The Covid-19 pandemic has created unprecedented market developments that have sometimes severely impacted the recycling economy (see Plasteurope.com of 20.05.2020). As part of the recovery package, the Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform (PCEP, Brussels / Belgium; www.pcep.eu) is calling for investments from the EU and member states to be focused the circular economy. It notes that many players in the polyolefin value chain are also affected by low virgin material and oil prices.

The platform, which was launched in 2016 by EuPC, PRE and PlasticsEurope (see Plasteurope.com of 26.10.2016) and is a non-profit organisation since early 2020, considers investment in collection, sorting and recycling as vital, with any losses of capacity at these points potentially hindering the transition to a circular economy.

Venetia Spencer, PCEP secretary general, supports collaborations across the polyolefin value chain that can help create a circular economy. “At PCEP we are committed to the transformation to a circular economy by designing out waste, keeping products and materials in use and increasing the volumes of recycled polyolefins into high-quality new raw materials. Europe is a global leader in the circular transition, and we must stand by our convictions in our recovery investment choices.”