Recycling has an important role to play in closing the materials loop, as it keeps resources in use and increases the circularity of plastic packaging. To ensure the uptake of recycled materials, the European institutions introduced recycled content targets in legislative proposals such as the Single-Use Plastic Directive (SUPD) and the recently published Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

Following the introduction of these targets, the European co-legislators will adopt a methodology for defining and calculating recycled content. Once developed, the method will set a precedent and have implications for other types of materials and products, such as construction materials, batteries, vehicles and, most likely, textiles.

Nowadays, most recycling technologies have a well-established accounting methodology based on a segregation model, ensuring a high level of transparency and traceability along the value chain. However, multi-output technologies, namely pyrolysis and gasification, require the use of the mass-balance chain of custody. This is highly controversial given how it allocates recycled content among the output produced.

Zero Waste Europe will host a webinar on Allocating recycled content – what are the impacts? on 11 May at 14:00 – 15:30 CEST. It will present the main findings of their latest study (prepared by CE Delft) on the environmental impact and circularity of the different allocation rules for recycled content from multi-output recycling technologies, specifically pyrolysis and gasification.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Geert Warringa, Senior Researcher at CE Delft
• Julia Roettgerding, Policy Officer at DG ENV, European Commission

Stakeholders’ views:

• Mathilde Crepy, Programme Manager at ECOS
• Industry representatives – to be confirmed

Facilitator: Lauriane Veillard, Policy Officer at Zero Waste Europe

Registration