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 Evidence in February 2022 for an environmental impact assessment of the EU waste management, which will likely lead to a legislative proposal to revise the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD). Objectives of such a revision include decreasing waste generation, improving separate waste collection (incl. how to improve citizen participation in separate collection), avoiding contamination of recyclable waste and recycling streams, and expanding the role of EPR schemes in attaining waste-prevention objectives. Besides the revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, the revision of the WFD ranks amongst the key legislative processes with a major impact not only for the bioplastics but for the whole plastics industry.
It is important that the review of the Waste Framework Directive seeks to promote the use of bio-based/recyclable and/or biodegradable/compostable plastics as they can play a significant role in reducing the impact on the environment and climate. Therefore, it is crucial that any future amendment enables and incentivises further innovation and sustainable growth in this sector.
Bio-based and biodegradable/compostable plastics can provide several benefits that contribute to the objectives of the WFD. Ensuring maximum waste prevention is certainly the first step towards a circular economy, and bioplastics hold great added value in this respect. Through increased performance and resource efficiency, e.g., by improved barrier properties that help extending the shelf life, or thinner, lighter, and less complex materials that need less resources, bioplastics contribute to the key objective of reducing waste. Bioplastics are also appropriate for reusable models, thus reducing the generation of waste. At the same time, industrially compostable packaging enables the (organic) recycling of food waste which would otherwise not be practically and economically recoverable.
When it comes to waste management options, it is important to note that bioplastics include a whole family of different materials. They can be treated in various established recycling and recovery streams and offer additional options such as organic recycling or chemical recycling. The major share of bioplastics produced today is mechanically recyclable. Efficient waste management can only be achieved if m