The study sheds light on the background of the prevention of plastic waste from packaging and disposable products by explaining the need for action, the environmental impacts and risks to human health.
Experiences of the members of the PREVENT Waste Alliance and their partners in the prevention of plastic waste by multi-actor partnerships are presented by means of 17 best practice examples.
Finally, the study gives recommendations for the reduction of plastic waste and the further work of the PREVENT Waste Alliance. These include success factors for waste prevention, necessary next steps and conclusions regarding the necessary political framework conditions.
PREVENT Waste Alliance is an international think tank, connecting circular economy practitioners worldwide.
It was launched in May 2019 and serves as a platform for exchange and international cooperation. Organisations from the private sector, academia, civil society and public institutions work together for a circular economy.
Its goal is tominimise waste, eliminate pollutants and maximise the reuse of resources in the economy. It promotes waste prevention, collection and recycling as well as increased uptake of secondary resources.
The members take part in working groups on plastics, e-waste and batteries, and organic waste. The Alliance has also produced a toolbox on Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging.
The Großes Walsertal region has developed a Circular Economy Strategy: it has set itself the objective of introducing circularity at every stage of the value chain, from production to consumption, repair and waste management. Smart product design and increased recycling and reuse activities will contribute to gradually close the loop of each product life-cycle in the region.
The Großes Walsertal communities act as role models by sharing tools, offering vouchers for local food stores (as part of the leisure activities funding) and implementing binding green criteria for events organised on their territory.
reCIRCLE is the market-leading industrial solution for reusable packaging for takeaway catering. The "lunchbox as a service" concept saves millions of disposable containers every day.
PU foam pressurised containers are used to fill gaps and to insulate and install window and door frames so as to make buildings airtight. OCF (one-component foam) producers have invested in a recycling company which recycles the metals in the packaging material, the reactive residual polyurethane prepolymer and the propellant.
In its position paper, Eurocities aims at contributing to the revision of the EU legislation on packaging and packaging waste by making proposals on:
packaging design (to facilitate separate sorting by citizens, and further dismantling for reuse or recycling, i.e. less complexity in packaging materials)
compostable/biodegradable plastic packaging (citizens cannot distinguish between biodegradable/compostable and more ‘conventional’ ones; the Commission should assess if this packaging can benefit the environment or create more littering and hamper waste collection, reuse and recycling)
reuse and recycling (new legislation should consider EU-wide mandatory labelling to identify packaging as reusable, recyclable or compostable) and
Addressing the growing calls for a recovery response that is in alignment with other global challenges, these specifically selected opportunities all optimise the use and circulation of assets, materials and nutrients. As governments take the critical action necessary to safeguard national economies and work towards a transformation that is resilient to future global risks, the circular economy has never been more relevant.
The Circular Plastics Alliance aims to boost the EU market for recycled plastics.
It covers the full plastics value chains and includes over 330 organisations representing industry, academia and public authorities. It is open to all public and private actors from European plastics value chains that are ready to contribute to delivering on the alliance's declaration, specifically that by 2025 at least 10 million tonnes of recycled plastics should find their way into products and packaging in Europe each year.
Companies and business associations are encouraged to submit voluntary pledges on recycled polymer(s) to be produced or used by their organisation by 2025.
