brussels, 23 april 2015 &ndash in the context of the european parliament&rsquos forthcoming report on the circular economy, europen called today for a clearer eu legal framework for extended producer responsibility epr for packaging at a european parliament ep event.the european packaging supply chain made a strong plea for a clearer eu legal framework for epr during an event organised by the ep intergroup on climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development on &ldquocircular economy and packaging the role of epr&rdquo chaired by sirpa pietikäinen mep, rapporteur on &ldquoresource efficiency moving towards a circular economy.meps acknowledged that epr is instrumental for a circular economy because it facilitates the provision of secondary raw materials for an environmentally and economically viable circular economy. there was a high degree of consensus among stakeholders industry, municipalities and green ngo representatives, who all stressed the need for a clear definition of epr and binding epr minimum performance requirements in the waste framework directive wfd and packaging & packaging waste directive ppwd. europen also called on eu policymakers to develop eu guidance on the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in epr implementation, so to increase its costeffectiveness, resulting in higher and more quality materials for reuse in the economy.speaking at the event, martin reynolds from crown europe and europen chairman stated, &ldquowe are delighted that so many eu policymakers actively participated in the debate today. we hope they will give serious consideration to europen&rsquos policy recommendations for epr for packaging, which receives broad stakeholder support beyond industry. the packaging supply chain remains fully committed to a circular economy for used packaging that facilitates sustainable and efficient resource use from a lifecycle perspective. to accelerate our journey we will need to work together to make sure that the eu legal framework effectively addresses current market failures and regulatory gaps related to epr.&rdquosimon webb from procter & gamble added that &ldquothe packaging supply chain has made significant progress in packaging waste management. by 2012, euwide rates for packaging recycling reached 65 up from 55 in 2005. over the past decade we have also effectively decoupled the volume of packaging placed on the market from economic growth. but to do better still we need a clear and predictable eu legal framework including harmonized eu rules on aspects such as net cost to ensure better epr implementation in the member states that use epr. just as importantly, we also need to ensure the continued free circulation of packaged goods within the internal market and avoid divergent or even conflicting rules in the 28 member states.&rdquodana mosora from dow declared that &ldquoinnovations on the raw materials side can contribute to the collection and sorting of used packaging, and how recyclers turn these new raw materials into secondary raw materials. we want to be able to roll out these innovations across europe, facilitating the transition to a circular economy. to do that, binding euwide minimum performance requirements are needed that level the playing field for different epr scheme models, increase transparency about the types of packaging material collected, material flows, cost, tendering procedures and geographic scope, increase accountability and ensure better enforcement.&rdquoabout europeneuropen the european organization for packaging and the environment is an eu industry association in brussels presenting the opinion of the packaging supply chain in europe, without favouring any specific material or system. europen members are comprised of multinational corporate companies spanning the packaging value chain raw material producers, converters and brand owners plus national packaging organizations all committed to continuously improving the environmental performances of packaged products, in collaboration with their suppliers and customers. www.europenpackaging.eueuropen&rsquos policy recommendations for a competitive, resourceefficient and growthoriented circular economy can be downloaded at httpwww.europenpackaging.eunewsnews82europenpolicyrecommendationsfortheeusc… factsheet on extended producer responsibility for used packaging can be downloaded at httpwww.europenpackaging.eunewsnews80factsheetonextendedproducerresponsibil…
