Alongside the Informa Agra Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum, EXPRA organized its traditional annual reception, attended by over 50 participants from all relevant stakeholders including many representatives from packaging recovery organizations including several non EXPRA members.
MEP Davor Škrlec, shadow-rapporteur of the Greens, gave the key note speech during the reception, highlighting that the European society has to move to a circular economy and that EPR plays a crucial role on this way. He endorsed the efforts of EXPRA to spread know how and expertise based on the 20 year experience of its members.
In the next two days the presentations and panel discussions dealt with the proposed revision of the Waste Framework and Packaging Directive and the resulting need to change the entire economic model & philosophy. The Forum this year was attended by around 100 participants.
In his key note speech, Mr. Daniel Calleja Crespo, the European Commission focused on the new Circular Economy Package and the key actions to be carried out under the current Commission. Among the issues discussed were the current and future actions of stakeholders along the supply chain, aiming to reduce packaging waste levels and bring about greater sustainability achievements. The improvement of the packaging design, functionality and marketing was also discussed.
Delegates had the opportunity to hear the positions of the European Commission, MEPs and Councils Presidency regarding the proposed new targets in the Waste Legislative proposals, further improvement of the separate collection systems, how to improve the quality of reported data, etc.
Inter alia, Paul Christiaens from the EXPRA Dutch member Nedvang presented the findings on the reliability of the data that the member states are reporting to EUROSTAT and which are the basis for the European Commission to justify the new proposed targets. He demonstrated very clearly that many of the data are questionable and would minimum need further explanation and that there is a great need to first harmonize the reporting of all member states to understand where the 28 member states of the European Union will start to reach the newly proposed very ambitious targets.