Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging APEAL has announced its 2025 vision for recycling “Zero steel packaging to landfill” as part of Steel for Packaging Week, a virtual event designed to showcase steel as the model material for a 21st century circular economy. The 2025 Vision is set to be supported by action in four key areas, identified by the Association as critical in the drive to prevent steel packaging being diverted from recycling and wasted. APEAL Secretary General Mr Alexis Van Maercke said “The four key areas of action will include a focus on optimising separate waste collection, establishing a scrap quality standard, the collection and sorting of steel closures, and designing for recyclability.”He added “As APEAL’s recycling report published in 2018 illustrates, separate collection is the best way of guaranteeing high-quality input into recycling operations. It was therefore encouraging to see this highlighted in the Circular Economy Action Plan CEAP 2.0 report adopted by the European Parliament last 9th February. Establishing a scrap quality standard is equally important. Crucially, to maintain quality in the steel for packaging scrap value chain, quality control must start when the material is at the sorting facility. This can only be achieved by establishing a quality standard for packaging steel scrap.”Whilst an average of 82,5% of all steel packaging is currently recycled across Europe, the collection and sorting of steel closures in Europe is estimated to be below-average, with steel closures regularly put in the wrong waste bin (and often in the residual waste bin) by citizens.APEAL also believes designing for recyclability will underpin the successful implementation of all these measures, helping to ensure that every product placed on the market, can be recycled as efficiently as possible.A new APEAL report, ‘Why Steel recycles forever – How to collect, sort & recycle steel for packaging’, designed to help stakeholders throughout the value chain work collaboratively to achieve the 2025 Vision, is set to be published in December 2021.
Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging APEAL has announced its 2025 vision for recycling “Zero steel packaging to landfill” as part of Steel for Packaging Week, a virtual event designed to showcase steel as the model material for a 21st century circular economy. The 2025 Vision is set to be supported by action in four key areas, identified by the Association as critical in the drive to prevent steel packaging being diverted from recycling and wasted. APEAL Secretary General Mr Alexis Van Maercke said “The four key areas of action will include a focus on optimising separate waste collection, establishing a scrap quality standard, the collection and sorting of steel closures, and designing for recyclability.”He added “As APEAL’s recycling report published in 2018 illustrates, separate collection is the best way of guaranteeing high-quality input into recycling operations. It was therefore encouraging to see this highlighted in the Circular Economy Action Plan CEAP 2.0 report adopted by the European Parliament last 9th February. Establishing a scrap quality standard is equally important. Crucially, to maintain quality in the steel for packaging scrap value chain, quality control must start when the material is at the sorting facility. This can only be achieved by establishing a quality standard for packaging steel scrap.”Whilst an average of 82,5% of all steel packaging is currently recycled across Europe, the collection and sorting of steel closures in Europe is estimated to be below-average, with steel closures regularly put in the wrong waste bin (and often in the residual waste bin) by citizens.APEAL also believes designing for recyclability will underpin the successful implementation of all these measures, helping to ensure that every product placed on the market, can be recycled as efficiently as possible.A new APEAL report, ‘Why Steel recycles forever – How to collect, sort & recycle steel for packaging’, designed to help stakeholders throughout the value chain work collaboratively to achieve the 2025 Vision, is set to be published in December 2021.
