Inhabitants: 9,1 mio Area: 83,882 km2 NATIONAL WASTE SYSTEM – GENERAL LEGISLATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE Authorities for waste management and organic waste management (if different), and key contacts: Waste Management is organized locally by the federal states and backed by government law (Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz, AWG). The executing authorities are Bundesministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität, [...]
Soil is an essential non-renewable resource that plays a central role in our lives by providing healthy foods and sustainable materials for a growing world population. In order to specify the conditions for a healthy soil and soil restoration, the European Commission (EC) is currently developing a new EU law on soil health. European [...]
The current revision of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD), as well as the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) review and the forthcoming framework on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics provide crucial opportunities to fully acknowledge the role of bioplastics in a circular economy. The Bioplastics Organisation Network (BON) Europe, a collaboration of [...]
Maelenn Macedo-Ravard, Regulatory and Sustainability Manager at TotalEnergies Corbion BV Read below a guest article by Maelenn Macedo-Ravard, Regulatory and Sustainability Manager at TotalEnergies Corbion BV. Plastic recycling is far from reaching its targets included in the different waste legislations worldwide. Of all plastic produced since 1950, only 9% has ever been [...]
In January 2022, the European Commission had initiated the revision process of the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD) with a Call for Evidence for an impact assessment of the EU waste management. In summer, the Commission opened the process for the broader public consultation that just recently closed on 24 August. The revision of [...]
Existing certification schemes to inspire EU plan for carbon removals The European Commission’s proposal to regulate the Union’s carbon removals market will be based on existing verification and certification schemes. It will further aim to create a common method in order to bring more transparency to the opaque sector, an EU official explained. The [...]
Nico Arbeck, Head of Department Material Use at C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V. Read below a guest article by Nico Arbeck, Head of Department Material Use at C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V. Final report available Together with nine partners, C.A.R.M.E.N. e.V. carried out the model project "Practical test of compostable bags – circular economy with compostable fruit and [...]
In order to achieve the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal, respectively the Circular Economy Action Plan, the European Commission already initiated a significant number of regulatory processes. To improve Europe’s waste management in line with the waste hierarchy and the implementation of the polluter principle, the Commission had initiated a Call for [...]
On 8 February, the European Parliament adopted its Own Initiative Report on the Circular Economy which recognised the role of bioplastics for the future. Amongst other issues highlighted, the MEPs emphasised the potential role of bio-based and biodegradable and compostable plastics in the circular economy whilst noting that bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics alone will not provide a solution to the environmental concerns related to plastics. [...]
For quite some time now, the European Commission (EC) is putting a special focus on biodegradable and compostable polymers when assessing the general role of bioplastics. This becomes obvious when looking at the number of related EU studies and reports that had been published in 2020. The last publication in this regard was the [...]
