EU Parliament Report on Revised Waste Legislation Emphasises the Role of Bio-based Materials in the Transition to a Circular Economy

BERLIN, June 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

European Bioplastics (EUBP), the association representing the bioplastics industry in Europe, welcomes the draft reports on the revised EU waste legislation by MEP Simona Bonafè, Rapporteur of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, which was published last week. The reports lay out the legal measures needed for a paradigm shift from a linear to a circular economy where waste is considered a valuable resource.  

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"We welcome the strong and ambitious positions of Rapporteur Bonafè encouraging better market conditions for renewable raw materials and promoting the use of bio-based materials in packaging", says François de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics, "because it sends the right signals to our industry and investors in the bioeconomy." Furthermore, the report on the amendments to the Waste Framework Directive places particular emphasis on the definitions of bio-waste and recycling, the definition of which is to include organic recycling, and a mandatory collection of bio-waste by 2020 supported by measures to increase the organic recycling of bio-waste to 65% by 2025. "These amendments are essential to achieve higher recycling targets by making use of the enormous but yet untapped potential of organic waste and compostable products in Europe," says de Bie.

"The measures and actions proposed by MEP Bonafè will help the bioplastics industry and the entire European bioeconomy to unfold its full environmental, social, and economic potential to provide new business opportunities and to create quality and long-term employment in Europe while protecting the environment and foster the efficient and sustainable use of our resources," says Hasso von Pogrell, Managing Director of European Bioplastics.

More information: http://docs.european-bioplastics.org/2016/publications/pp/EUBP_PP_Circular_Economy_Package.pdf

Contact: Kristy Lange, press@european-bioplastics.org, +49(0)30-284-82-356.