PolyCert Europe welcomes new chairman and members of the Steering Board

The PolyCert Europe Steering Board has elected Jan Laperre (Centexbel-VKC) as Chairman and welcomes new founding members. The new members are joining PolyCert Europe in support of the effort to bring together existing national certification schemes in a comprehensive system for polymer converters. The engagement of all stakeholders will accelerate the harmonization of the methodology used for the assessment of recycled content in final products by helping converting companies to support their claims by evidence and certification across the EU market.

The elected members of the Board are Jan Laperre – Centexbel-VKC, Edmund Vankann – European Carpet and Rug Association (ECRA), Bernard Merkx – European Single-ply Waterproofing Membranes Association (ESWA), Alexandre Dangis – European Plastics Converters (EuPC), Xavier Lhoir – Valipac, Frank DeMeyere – Waste Free Oceans (WFO); and national associations representing plastics converters: Yves Verschueren – essenscia (Belgium), Maria Cristina Poggesi – Unionplast (Italy), Marc Madec – Polyvia (France) and Erik De Ruijter – NRK (the Netherlands).

The purpose of PolyCert Europe is to provide a comprehensive framework for certification schemes on the uptake of secondary raw material at the converting stage for products complying with the REACh Regulation and with European and/or National product norms/standards or legislations.

Certification schemes under the PolyCert Europe umbrella form part of a comprehensive mutual recognition framework and respect the principles of chain of custody within the value chain of polymers and plastics.

PolyCert Europe relies on the principles of third-party auditing. Such assessment is done by accredited certification bodies, recognised by the national authorities of the Member States and independent auditors, approved by PolyCert Europe to ensure impartiality, credibility and the economic level playing field. The European network of accredited certification bodies will ensure a harmonized implementation of the PolyCert Europe methodology across Europe.

If your organization is interested in joining PolyCert Europe, please contact us on info@polycerteurope.eu and check www.polycerteurope.eu. ​
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Centexbel-VKC: Centexbel is an institution recognised by the application of the Royal Decree of January 30th, 1947 (a.k.a. "Law De Groote"). Its mission is to promote research and technological development with the intention of enhancing the cost-effectiveness, quality and production capacity of the Belgian textile industry.

VKC, a division of Centexbel, is a knowledge centre supporting the plastic converting industry in the largest sense of the word. VKC has the necessary expertise in plastic products, materials, processing and recycling.

ECRA: European Carpet and Rug Association (ECRA) was established in 2004 and represents more than 40 leading carpet producers from six European countries. Together, our members account for approximately 90% of European textile wall-to-wall carpet production and 73% of EU consumption. As an international membership association, we encourage the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience between our members and stakeholders.We aim to continuously improve our industry’s environmental and health impacts in order to help conserve natural resources, prevent climate change and protect human health. To achieve this, we conduct industry research and analysis, and develop international and EU standards on product level related to progressive carpet design, as well as health and safety related aspects. We also engage with a broad range of stakeholders, encourage change and lead discussions on sustainability best practice both among national and international organisations and trade associations in our industry.

EuPC: European Plastics Converters (EuPC) is the leading EU-level trade association, based in Brussels, representing European plastics converting companies. Plastics converters use plastics raw materials and recycled polymers to manufacture new products. EuPC totals about 45 national as well as European plastics converting industry associations and represents more than 50,000 companies, producing over 50 million tons of plastic products every year. The European plastics industry makes a significant contribution to the welfare in Europe by enabling innovation, creating quality of life to citizens and facilitating resource efficiency and climate protection. More than 1.6 million people are working in EU converting companies (mainly SMEs) to create a turnover in excess of € 260 billion per year.

ESWA: European Single-ply Waterproofing Association (ESWA) represents the leading producers of thermoplastic roofing membranes in Europe. Together these manufacturers have developed over 85 % market share in Europe. ESWA's mission is to represent and promote the interests of its industry and be its voice vis-à-vis the European institutions. Its objectives include the promotion of innovative and safer solutions from manufacture to application and to providing optimum economic and ecological benefits to the specifiers of its products.

Valipac: Valipac is the Belgian EPR-scheme for commercial and industrial packaging. Valipac fulfills the legal obligations of its 7000 clients towards the prevention and the management of industrial packaging waste by gathering proof of recycling and/or recovery of the collected packaging waste. Valipac also carries the role to encourage the recycling of industrial packaging waste by providing financial support for those companies with active sorting schemes. ​ We are also working on innovations to turn packaging waste into new raw material with more applications in Europe to achieve a fully circular economy for commercial and ​ industrial packaging.

Waste Free Oceans: Waste Free Oceans is a non-profit organisation that mobilises the fisheries sector, the plastics industry, policy makers and the wider public, in order to reduce the impact of marine litter on the environment. WFO's operations focus on marine litter clean-ups and “Closing the Loop” projects, where new and innovative products are designed and produced from the collected ocean waste. With the growing global call to action to address the issue of marine litter, Waste Free Oceans is ideally placed to offer practical answers: its strong connections within the European plastics converting and recycling industries and extensive experience in recovering, recycling and reusing marine plastics allow Waste Free Oceans to contribute to cleaner waters and waste free environments.

essenscia: essenscia is the Belgian federation of the chemical and life sciences industry, representing some 720 companies in the fields of chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals and biotech. With a turnover of 65 billion euros and more than 94,000 direct and 220,000 indirect jobs, the sector is one of the most important industries in Belgium. It accounts for one third of all Belgian exports, one third of the industrial value-added and two thirds of all private investment in research and development (R&D). As a country champion of exports and innovation, the sector contributes significantly to the economic growth and prosperity of Belgium. Sustainable development is at the heart of the federation and its member companies, with a strong commitment to innovate and collaborate on sustainable plastics and materials in a circular economy.

Unionplast – Federazione Gomma Plastica: The National Federation, adhering to Confindustria (Confederation of Italian Industry), between the Rubber, Electric Cables and Allied Industries and the Plastics and Allied Materials Processing Industries, constituted on 21 July 2005, is a 1st degree organisation that groups together 800 companies with approximately 60,000 employees, distributed throughout the national territory. Within the Federation there are two Associations - Assogomma and Unionplast - which represent the sectors of production of rubber products, electrical cables and plastic and related products. The Federation is independent, non-partisan, non-commercial and non-profit-making.

Polyvia: Polyvia is the Union of Polymer Processors. Born from the will of the inter-regional plastics unions, Allizé-Plasturgie, Gipco, Plasti Ouest, the Federation of Plastics and Composites and the GPIC (Groupement de la plasturgie industrielle et des composites), Polyvia represents plastics and composites manufacturers throughout France since the 1^st of January 2021. Polyvia's mandate is clear: to accompany and support our members, and to represent and promote their interests more effectively at the highest level, in order to build a sector that is visible and representative of all our markets.

NRK: Every day, thousands of products are made from rubber and plastics. These range from car tyres, food packaging to sewer systems and sailboats. A world without rubber and plastic is unthinkable; without a sustainable future can be ruled out. The Dutch rubber and plastics industry supplies a wide variety of components, parts and finished products essential to manufacturing and commerce, construction and packaging. The Dutch Federation of the Rubber and Plastics Industry (NRK) promotes the interests of some 430 companies grouped into 18 industry associations. We work together on a healthy business climate for manufacturing and stimulate competitiveness, innovation and knowledge transfer, education and training and recycling and a better environment. Our members companies operate sustainably, with an eye for people, planet, profit and polymers. They are trendsetters in innovation. The Dutch rubber and plastics industry has a turnover of 14 billion euros, consisting for 75% of SMEs that employ approximately 50,000 people. The rubber and plastics industry is a healthy and sustainable industry with products of great added value for society. NRK (www.nrk.nl) is a prominent umbrella organisation with a clear mission, acting as a spokesperson and point of contact for the rubber and plastics industry in the Netherlands. Our policy centres on 4 themes: labour relations, license to produce (innovation & technology, SH&E), license to sell (sustainability & circular economy) and communications (to members, government and value chain stakeholders & www.rethinkplastics.nl.