The industry demands a legal framework that supports the circular economy and does not mean a loss of competitiveness for plastics companies.

The sixth edition of the event, organized by Cicloplast and Aimplas, was successfully completed with the participation of approximately 130 people.

Editorial Office22.11.2022

Aimplas, Institute of Plastics Technology, Y cycloplast The sixth Plastic and Circular Economy discussion conference was held on Thursday, November 17, with the participation of nearly 130 professionals and a total of 15 speakers from different public administrations, universities, technology centers and industry companies.

The event was opened by Marcelo Miranda, president of Cicloplast, and José Antonio Costa, director of Aimplas.

José Antonio Costa explained the structure of the conference and how Aimplas is working to respond to the challenges facing the plastics industry. Costa reminded the importance of having the commitment and cooperation of not only industry but also all social actors, including public administrations and consumers.

Marcelo Miranda, on the other hand, emphasized the complexity of the industry as a result of the current economic situation with an inflationary framework and ever-increasing costs of energy and raw materials on the one hand, and increasing demands on the other. With plastic materials for the purpose of prohibiting, reducing or taxing non-reusable plastic containers, which will take effect on January 1, 2023. Miranda reached out to administration to collaborate on finding solutions that continue to support circularity. a sector that does not stop investing in innovation and sustainability, such as plastics.

The day started with a session on the new legislation on Plastics and the Circular Economy in Europe and Spain, attended by Maciej Berestecki, Press and Policy Officer at the Spanish Representation of the European Commission, and Margarita Ruiz Saiz-Aja, Deputy Director General for Circular. Ministry of Economics of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Luis Cediel (EsPlsticos spokesperson and general manager of Anaip) and Alicia Martín (EsPlsticos spokesperson and general manager of Plastics Europe Ibrica).

The representative of the European Union reminded that they are working on the revision of the directive in order to reduce the volume of waste, increase reuse rates, and encourage reuse and recycling. To this end, it will include measures to harmonize labeling and defend the right to repair to encourage reuse, taking into account biobased, compostable and biodegradable materials, which currently represent a small percentage of packaging but are growing rapidly.

The vice president of Circular Economy reviewed developments in national legislation, such as the new Waste Law, which reminds us that its aim is to prevent waste generation and promote the use of recycled materials. Regarding the Royal Decree on Packaging, whose approval is imminent because it should happen before the end of the year, he stressed that it is a rule that also reinforces prevention and reuse as it recognizes plastic is necessary, but also to move forward in its circularity. He explained that for this, three sectoral PERTEs (plastics, textiles and renewable energy) with a total budget of 192 million are underway and 100 million of them are allocated to subsidy projects that encourage the reduction of raw material use in the plastics industry. materials, eco design and waste management.

EsPlsticos representatives insisted that a legal framework should be promoted that supports the Circular Economy of plastics and does not have a strong impact on industries in the sector, causing them to lose their competitiveness and hindering investment in the medium and long term. promoting a true Circular economy. In this context, they reminded that the plastics industry in Spain consists of 3,000 companies with an annual income of more than 31,000 million Euros and providing direct employment to 93,000 people and indirect or incentivized employment to 255,000 people. Both have influenced the fact that the European and national legal framework must be based on data and scientific evidence, and at the same time serve to encourage and facilitate the investment and innovation of companies in the sector, always respecting technological neutrality. PERTE, announced to the plastics industry spokespersons, is a help but insufficient. An adequate infrastructure plan is needed to implement so many measures in the legislation, but it cannot be realized without an investment plan.

For EsPlsticos, competitiveness and sustainability must and must go hand in hand. The industry has a lasting commitment to eco-design, improvement in the collection and classification of waste, continuing to advance in the recycling of plastics, and zero-waste landfill. Although Spain is one of the countries that recycles the most in Europe, work continues on campaigns for education, prevention and technical solutions to combat waste in nature.

EsPlsticos spokespersons argued that harmonization of legal measures applicable to the entire national and European region should be ensured.

The second session, dedicated to introducing the challenges and opportunities of the plastic packaging industry and the circular economy in the face of the new legislation, was attended by Isabel Goyena, Managing Director of Cicloplast and Envalora, and Scar Hernndez, director of Anarpla and Mara Martínez. -Herrera, Head of Food Safety and Environment at Asedas. The new Collective Extended Producer Responsibility System (SCRAP) Envalora for industrial and commercial packaging in the chemical, plastics, rubber and construction industries, where there are currently more than 200 companies, was presented at the session. companies that supply industrial and commercial packaging in the national market to fulfill their legal obligations.

Isabel Goyena encouraged new companies to join a solid initiative backed by a seasoned operation with the collaboration of the best professionals and experts to design and develop a collective system that is as efficient and inclusive as possible.

In the third session, they told the participants about the new management systems (RAP) in the plastics industry and how they manage their waste to comply with the legislation. José María Bermejo, managing director of Mapla, talked about how they manage plastic waste in the agricultural sector, Sheim Guerrero, legal secretary of Ecotextil, gave a presentation on the management of textile waste, and Jos Guaita, president of Heura, we have delved into Extended Producer Responsibility Systems in different sectors.

Innovation success stories

The final session, moderated by Aimplas Chemical Recycling Group Researcher Pablo Ferrero, will present innovative trends and success stories in the Circular Economy, which is the foundation of the recycling industry today and tomorrow. The following people will attend this session: Hildemar Méndez, Head of Business Development at Tomra Recycling Sorting, Joaquín Muntan, Director of Contingency-Pack; Storopack Spain Sales Director Eduardo Gil Aramenda and Novamont Iberia Head of Marketing Rosa Puig Mor will present their success stories on innovation in the Circular Economy.

The event also included a poster session where new projects on circular economy and sustainability in the plastics industry were explored.

Participants had the opportunity to visit an area reserved for the presentation of demonstrators from the companies Tomra, Paktum, Novamont, Storopack, Andersen and Heura that supported the conference and where the results of R&D+ projects were also exhibited. such as sportswear made with end-of-life fishing nets recovered from the sea, or urban furniture using other marine and plastic wastes in their manufacture.