Circular economy… worldwide changes

What changes worldwide could have the biggest impact on the circular economy? Read our selection for you for March 2022.

New framework for biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics

The European Commission wants to revise the framework for bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics to improve environmental protection, reduce consumer confusion, create investment security and accelerate the transition towards a circular economy.

To this end, the Commission has launched a public consultation, which will run until 15 March. Stakeholders including citizens, consumers and industry experts are invited to submit their suggestions and comments in the form of an extensive questionnaire.

The Commission plans to present a legislative proposal in the second quarter of this year.

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Plastic recyclates to be allowed for use in food contact materials

The European Commission plans to allow the use of recycled plastics in food contact materials under certain conditions, according to a first draft of a “Regulation on recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foods” which the Commission recently published and put to consultation.

Among other things, the Regulation sets rules for the placing on the market of food contact materials made from recycled plastics and for the development and operation of recycling processes to produce these recyclates. Landbell Group contributed to the stakeholder process with input to a position paper of the German packaging association, AGVU.  

The Commission is currently in the process of evaluating the stakeholder input and finalising its draft. The official adoption of the Regulation by the Commission is expected to follow in the first quarter of 2022. Further approval by the Parliament and Council is not necessary.

How the textile sector could be transformed into a circular economy

The consumption of textiles is one of the biggest causes of environmental and climate damage in Europe. The European Environment Agency (EEA) has therefore compiled two dossiers that shed more light on the existing problems and point out possible solutions. Parts of them could also be included in the textile strategy to be presented soon by the European Commission.

The first dossier, entitled “Textiles and the environment: the role of design in Europe’s circular economy”, proposes to fundamentally rethink the design of textiles and to improve their durability, reparability and recyclability. In addition, new textiles should increasingly be made of recycled materials.

The second dossier entitled “Microplastics from textiles: towards a circular economy for textiles in Europe” draws attention to the microplastics contained in many textiles, which are dissolved during washing and released into the environment. Improved collection and recycling of used textiles and setting targets and regulatory incentives for extended producer responsibility schemes can help to combat this problem.