Activity Report - April 2023

Members Meeting & Open House Day

The upcoming Members Meeting will take place on Tuesday, 06 June 2023, at the Thon Hotel EU, Rue de la Loi 75, 1000 Brussels. Click here for more information.

In addition, we would like to invite you to our Brussels Office Open House. This will take place on Monday, 5 June 2023, from 3 – 6 p.m. at Avenue Palmerston 3, 1000 Brussels. We will start with a few welcoming words at 3 p.m., however, as with an open house, please feel free to visit us at any time during that time frame – as fits your schedule. You will have the opportunity to meet the team, and we will gladly show you around.

Please RSVP to conference@european-bioplastics.org.

For further detailed information on the Members Meeting, please contact Hasso von Pogrell (pogrell@european-bioplastics.org).

EUBP Staff

At the beginning of May two new colleagues will join the EUBP team in Brussels. Julie Pieters (pieters@europen-bioplastics.org) will start as Policy Affairs Officer and Marion Thérage (therage@european-bioplastics.org) will start as Communications Manager.

EUBP's Material Management Concept

A Meeting to finalise EUBP’s Materials Management Concept (MMC) was held online on 20 April. All members of EUBP were invited to comment on the draft that was initially shared during the Members Meeting in December 2022 and was adapted according to members’ feedback. The aim of the MMC is to outline how economic sectors, and in particular our bioplastics sector, can contribute to achieving Europe’s commitment to become climate neutral by 2050 as set out in the EU Green Deal. The MMC outlines 6 priorities and the specific contributions of bioplastics, including (1) safeguarding biodiversity & fostering the bioeconomy, (2) circular design & sound environmental claims, (3) de-fossilisation & GHG reduction, (4) innovation & sustainable material solutions, (5) closed loop & EU waste hierarchy, (6) level playing field & material neutrality. The MMC will be published in May and then used to forge new alliances with other organisations.

Regulatory Affairs (WG REGA)

The WG REGA met on 6 April as well as on 20 April (both hybrid/virtual) to discuss the latest developments on the Commission’s proposal for a revised Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which has been defined the top priority for the group this year.

The Commission’s proposal for a revised Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) has now moved to the Parliament and the Council (co-decision process / ordinary legislative procedure). There seems to be agreement among all political groups in the European Parliament to finalise the interinstitutional negotiations by 2023 or, at the latest, by Q1/2024.

The Commission had launched a public consultation on the PPWR proposal to gather feedback from stakeholders, which will be consolidated in a report provided to the Parliament and the Council. EUBP has submitted feedback based on the position paper and proposed amendments.

EUBP was able to schedule meetings with MEPs Salini (EPP, shadow rapporteur ENVI on the PPWR) on 24 April and MEP Chabaud (Renew, France, ENVI subs. Member) on 27 April. Detailed debriefs will be shared with the REGA group during the next meeting.

The draft reports on the PPWR by the Parliament’s ENVI Committee and AGRI Committee were leaked mid-April. However likely to change, both reports included a number of amendments directed at biobased plastics and compostable plastics. A detailed analysis was discussed during the REGA meeting on 20 April – please refer to the minutes for details. EUBP will reach out to the rapporteurs of the Committees to highlight our concerns and positions once more.

The EU Council Working Party on Environment has met on 30 March to discuss the PPWR proposal and in particular the recycling targets. EUBP shared the position paper on the call for a biobased content target equivalent to recycled content with all Perm Reps ahead of the meeting. On 30 March, the Swedish Presidency also shared a steering note on the PPWR, including suggested amendments for Art. 1-8, with potentially far- reaching negative effects for compostable plastics. Member States were able to provide comments until 19 April and EUBP reached out to all Perm Reps to highlight our concerns and positions once more. The MS’ feedback on the steering note will be discussed in the upcoming Working Party meeting on 4 May.

EUBP’s position papers and briefings were updated to clarify the policy ask on the promotion of biobased content in the context of the PPWR:

• position on the Commission's legislative proposal for revised rules on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR)
  
• proposed amendments to the Commissions PPWR proposal
  
• position on a biobased content target equivalent to the recycled content targets set out in the PPWR,
  

EUBP continued to work closely with the members of BON Europe to reach out to representatives of the upcoming Council Presidency holders Spain and Belgium. In particular, EUBP is coordinating actions with ASOBIOCOM for upcoming Council Presidency (July-Dec 2023) to enquire about the priorities of the Spanish Presidency and potential actions/events/outreach. The same will be done together with the Belgian BioPackaging association BBP. EUBP has shared all final position papers and proposed amendments with BON Europe members to make sure policy asks and messages are aligned.

REGA also discussed the latest updates and next steps on other relevant policy files, including the Commission proposal for intentionally added microplastics (modifying resp. Annex XVII of REACH), the Commission proposal for a Green Claims Directive (published on 22 March) and the public consultation on the proposal (open until May), the Taxonomy Delegated Act (public consultation open until 3 May) and the Commission’s public consultation on the proposal for an Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (open until 12 May).

EUBP has applied and been granted observer status to UNEP. As such, EUBP will take part in the negotiations around the Basel Convention and the Plastics Treaty (INC-2). EUBP members are invited to participate in the internal (EUBP) discussions and formulation of positions and talking points. The EUBP delegation has 5 observer spots in total, which are currently covered by Roberto Ferrigno (EUBP), Franz Kraus (Novamont), Robert E. Mack (Kimberly Clark), Peter Holdorf (Neste), and Erwin Lepoudre (Kaneka). The next INC-2 meeting is taking place in Paris from 29 May to 2 June.

WG REGA will meet bi-weekly in 2023. The next meeting will be held on 11 May and 25 May, both in hybrid format (in person in the EUBP Brussels office and online via TEAMS).

For further detailed information on the work of the WG Regulatory Affairs, please refer to the slides and minutes of the last meeting or contact Roberto Ferrigno (ferrigno@european-bioplastics.org).

EUBA - European Bioeconomy Alliance

The EUBA operational group has met on 21 April to discuss key policy issues and to coordinate and agree activities. EUBP is leading a dedicated working group within the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) to define a common position on the PPWR. A draft position has been finalised and entered the approval process with potential conflicts still needing to be resolved regarding the promotion of biobased content in packaging and horizontal reuse targets. The EUBA position reflects a number of EUBP’s key positions on the PPWR. Potential follow-up actions that are also being considered are the publication of the paper as well as outreach to key decision makers in the Council and EP, including a parliamentary event. EUBP will inform the WG REGA group about the progress and position of EUBA on these issues and tasks.

For further information on EUBP’s engagement within the European Bioeconomy Alliance, please contact Katrin Schwede (schwede@european-bioplastics.org).

BON Europe

BON Europe met on 6 April to share latest updates on relevant national policy developments and to discuss the ongoing revision of the EU rules on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR). EUBP is working closely with the members of BON Europe to reach out to representatives of the upcoming Council Presidency holders Spain and Belgium. Outreach via the national associations will need to start asap in order to establish and strengthen the access to key policy makers in those Member States. National associations were therefore urged to start reaching out to the respective experts in the responsible ministries. Further support should be called in from member companies of the associations and their networks to relevant decision-makers. EUBP has been in contact with ASOBIOCOM to coordinate a position and potential next steps such as the outreach to the Spanish Presidency ahead of July 2023 and a side-event in Q3/23. EUBP is working closely with BBP to organise an on-site visit to a Belgian composting facility for key MEPs.

EUBP has shared its position and proposed amendments as well as a stakeholder list of relevant MEPs and Perm Reps with all BON members to make sure actions, messages, and policy asks are aligned.

BON Europe members are invited to participate in EUBP’s WG REGA meetings. The next dedicated BON Europe meeting will be held on 1 June (online).

For more information regarding BON Europe, please contact Katrin Schwede (schwede@european-bioplastics.org).

Product Groups

Product Group Biobased

The members of TF 2 (End of Life) had developed a position paper on the equal treatment of biobased and recycled content. After alignment with WG REGA the paper has been published on the EUBP website. The group met again on 26 April to discuss the next work items. It was decided to not work on a background paper on energy recovery but instead update the existing position paper on end-of-life options for biobased plastics. This will then also be updated looking at recent development for chemical recycling of biobased plastics.

The position paper on mass balance approach for the use of biobased feedstock for polymer production has been finalised and published after a final voting in the EUBP Board. It can also be found on the EUBP website.

The next meeting of the PG will have an external presentation of Systemiq on the Planet Positive Chemicals Study and discuss possible input for a position on sustainability assessment of biobased plastics.

The next meeting of PG Biobased is scheduled for 10 May 2023, 11:00 a.m. CEST, online.

For further information regarding biobased plastics, including sustainability issues and the work of the PG and TFs, please contact Constance Ißbrücker (issbruecker@european-bioplastics.org).

Product Group Biodegradables

During April, members of the PG Biodegradables gave input to a draft position on biodegradable and compostable plastics in mechanical recycling streams. The paper is based on the slide deck which was developed within the TF Recycling in 2022, containing the evaluation of a number of studies on this topic. The paper was finalised at the end of April and is available on EUBP's website.

A basic set of messages on EUBP’s position on biodegradable and compostable materials in anaerobic digestion was developed with the PG Chairs. Those were in principle approved by the Board. The paper will be further elaborated with the PG in May.

TF AGRI met several times this month, and representatives were present as observers to the meeting of the EU Commission Expert Group on Fertilising Products on 18-19 April in Brussels and online. This is due to the current discussion around the Fertilising Product Regulation (FPR) and its possible uptake of soil-biodegradable mulch films. A position paper on why soil-biodegradable mulch films should be covered by the Fertilising Product Regulation will be finalised and published at the beginning of May.

In this context, the PG Biodegradables will hold an ad hoc web meeting on 2 May 2023. AIMPLAS will present the draft final report on the assessment of biodegradability criteria, which they prepared for the EU Commission. The participants will be invited to ask questions and discuss the report. Subsequently, EUBP will prepare a position for the Expert Group on Fertilising Products.

Short guidelines on the End-of-Life of soil-biodegradable mulch films were developed within TF AGRI and are available on our homepage.

The next meeting of the PG Biodegradables will be on 17 May (virtual).

For more information regarding PG Biodegradables, please contact Katharina Hinse (hinse@european-bioplastics.org).

Working Group Standardisation

CEN/TC 411 WG 4 continued the work on the standard with guidelines for the comparative LCA of biobased and fossil-based products. The new draft which resulted from the meeting in February was open for comments, which were discussed in a virtual meeting on 18/19 April. Another meeting took place on 26 April to discuss the structure of the document. Based in the solved comments of this April meeting another draft version will be prepared and circulated among the experts. The expected comments on this version will be discussed in the next meeting taking place in Malmö mid June. After this meeting the group plans to publish draft version ready for a public inquiry.

CEN/TC 261 SC 4 WG 2 met on 21 April to discuss open points regarding the EN 13432 revision. The focus of discussion in this meeting was the definition of pulp as suggested by the Finish experts. The group was also informed that the 2nd formal vote on FprEN17428 has not been initiated yet. The discussion on the results of the AD Task Force were postponed to the next meeting, which will take place in Milan (hybrid) on 31 May and 1 June.

EUBP furthermore participated in national meetings of DIN mirror groups. DIN NA on Biodegradable Plastics met in person on 25. April. DIN NA on Design for Recycling met on 24 April discussing the several items that will be prepared in CEN/TC 261 SC 4 WG 10.

The next meeting of WG Standardisation will take place In June (date to be scheduled).

For more information on standards for bioplastics, current standardisation processes, and certification of bioplastics, please contact Constance Ißbrücker (issbruecker@european-bioplastics.org).

Communications

On 31 March, the Head of Communications, Oliver Buchholz, left EUBP. Several activities had to be set on hold, including the media clippings and the regular distribution of the newsletter, due to the limited staff capacities. Other activities were redistributed amongst the remaining Comms team members and other colleagues.

On 4 April, the press release “Why coffee capsules should be compostable” was published and distributed to promote EUBP’s position of making single-serve coffee units mandatorily compostable. The press release was picked up by 27 online outlets, including an interview with MD Hasso von Pogrell in Packaging Insights.

Throughout the month EUBP published several news articles to promote EUBP’s publications and events. Those were compiled in a newsletter, that was distributed on 28 April.

The Comms team continued the editorial process for the EUBP Annual Report 2022, which will be presented during the next Members Meeting in June 2023.

EUBP Comms also continued the successive design update of EUBP materials. The drafting process of design templates for documents and publications as well as the new logo was started.

The publications area of the EUBP website was updated in April to improve the usability of the page and to make it easier to find the publications via tags and search function.

In preparation for the Interpack, Comms updated several publications and created promotional materials to be displayed at the EUBP booth.

Comms also set up an Instagram account to broaden the outreach via Social Media. You can follow the account here.

Throughout the month, EUBP Comms responded to several media inquiries, including the approval of copyrights and background information on bioplastics.

For more information or questions concerning the communications activities of EUBP, please contact our new EUBP Communications Manager Marion Thérage (therage@european-bioplastics.org).

Seedling Logo

The Advisory Board of the Seedling Mark (ACS) met on 14 April online. Final changes to the updated Certification Scheme were discussed and agreed on. The updated version of the Certification Scheme will most probably come into force in July 2023.

The group also discussed current activities of oxo-like additive producers in India and a unified approach on ecotoxicity testing of wet wipes. A suitable definition of PFAS in the Certification Scheme was discussed as well.

The next meeting of the Advisory Board of the Seedling Scheme (ACS) is scheduled for 7 July 2023, 2:00 p.m., online.

For more information on the Seedling Logo or the Certification Scheme, please contact Constance Ißbrücker (issbruecker@european-bioplastics.org).

Event Management

In April, the organization of the EBC 23 progressed. The first sponsors have been acquired. An overview of the available sponsoring opportunities can be found here.

The organization of the General Assembly on 6 June and the Open House Day at the EUBP office in Brussels on 5 June have been finalized, including sending out the invitations and organizing the catering. More information about the open house day can be found here.

The networking event in September will take place at the Representation of North Rhine-Westfalia on 20 September.

The EUBP booth at the Interpack is set, give-aways from different members have been acquired and technical equipment plus digital papers have been prepared.

Two side events for EU projects during and after the Interpack have been organized.

For more information or questions concerning the annual conference and further EUBP events, please contact Denise Valdix (valdix@european-bioplastics.org or conference@european-bioplastics.org).

Projects

European Bioplastics is currently a consortium partner in four EU funded projects: two projects funded by the Horizon 2020 Programme and two projects funded by the Bio-based Industries Consortium together with Horizon 2020. Moreover, EUBP participates in Austrian-funded project, NETmicroplastic, which will run until October 2025. EUBP is also involved as Advisory Board Member in several EU and national funded research projects.

BIOMAC: EUBP is currently drafting a deliverable on liaison activities with standardisation bodies, which is due in July 2023. It will be a confidential document reporting on the activities planned and undertaken by members of the Open Innovation Test Bed towards liaison with standardization bodies and any possible recommendations of the BIOMAC consortium towards standards and regulations. EUBP will start working with the horizon Booster for Standardisation, financed by the European Commission, to obtain guidance and advice in this field.

Parallelly, the BIOMAC Open Call – of which the main aim is to add five new test cases to the BIOMAC project - was open until 30 April 2023. Find out more about this call.

Find out more about the BIOMAC goals and activities.

PRESERVE: EUBP, as partner responsible for Dissemination, is currently preparing publishable summaries of the project deliverables (reports written by the partners) to be shared imminently on the project website. As partner responsible for Training activities and collaborator in Communication, EUBP is co-organising several events to be held in the coming months. On 14 June, together with other Horizon 2020 cluster projects, PRESERVE is organising the webinar “Upcycling strategies for the production of sustainable (bio) plastics”. Click here to register to the webinar on 14 June.

PRESERVE is organising a Webinar on preliminary results of the project focused on biobased coatings and Food Contact Material regulation, which will be held on 19 June.

EUBP drafted and shared a policy update with the consortium, covering, amongst other topics, the PPWR, the Eco Design proposal, and the Microplastics Initiative. EUBP, as representative from PRESERVE, leads a Working Group on Policy and participates in a Working Group on Standardisation together with the sister projects UpPET and UpLift.

Find out more about the PRESERVE goals and activities.

BIOnTop: EUBP is co-organising a workshop at Interpack Fair (10 May 2023, morning) “BIOnTop novel biobased packaging: from research to market? Meet the experts, explore business opportunities” targeting potential industrial operators interested in taking up the project demonstrators. The BIOnTop demonstrators find potential applications in tea bags, trays, films, bags- and food wraps, as packaging for fruits and vegetables, dairy products, but also for personal care products. The goal of the workshop is to offer a dialogue with the experts and explore business opportunities through a matchmaking format. Registration is mandatory, and seats are limited.

The final BIOnTop event on 11 May 2023, the “Conference on Innovations on Sustainable Materials for Textiles, Coatings, Films and other wide use Applications”, will also take place in Düsseldorf as a side of event of Interpack. With a focus on food contact materials and biobased packaging, the event is a scientific conference for exchanging knowledge peer-to-peer, with R&D organisations working on the topics covered by the project. Several twin projects have confirmed their participation as speakers. Registration is mandatory. The event is hybrid.

Find out more about the BIOnTop goals and activities.

BioSupPack: The project is currently on hold for the entire consortium. An amendment is in preparation (not related to the work of EUBP), and the project has been put on hold by the European Commission agency.

Find out more about BioSupPack goals and activities.

NETmicroplastic: The project is funded by the Lower Austria research ministry to foster collaboration between EU scientists on the topic of microplastics in soil. The project is coordinated by the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), which is responsible for most tasks. EUBP supports the project with mapping activities, stakeholders, strategies, policies, and dissemination. The kick off meeting of the project was on 26 April with the participation of EUBP, followed by the first Stakeholder Workshop, which took place on 27 April in Tulln.

Find out more about the NETmicroplastic project here. 

For more information or requests concerning EUBP’s involvement in EU-funded projects, please contact Chiara Bearzotti and Estela López-Hermoso (euprojects@european-bioplastics.org).

Planned activities

Regulatory Affairs

• Develop strategic outreach to Parliament and Council regarding PPWR proposal
• Develop and submit input to the public consultation on the Commission proposal for Green Claims Directive published (deadline 26 May)
• Develop and submit input to the public consultation (call for feedback and questionnaire) on the Commission proposal for a Regulation on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (deadline 12 May)
• Lead EUBA ad-hoc working group on PPWR proposal incl. develop position on PPWR proposal
• Set up bilateral meetings between EUBP and national associations (via BON Europe) to align and coordinate outreach regarding the PPWR revision
• Next REGA meeting on 11 May and 25 May
• Next BON meeting on 1 June
• Onboarding of new Policy Affairs Officer

Communications

• Update EUBP publications
• Continue editorial process of the Annual Report 2022
• Continue implementing new EUBP design
• Onboarding of new Communications Manager

PG Biobased

• Update Position on EOL options for biobased plastics
• Next meeting PG Biobased 10 May 2023 (online)
• TF meetings to be scheduled

PG Biodegradables

• Elaborate paper around key statements on Anaerobic Digestion
• Finalise position on soil-biodegradable mulch films in the FPR and comment to Expert Group on Fertilising Products (TF AGRI)
• Web Meeting on biodegradability criteria assessment: 2 May
• Next Meeting PG: 17 May

Standardisation

• Monitor revision process EN 13432 and activities in relevant WGs of CEN/TCs 249 and 411
• CEN/TC 261 SC 4 WG 2 Meeting on 31 May/1 June
• CEN/TC 411 WG 4 Meeting on 13/14 June 2023 (in person)
• Next WG Meeting in June

Seedling Logo

• Discuss latest changes to the Certification Scheme (CS)
• Publish the extended communication instructions of the Seedling Logo (together with CS)
• Next ACS Meeting on 7 July

EU Projects

• BIOnTop Workshop “BIOnTop novel biobased packaging: from research to market? Meet the experts, explore business opportunities” on 10 May 2023, at Interpack.
• BIOnTop final “Conference on Innovations on Sustainable Materials for Textiles, Coatings, Films and other wide use Applications “on 11 May 2023, at the Maritim Hotel in Düsseldorf.
• BIO4Plastics Cluster - PRESERVE Webinar “Upcycling Strategies for the production on sustainable (bio) plastics” on 11 June 2023.
• PRESERVE webinar on preliminary results “Biobased coatings and Fod Contact Materials regulation: research and insights form PRESERVE” on 19 June 2023
• BIOMAC General Meeting, 29-30 June 2023, Ghent.
• PRESERVE General Meeting, 4-5 July 2023, Florence.

Speaking opportunities

• EUBP Deputy Managing Director and Head of Environmental Affairs, Constance Ißbrücker, will speak about end-of-life options for bioplastics at the Ti Talks during Interpack on 5 May.
  

If you have any suggestions regarding the content and/or format of our monthly report, please do not hesitate to share them with us.  

This email is sent to all the contacts of our member companies that we have registered in our database. If you would like to share it with further colleagues, kindly send us an email to members@european-bioplastics.org. 

Kind regards,
Hasso v. Pogrell

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