The European Commission has reactivated the Circular Plastics Alliance as announced in December. The body's new steering committee includes the European Waste Management Association (FEAD) and Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE), the industry organisations announced this week. The secretariat is operated by the European Commission.
The alliance will resume its activities with three new working groups, FEAD reported. They are to analyse the challenges facing the plastics sector in the European Union, identify priorities for trade investigations and strengthen market surveillance. The umbrella organisation for the private waste management industry said the intended outcomes include prioritising measures to stimulate market demand and developing training programmes for customs and market surveillance authorities.
The alliance has also been charged with developing separate customs codes for recycled polymers. In addition to its role as steering committee member, PRE would lead the responsible working group, the association said. The introduction of new customs codes is meant to ensure that recycled plastics can be properly identified.
Plans for the relaunch of the Circular Plastics Alliance were announced as part of the European Commission's winter package of pilot measures for the plastics recycling sector. In its new iteration, the alliance would be developed into a "structured and inclusive platform for cooperation across the entire plastics value chain". Stakeholders from industry and representatives of the member states and the Commission would be able to "identify common priorities and address the key challenges affecting the competitiveness and circularity of the European plastics sector", according to the announcement at the time.
The alliance was originally launched in 2018 with the aim of supporting the implementation of a voluntary pledge under the EU's plastic strategy. The initiative sought to increase the use of recycled plastics in new products in the European Union to 10 million tonnes per year by 2025.
