The IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen welcomes the interim status of the current coalition negotiations, but urges the negotiators of the coalition agreement to draw up ambitious guidelines for climate protection and the circular economy. Other players in the industry are also making demands of the incoming federal government.
The fact that the objectives and measures are based on the National Circular Economy Strategy and are a Practical implementation of the EU packaging regulation The IK expressly welcomes the new regulations. The Reform of Section 21 of the Packaging Act with its recyclability requirements is supported by the industry.
The Association of Plastics Packaging and Film Manufacturers is not yet satisfied with the rather vague and unambitious targets that have been set to date in order to Harmonising competitiveness and climate protection. IK President Georg Pescher sees a good basis in the negotiation result that has become public, but also some unrealised potential.
„We now have a real opportunity to make Germany the most innovative circular economy location. We must learn from the mistakes of past decades and other industries and independently bring our research results to market maturity and scale them up. After all, the circular economy is not only an ecological must, but also an economic opportunity. It strengthens our independence from fossil raw materials, creates added value and secures jobs - especially in Germany as a centre of innovation.“
Georg Pescher, IK President
There are also important Guard rails for mechanical recycling and a level playing field for all packaging materials are not yet reflected in the outcome of the ongoing coalition negotiations.
The IC therefore calls for correspondingly committed negotiations on the inclusion of additional guidelines with the aim of making Germany the most innovative circular economy location and make it attractive for the recycling industry to settle here, Investing in a climate-friendly circular economy for plastics and fair rules of the game for products of all materials based on their carbon footprint.
Werner & Mertz and BDE call for concrete activities
During a site visit to the Werner & Mertz headquarters in Mainz, BDE President Anja Siegesmund and owner Reinhard Schneider discussed concrete measures for the Ramp-up of the circular economy in Germany and Europe was called for. The focus was not only on the expansion of modern recycling technologies, but also on the protection of the internal market and the strengthening of the industrial location. Building on the previous demands of the players in the plastics and recycling industry to the new federal government, BDE and Werner & Mertz have added further impetus in a joint statement:
- Control and certification of imported recyclates: Recycling plants in third countries should be obliged to prove compliance with European quality and environmental standards by means of independent audits. Only equivalent recyclates may enter the European internal market.
- Polluter-pays plastic tax: Instead of consumers ultimately bearing the plastic tax, in future the distributors of climate-damaging new plastic will be responsible for the levy - while post-consumer recyclates will remain tax-exempt. This measure creates an economic incentive for increased investment in recycling technologies.
- Reduction of subsidies for fossil raw materials: The legal favouring of new plastics - for example through EEG levy exemptions - should be ended. Instead, subsidies must be redirected to support innovations in the recycling sector.
- Promoting innovation and investing in recycling technologies: It is proposed that a fund be set up into which all companies that use virgin plastic would pay. The funds should be channelled specifically into research, development and the expansion of modern, high-quality recycling processes. At the same time, statutory minimum quotas for the use of recyclates should be introduced.
- Protecting the internal market and strengthening the industrial location: In addition to ensuring fair competitive conditions, this also includes promoting regional value chains and improving the infrastructure for waste management.
- Creation of a binding legal framework: Introduction of statutory minimum quotas for the proportion of recycled material in new goods coupled with incentives for exceeding these quotas by up to 100 per cent as well as binding quality standards for imported recyclates.
- Green public procurement as a strategic lever: Promotion of the circular economy by the public sector, for example by taking recyclates and recyclability into account in tender criteria. The increased use of recycled raw materials as part of green public procurement contributes to the sovereignty of raw materials, makes production locations that are poor in primary raw materials less dependent on imports and strengthens their resilience in the long term.
DUH sees wrong priorities
The DUH misses ambitious ideas for tackling the waste crisis and the excessive consumption of resources in the plans of the upcoming German government. In the opinion of the environmental organisation, resource protection and the circular economy are hardly given any attention: "The statements in the environmental working paper on the circular economy are limited to a few sentences and largely concern Matters that have to be implemented under EU law anyway, it says. The focus is on voluntary action, incentives and personal responsibility instead of regulatory law. This is not the way to solve the waste and resource problem.
In the view of DUH Federal Managing Director Barbara Metz, the incoming federal government is setting completely the wrong priorities in the area of resource avoidance: „Avoidance and reuse are practically non-existent, the one-sided focus on recycling sets the wrong incentives.“ Reusable packaging as the most important instrument for avoiding waste in the packaging sector is not mentioned at all. Yet reusable packaging not only conserves resources and protects the climate, but also guarantees more than 145,000 jobs and regional economic cycles. Strong financial incentives are needed to promote reusable packaging.
Source: IK, BDE, Werner & Mertz, DUH
