Chemical Recycling Europe has been officially launched with a view to establishing an industry platform for developing and promoting chemical recycling technologies for polymer waste across Europe.
The new association, which held its constitutional meeting 22 Jan, aims to deepen collaboration with the EU institutions and develop positive, industry-wide relationships throughout the whole chemical recycling value chains in Europe in order to boost specific polymer recycling.
Carlos Monreal
The move is in response to EU politicians' “high level of expectations” about the plastics industry's adherence to the principles of the circular economy, said a release by the European Plastics Convertor (EuPC) 19 March.
“It is the right time to enhance the opportunities for chemical recycling in Europe in order for the plastics industry to be fully circular,” said Carlos Monreal, CEO of Plastics Energy and the first president of new association.
The platform will work on a “plastics back to plastics development” in order to differentiate its activity from incineration.
“Our chemical recycling companies will handle the more difficult plastic waste that can't be mechanically recycled and are still being landfilled or incinerated today. Chemical recycling is therefore a complementary solution for recycling end-of-life plastics and an important additional step for the circularity of the plastics industry even at global level,” Monreal added.
In addition to Monreal other board members of the platform include Jeroen Bulk of Ioniqa Technologies; Maurizio Crippa of Gr3n; Richard Daley of RENEW ELP; and Floris Geeris of IGE Solutions, all representing key European companies involved in chemical recycling.
Chemical Recycling Europe is also holding a conference on chemical recycling in Brussels 4 June, to involve all companies across the value chain in its activities.