Chemical Recycling Europe has called for a faster recognition and legislation review to unlock the potential of chemical recycling. In a 2 June position paper, the organisation made it clear that a sustainable management of waste and use of resources is at the heart of the European Green Deal - which includes chemical recycling.
Chemical recycling falls under the definition of ‘recycling’ provided in the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98). It promotes the recycling of plastics waste that cannot be recycled through mechanical means, yielding high-quality secondary raw materials and end-products.
Chemical Recycling Europe is seeking the recognition and acknowledgement of this, among others through the adjustment of current recycling target calculations to include chemical recycling following the definition in the Directive.
This recognition would provide long-term visibility to secure investments in chemical recycling technologies.
According to the Chemical Recycling Europe:
“While the new Circular Economy Action Plan aims at accelerating transformational change required by the EU Green Deal, in order to meet its ambitions and to reach EU recycling targets laid down in the EU Plastics Strategy, there is an urgent need to develop and implement new technologies for the recycling of polymeric waste, going beyond the limitations of traditional mechanical recycling.
Chemical Recycling complements the current recycling approaches and has the potential to be an environmental game-changer by processing polymeric wastes which are currently difficult to recycle. Investment in developing chemical recycling technologies and infrastructure will lead to the creation of new jobs and the protection of our environment by curbing CO2 emissions and increasing EU recycling capacity.”