Clean Industrial Deal overlooks contribution of plastics, says Plastics Europe

Iranpolymer/Baspar Industry association Plastics Europe has welcomed the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal but warns it risks overlooking  the ‘essential contribution’ of the plastics industry.

“The EU is demonstrating the ambitious political leadership necessary to restore its competitiveness, but policymakers cannot afford to continually overlook the essential contribution plastics make to the EU economy, providing essential inputs to strategic EU sectors like automotive, net-zero technologies, healthcare, construction and defence, or the role they are playing in the transition of these industries,” said Virginia Janssens, managing director of Plastics Europe.

The Clean Industrial Deal is a business plan to make decarbonisation of European industry profitable. It focusses mainly on energy-intensive industries and clean tech and emphasises the EU’s need to maximise its limited resources and reduce over dependencies on third country suppliers for raw materials.

Despite welcoming initiatives to lower energy costs, reduce rep tape, and increase market demand for circular products, Plastics Europe said the Deal ‘lacks the urgency needed to restore the competitiveness of EU plastics manufacturing and get its transition toward net zero and circularity back on track’.

The association criticised the Commission for failing to tailor the Deal to the plastic sector, unlike what it did with chemicals and automotive, for example.

“The critical importance, size and complex nature of the European plastics system requires a tailored policy response,” said Janssens. “We call on the Commission to use its convening power to develop an Action Plan on the future of the European plastics sector, bringing together EU institutions, Member States and all relevant partners in the plastics ecosystem. Additionally, we call for the Commission to ensure that plastics are considered in all sectoral initiatives, innovation funding, and measures to ensure EU supplies of key materials.”

Reacting to the Circular Economy Act announced within the Deal, Plastics Europe said it welcomes measures to help build a single market for waste, recycled, bio-based materials, and low-carbon plastics. However, the association warned that it is not enough to promote the single market – it must also be protected.

“We urge the Commission to act to ensure the ongoing fragmentation of the single market does not undermine the positive measures outlined in the roadmap,” the association wrote in its reaction statement.

EuRIC, the association for European recyclers, also criticised the Deal for failing to effectively link decarbonisation with circularity or recognising the importance of the recycling industry.

The association warned the Deal focusses too heavily on critical raw materials while failing to protect industries like plastics recycling which are already grappling with low demand and rising costs.

EuRIC further called on the Commission to recognise mechanical recycling as a key net-zero technology in order to truly link decarbonisation with circularity and competitiveness.

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