The new EU Circular Economy Action Plan is one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal for a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and competitive economy. The proposals that are sketched out as part of the Action Plan are set to influence almost every stage of Europeans’ lives, by ensuring that products and materials we see everywhere, from home to office, or school and doctors’ clinics, are truly sustainable.

The upcoming review of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) will aim to ensure that “all packaging on the EU market are recyclable or reusable in an economically viable way by 2030”. It will build on the last revision of the PPWD that set new recycling targets for packaging, measuring the actual recycling of packaging materials – not just collection rates.

Closed loop recycling, whereby packaging is collected and recycled into new packaging, has a key role to play in a well-functioning Circular Economy that keeps resources productive in the economy for as long as possible, reducing the use of virgin raw materials and CO2 emissions, and saving energy. EU and national policymakers across Europe are debating what the solutions are to promote closed loop recycling.