Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE, Brussels; www.plasticsrecyclers.eu) has spelled out the steps needed to drive a circular plastics economy across the EU over the next five years.

In a special manifesto published recently, PRE said the 2024-2029 EU term “will be decisive in delivering a robust legislative framework which recognises the plastics recycling industry as a strategic pillar in the transition towards a circular and decarbonised EU”.

European action, PRE said, should be focused on five priorities. Firstly, if it is to accelerate the transition towards circular plastics, European institutions “should address systemic barriers, promoting the enhancement of harmonised collection systems across the EU and establishing realistic recycling targets and recycled content targets”.

Related: Future of recycling threatened by imports and weak demand, says PRE

Combatting greenwashing with what it called “decisive action” was another key component of the move to greater circularity. To avoid using unverified recycled plastics from non-EU countries “there should be greater transparency and the creation of a level playing field for all products, including those imported. 

“The implementation of reliable verification and certification systems plays a key role here, by ensuring the traceability of waste-derived materials across the entire value chain,” PRE said, and called for “forward-looking policies based on scientific assessments and robust data”.

PRE president Ton Emans said that for plastics recycling to unlock the potential of circularity, a series of incentives which targeted the entire value chain “must be set out to drive investments towards EU recycling capacities and technological developments”.