Page 60 - Plastics News March 2026
P. 60
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
them to be treated at an authorized treat- regulation the commission will be required to
ment facility publish a review of the technological develop-
ment and environmental performance of bio-
♦ A transfer of ownership framework
based plastics and elastomers from tyres and
♦ A cross-border extended producer respon- “where appropriate” present legislative propos-
sibility (EPR) scheme als for sustainability requirements and targets
– including the possibility of them counting to-
CHEMICAL RECYCLING wards recycled content targets.
Chemical recycling will be allowed to contribute NEW POWERS OF DEROGATION
to ELVR targets using a mass-balance account-
ing approach. The provisional agreement also sets out new
powers of derogation for the European Com-
Under article 6, the provisional agreement states, mission. Under the provisional agreement the
“With regards to recycled plastic obtained from Commission could delay or temporarily revise
recycling methods other than mechanical recy- down plastic content targets, “in case the lack of
cling, a mass balance accounting methodology availability or excessive prices of specific recy-
shall apply in line with mass balance accounting cled plastics make compliance with the minimum
methodologies applicable to plastics recycling in percentages of recycled content excessively
line with the definition of recycling in the Waste difficult”.
Framework Directive (2008/98/EC).” The EU
Commission will need to adopt an implementing ROLE OF IMPORTS
act to establish verification methods for the re- Recycled material from a third country (these
cycled content targets (including mass balance) are countries that are not part of the European
by 24 months after the entry in to force of the Union) will not be allowed to count towards the
regulation. The entry into force of EU regulation minimum recycled content targets for 48 months
is the date it is published in the Official Journal of after the entry in to force of the legislation.
the European Register.
POST-CONSUMER MATERIAL Once they are allowed to count there will be
stringent requirements (including independent
Only recycled material from post-consumer third party auditing requirements) – set out in
waste will be allowed to count towards the mini- Annex XIII – which will likely limit the amount of
mum recycled content target. For the purposes usable material from overseas.
of the regulation post-consumer waste is de-
fined as, “waste that is generated from products ICIS assesses more than 100 grades throughout
that have been placed on the market or supplied the circular plastic value chain globally – from
for distribution, consumption or use in a third waste bales through to pellets. This includes
country in the course of a commercial activity, rPET, recycled polyethylene (rPE), recycled
whether in return for payment or free of charge”. polypropylene (rPP), mixed plastic waste, ag-
glomerates, pyrolysis oil and bio-naphtha.
BIO-BASED MATERIAL AND TYRE ELASTO-
MERS Source - https://www.icis.com
Within 72 months of the entry in to force of the
60 PLASTICS NEWS March 2026
