News archive

From piles of discarded packaging to heaps of unsold goods and spoiled food, the retail industry produces an astonishing volume of waste.

World PET Recycling, part of the Logoplaste Group, is a recycler of PET from Portugal. Annually, World PET produces around 12,000 tons of food-grade recycled PET (rPET).

In the third quarter of 2024, the EU economy greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 767 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents (CO2-eq), a 0.6% decrease compared with the same quarter of 2023 (772 million tonnes of CO2-eq).

In 2023, the amount of municipal waste generated per person in the EU amounted to 511 kg, 4 kg less than in 2022 (515 kg) and 23 kg less than in 2021 (534 kg), which represents a 4.3% drop in the course of 2 years. Compared with 2013, the amount increased by 32 kg.

Aimplas has developed a digital totem that simulates the digital passport for plastic products, which will be mandatory for marketing products in the European Union. Companies should start implementing it from 2025 to adapt to its likely entry into force the following year, although the exact date is not yet known.

Tozero has achieved a major breakthrough by producing battery-grade recycled graphite at industrial scale. For the first time, this 100% recycled anode material has been successfully used in battery cell production, proving its viability for commercial applications.

The new EU Waste Shipment Regulation WS threatens to disrupt global recycling markets and put Europe’s recycling industry at a severe competitive disadvantage. EuRIC calls for an immediate extension of the WSR deadlines to provide non-OECD countries with adequate time to comply and prevent a catastrophic impact on international trade in recycled materials and the competitiveness of the EU recycling industry.

The implemented Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Romania has exceeded expectations, reflecting the increasing commitment of citizens to contribute actively to a greener future.

A multimillion-pound research project, called SustaPack, aims to overcome manufacturing challenges for the next generation of sustainable, paper-based packaging for liquids. Backed by a £1 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of UKRI’s co-investing programme, packaging technology company Pulpex Ltd has joined forces with the University of Surrey to refine its manufacturing processes to provide a viable solution to plastic pollution.

The demand for sustainable solutions in packaging has never been higher, particularly in the food industry, where consumers are increasingly drawn to products that promise environmental responsibility. This trend has sparked a significant shift towards paper-based packaging, driven by both market forces and regulatory imperatives.