy for plastics", which was published by Australian scientists in "Next Sustainability", therefore looked at disruptive technologies that enable the recovery and recycling of plastics. Disruptive technologies are defined as those that significantly displace an existing technology, transform an industry, or create a new industry. The study identified bioplastics, chemical recycling, synthetic biology, traceable plastics and waste separation as the most important disruptive technologies. These were examined primarily in terms of patents.

The Clean Industrial Deal (CID) was published by the European Commission at the end of February. Although it is not legally binding, it includes a number of initiatives that are to be implemented in the coming years. Experts from the Wuppertal Institute have subjected the CID to an initial analysis. The aim of the CID is to combine the goal of decarbonisation with strengthening the economic competitiveness and innovative capacity of European industry in an overarching growth strategy. The CID focuses on six main topics.

How will we meet our needs for food, housing, energy and mobility in 2050? What major disruptions—from global unrest to climate breakdown or digital collapse—could reshape them? And how can we future-proof these vital production and consumption systems against disruptions? These are the questions explored in an EEA report released today. 

The European Commission has fined 15 major car manufacturers and the European Automobiles Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) a total of around €458 million for participating in a long-lasting cartel concerning end-of-life vehicle recycling. Mercedes-Benz was not fined, as it revealed the cartel to the Commission under the leniency programme. All companies admitted their involvement in the cartel and agreed to settle the case.

During its General Assembly and Branch General Assemblies on 25-26 March, EURIC re-elected President Olivier François (Galloo, France) for a 3-year term. The new Presidency is supported by four Vice-Presidents: Alicia Garcia-Franco, Director General of FER (Spain); Cinzia Vezzosi, President of Assofermet (Italy); Peter Hodecek, Executive Board Member of the REON Group (Austria); and Sebastian Will, Deputy Chairman of bvse (Germany), who was also appointed as Treasurer.

For example, under the European Green Deal, 55% of plastic packaging waste will have to be recycled by 2030. This means a better design for the recyclability of materials, but also better sorting performance. With more technical and fragmented waste, guaranteeing the quality and capture of recoverable products is becoming a real challenge. Innovation therefore takes centre stage in the strategies of industrial recycling companies.

European steel and metal recyclers should actually play an important role - both in climate protection and in the supply of raw materials. However, certain framework conditions are required for this. The European recycling association Euric is now calling for this in its "EU Recyclers' circular economy action plan for recycled metals".

With Develon's GSA dealer network in Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA) and its many rental and service locations, the company is in the immediate vicinity of many Logex partners — the medium-sized setup is an ideal fit for Develon dealers, with its regional proximity.

President von der Leyen has convened key European industry leaders, social partners, and stakeholders for the launch of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Steel sector. This dialogue marks the start of an inclusive and collaborative process to address critical challenges faced by the sector and ensure its continued success as a key driver of the European economy.

Polymer chemists at ETH Zurich have discovered a surprising way to virtually fully break down PMMA plastic - commonly known as Plexiglas - into its monomer building blocks. The process remains unaffected by the presence of additives.

The action plan highlights major roadblocks holding back Europe's metals recycling sector: stagnating domestic demand for recycled metals, biased methodologies for defining green products, less focus on recyclers in key policies like the Clean Industrial Deal, and the lack of recyclers' representation in EPR scheme governance. These barriers stifle investments and limit Europe's ability to generate its own resources at a time when the EU27 remain trapped in reliance on third-country supplies.

To neutralise the human impact on the climate, excess CO₂ must be removed from the atmosphere. According to Swiss scientists, excess renewable energy can be used to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and convert it to methane or methanol, which can then be processed into polymers, hydrogen and solid carbon. At the end of their life cycle, discarded building materials become the ultimate carbon sink. The article "Mining the atmosphere: A concrete solution to global warming" was published in "Resources, Conservation & Recycling".