Dear members,

Please find below an overview of activities carried out by European Bioplastics throughout February 2023.

Board Meeting

The online Board meeting that was scheduled for 7 February was cancelled. The next meeting will take place in-person on 15 March at the EUBP office in Brussels.

For more information regarding Board meetings, please contact Hasso von Pogrell (pogrell@european-bioplastics.org).

Regulatory Affairs (WG REGA)

The WG REGA met on 23 February (online) to discuss the latest developments on the Commission’s proposal for a revised Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

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). In the meantime, the Commission has 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. The consultation is open until May 2023 (the deadline is currently being extended until the proposal is available in all European languages). The feedback is limited to 4,000 characters. The REGA task force on PPWR is currently finalising an agreed set of proposed amendments. Based on the proposed amendments, EUBP will formulate a position paper, which will also be used as input to the Commission’s consultation.

In the meantime, EUBP has reached out to the rapporteur in the parliament’s ENVI Committee MEP Ries, as well as ENVI shadows Fiocchi (EPP), Sardone (Identity) and Regimenti (EPP), as well as ITRE rapporteur Toia (S&D) and ITRE Member Moretti (S&D) in order to request a meeting to present our position and proposed amendments. On 16 February, EUBP met with the assistant of MEP O’Sullivan to discuss the Green’s views on the dossier. EUBP was able to secure a meeting with MEP Ries for 2 March.

REGA also discussed the latest updates and next steps on other relevant policy files, including the upcoming Commission proposal for a Green Claims Directive (expected on 22 March), the Commission’s public consultation on the proposal for an Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (open until April), and the Carbon Removal Certification (first expert group meeting on 7 March).

WG REGA will meet bi-weekly in 2023. The next meeting will be held on 9 March and 23 March, both in hybrid format (in person in the EUBP Brussels office and online).

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

EUBP is leading a working group within the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) on the Circular Economy Package II 2022 and in particular the PPWR. The working group met on 12 January 2023 and again on 24 February to discuss the Commission’s legislative proposal and to identify common concerns. The group is currently developing a position paper, which will be circulated for review and feedback to all EUBA members, incl. EUBP. 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 will continue to meet once a month (directly after every second REGA meeting) online, the next meeting will take place on 9 March. BON Europe members are invited and encouraged to participate in EUBP's WG REGA meetings.

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

Product Groups

Product Group Biobased

Members of PG Biobased met on 10 February to continue discussing the submitted comments on the mass balance paper. The paper was then shared again with group for a final round of comments. These comments are now being implemented before the position will be sent to the Board for the final approval.

TF 2 (End of Life) met on 14 February to discuss necessary projects. It was decided that a position on the equal treatment of biobased and recycled content in plastics and plastics packaging is currently most relevant. A first draft was shared with the members of the TF, which had the chance to submit comments until end of the month. After implementing the feedback, this document will be handed over to WG REGA.

The next meeting of PG Biobased is scheduled for 9 March 2023, 10:30 a.m. CET, 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

The PG Biodegradables met on 8 February for a virtual meeting. Participants heard a short presentation by Sophie Macedo from Carbiolice on their enzyme technology to render PLA home compostable, which was followed by a discussion.

Further topics were the recent discussion within the EUBP Board to establish Topic Research Forms as sources of information and a draft for a “material decision tree”. Updates on the Task Forces and on relevant standardisation activities within CEN were given. Anaerobic digestion proved again to be one of the trickiest topics. EUBP’s position paper will once more be discussed with the PG Chairs prior to being circulated with the group.

Within TF AGRI, EUBP decided to apply to become an observer of the Commission Expert Group on Fertilising Products to better follow regulations in this field, which among other concern soil-biodegradable mulch films or slow-release fertilisers. The next meeting of TF AGRI will take place on 3 March. End-of life recommendations for soil-biodegradable mulch films and the final draft of the Q&A document will be among the topics to be discussed.

In February, Katharina Hinse took over the responsibility of the Product Group Biodegradables.

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

Working Group Standardisation

CEN/TC 411
WG 4 met virtually on 21 and 22 February. The group discussed the submitted comments on the first draft of the standard “Additional requirements and guidelines for comparing the life cycles of bio-based products with their fossil-based equivalents”. The work on the separate sections will continue in the next few weeks, and then a new round of comments will be started before the next meeting in April.

CEN/TC 261 SC 4
WG 2 met on 9 February and discussed, among other topics, the progress of the AD Task Force, which presented the results of a survey on actual conditions in AD. The results of the survey illustrate that AD technologies are quite variable, and treatment of compostable packaging will give very different results according to the technology applied. The next meeting of this group will take place at the end of March.

WG 3 met on 7 February. Following an ultimatum set by CEN/TC 261, the development of the umbrella standards for plastics recyclability and design for recycling was moved to WG 10. WG 3 might start with the development for similar standards, but for all kinds of packaging materials, as the focus of this group is not plastics only. Due to the shift of the plastics related standards to WG 10, EUBP has started the application process for this group, to actively follow the developments.

The next meeting of WG Standardisation will take place on 7 March 2023 10 a.m. CET.

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

Communications

Please find under the following link a selection of relevant media clippings from February 2022 (online).

In February, 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.

In support of EUBP’s EU Projects team, Comms published a Newsflash (20 February) and a press release (23 February) promoting an online event on 7 March related to the BIOMAC project.

EUBP Comms also continues with the update process for several key graphics. Besides minor additions in the descriptions and indications in the graphics’, the visuals will be mainly adjusted to EUBP’s new PPT design.

Throughout the month of February, EUBP Comms responded to several media inquiries, including the approval of copyrights and background information on bioplastics. Furthermore, Comms coordinated and itself conducted additional interviews and meetings with the media and researchers.

For more information or questions concerning the communications activities of EUBP, please contact Oliver Buchholz (buchholz@european-bioplastics.org).

Seedling Logo

During February, EUBP finalised the update of the Certification Scheme for the Seedling logo, which is planned to be published in March together with a new wording for the Seedling (industrially compostable).

The next meeting of the Advisory Board of the Seedling Scheme (ACS) is scheduled for 14 April 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).

Events

In February, Events has been working on a new conference design to give the conference a new face/image. The final choice has been made, and the production of needed conference material already started.

The advisory board for our conference and the conference award have been defined.

The organisation of the General Assembly in June and a networking event in September has started. Both will take place in Brussels.

The booth design for the Interpack in May has been finalized, and a call for samples and giveaways to all members has been sent via a Newsflash.

Two side events for EU projects during and after the interpack 2023 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, NETmicroplastics, which will run until October 2025. EUBP is also involved as Advisory Board Member in several EU and national funded research projects.

EUBP has been promoting the BIOMAC Open Call that was launched in December 2022 to add five new test cases to the project. The Open Innovation Test Bed on biobased nanotechnologies has currently five test cases: automotive, construction, agriculture, printed electronics, and food packaging. The call is open until April 2023. Parallelly, EUBP has been working in mapping the involvement and liaising activities of BIOMAC partners and end users in the relevant standardisation bodies.

On 14 and 15 February PRESERVE celebrated its 24-month project meeting in Valencia at the facilities of EUBP´s member AIMPLAS, marking the half-way point of the project. Partners took stock of the activities of the last months. PRESERVE is developing 10 demonstrators – 10 common packaging items that are 100% based on renewable resources –, five of them from secondary raw materials. The next project meeting will take place in July in Florence, Italy.

The BIOnTop project has entered its final phase and will reach its end in May. EUBP is co-organising the final project event (10 May) as well as a Conference on Innovations on Sustainable Materials for Textiles, Coatings, Films and other wide use Applications (11 May), both to take place in Düsseldorf back to back with the interpack 2023.

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 position and concrete proposals for amendments to the PPWR proposal
• Develop response to the Commission’s public consultation on the PPWR proposal
• Lead EUBA ad-hoc working group on PPWR proposal incl. develop position on PPWR proposal
• Continue outreach to Commission and Member States on Microplastics Act
• Next REGA meeting on 9 March 2023 and 23 March 2023
  

Communications

• Update EUBP publications
• Continuation editorial process Annual Report 2022
• Update and adaption EUBP graphics, e.g. coordinate system or closing the loop

BON Europe

• Set up bilateral meetings between EUBP and national associations to develop individual outreach strategies on the PPWR revision
• Next meeting on 9 March 2023 (online, after EUBP WG REGA meeting)

PG Biobased

• Finalise position paper on mass balance approaches
• Finalise draft position on biobased/recycled content (TF2)
• Collect information on biobased additives (TF3)
• Next meeting PG Biobased 9 March 2023 (online)
• TF meetings to be scheduled

PG Biodegradables

• Develop PP Anaerobic Digestion
• Finalise Q&A document on soil-biodegradable mulch films (TF AGRI)
• Draft position paper compostable coffee capsules
• Next meeting TF AGRI: 3 March 2023
  
• Next Meeting PG: 17 May 2023
  

WG 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 24 March 2023
• CEN/TC 261 WG 3 meeting on 4 April 2023 (tbc)
• CEN/TC 411 WG 4 project on comparative LCAs
• CEN/TC 411 WG 4 Meeting on 18/19 April 2023 (virtual)
• Next WG Meeting on 7 March 2023
  

Seedling Logo

• Publish the new version of the CS
• Publish the extended communication instructions of the Seedling Logo
• Next ACS Meeting on 14 April 2023
  

EU Projects

• BIOnTop Online Training “Safety and risk management for novel products and processes on 7 March 2023 (Module 1)
• REPurpose project advisory meeting on 9 March 2023
  
• BIOnTop Specific risks for BIOnTop novel products and processes on 4 April 2023 (Module 2)
• BIOnTop final project event on 10 May 2023
  
• Conference on Innovations on Sustainable Materials for Textiles, Coatings, Films and other wide use Applications on 11 May 2023
  

Speaking opportunities

• EUBP Deputy Managing Director and Head of Environmental Affairs, Constance Ißbrücker, will speak about Recent Market Data and Current Policies in the European Union and Member States at the 8th International Seminar on Biopolymers and Sustainable Composites on 1 March 2023
  
• EUBP Head of EU Affairs, Roberto Ferrigno, will join the session FOCUS ON BIOPLASTICS LATEST POLICY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE EU of the 3rd Annual Bioplastics Innovation Forum on 1 March 2023
• EUBP Project Managers Chiara Bearzotti and Estela López-Hermoso will moderate a German online Q&A session regarding the BIOMAC open call on 7 March 2023
  

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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