Webinar introduced certification schemes for converters and launched EU-wide harmonization
PolyCert Europe technical platform for converters positively welcomed by converting industry
On 20 October 2020, Polymer Comply Europe (PCE) hosted a Live Webinar on Certification and Standardization for Circularity of Plastics Converters organised on behalf of European Plastics Converters (EuPC) and Centexbel-VKC. The webinar was attended by more than 150 participants and stimulated a EU-wide harmonization of existing schemes for certification of recycled content in converted polymeric products.
In the webinar, Wim Grymonprez (Centexbel-VKC) introduced PolyCert Europe - an umbrella technical platform harmonizing existing certification systems for converters of polymeric materials in Europe. The goal of the new technical platform is to bring together the national and sectorial certification systems and work on the harmonization of the methods used for the calculation of recycled content in products.
The PolyCert Europe technical platform will enhance the communication towards the downstream users and customers confirming that the certification systems under its umbrella comply with the harmonized EU methodology. This will help converters across the EU member states to make sure their products are certified in the same way, no matter which certification system from the PolyCert Europe "family" they use, or in which EU country they are based.
Maria Cristina Poggesi from the Istituto per la Promozione delle Plastiche da Riciclo (IPPR) presented the Italian certification scheme - Plastica Seconda Vita. This scheme certifies recycled content in converted products taking into account both post-consumer and pre-consumer waste.
Ricardo Pascual of AENOR, the Spanish Association for Standardization, introduced the elements of the AENOR certification of both recycled plastic and recycled content in converted products. Currently, the AENOR certification scheme focuses on the verification of recycled content in products based on post-consumer waste.
The PolyCert Europe consortium is open to any interested stakeholders being it national or sector plastic converters associations. If your organization is interested in joining PolyCert Europe, please contact us on [email protected]. The opportunity for parties to express their interest in joining is open until 31 December 2020.
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.
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.