Der Grüne Punkt, Werner & Mertz and NABU: Financial support for post-consumer recyclates

Der Grüne Punkt, the cleaning products company Werner & Mertz and the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) are calling for a standardised definition for plastic recyclates that are Post-consumer recyclates (PCR) should be clearly favoured.

By 2025, according to EU Packaging Directive 50 per cent of plastic packaging in the EU should be recycled. Furthermore, as in future Processing losses may no longer be included in the calculation of the recycling rate, this means that the Recycling volume of plastic packaging Europe-wide would have to almost double from around 4.6 million tonnes at present to around eight million tonnes in the next few years. The three are therefore calling for a clear political framework for what they see as the right way to recycle plastics.

The background to the demand is that, in contrast to paper and glass, a significantly lower percentage of plastic is still recycled and then used to manufacture new products. The low recycling rate is mainly due to the fact that the use of virgin material is currently much cheaper than the use of recyclate. And the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis have further exacerbated this cost difference. Recycling rates have also fallen significantly as the price of crude oil has fallen. According to a recent survey by the Federal Association of the German Waste, Water and Raw Materials Management Industry (BDE), packaging manufacturers ask 30 per cent less recyclate to.

Financial incentives for post-consumer recyclate

For this reason, according to the three of them, a Financial support for packaging made from recyclate is essential. This is also in line with the Packaging Act, which has been in force since 2019. But also the approach of the so-called „plastic tax“ on non-recycled plastic adopted by the EU from 2021.

The definition of the term recyclate is crucial. Because, according to the three, if statutory regulations set minimum quotas for recycled content in packaging or the use of recyclate is to be financially incentivised, it must be clearly defined what the regulations refer to, namely in the Circular Economy Act, which is due for amendment. A genuine circular economy requires that one recycles waste generated by the end consumer to a high standard and returns it to the product cycle. The utilisation of production waste, on the other hand, so-called Post-industrial recyclate does not help to counteract the plastic littering of our planet.

PCR clearly preferable

That is why Der Grüne Punkt, Werner & Mertz GmbH (including the Frosch brand) and the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) are calling for a legally binding definition for plastic recyclate, which Post-consumer recyclates (PCR) are clearly favoured for funding. Production waste, on the other hand, should not be recognised as eligible recyclate. It should also not be included in the calculation of future minimum quotas for recycled content in packaging.
Because if industrial plastic waste is also considered a recyclate, many companies could opt for this simpler and cheaper route.

„As the pioneer of the high-quality use of PCR from the Yellow Bag, we know that the marketable solutions we have developed will not continue to gain acceptance if industrial waste is wrongly treated as equivalent for environmental protection. Industrial waste can be processed much more cheaply and is ultimately the result of inefficient processes. The state should not subsidise this. Consumers rightly expect sustainable offers and not tricks.“ Reinhard Schneider, Managing Partner of Werner & Mertz GmbH

Jörg-Andreas Krüger, President of NABU, points out that there is a need for manufacturers that are Recycling-friendly design and use recycled materials in high-quality applications. All too often, companies have been glossing over their recycling successes by simply utilising their production waste. In doing so, they fail to demonstrate true product responsibility. „So that more is invested in the technically challenging recycling of waste from the Yellow Bag, the legislator must promote the utilisation of these waste streams in a special way and introduce a legal definition for plastic recyclates,“ says Krüger.

For a more circular economy

Michael Wiener, CEO of Der Grüne Punkt, goes one step further. He makes it clear that the entire circular economy depends on the correct definition of post-consumer recyclates: „We will only solve the plastic crisis if plastic becomes recyclable. To do this, we need to tackle the plastic waste generated by end consumers, where recycling is a real challenge. The recycling of production waste does not need promotion - the recycling of post-consumer waste does. For this reason, the distinction is of fundamental importance. And it will determine the success or failure of the circular economy for plastics.“

The proof of origin could via the existing RAL quality mark „%-Recycling Plastic“ are made. This indicates the percentage of recycled plastic materials from the Yellow Bag or Yellow Bin in products. The recycling of commercial and industrial waste is explicitly not included in the percentage figures. The aim is to create targeted incentives for the reuse of plastic materials from household waste.

Source: Werner & Mertz GmbH