ECOS works to cut our global plastic footprint and ensure clean material loops in a circular plastics economy by engaging in standards and related policy developments. We contribute to policy developments related to plastics in order to push for an absolute reduction of our plastic footprint. We believe that plastic products should be clean and circular by design, and that they can be recycled into new products. We also help develop test methods, criteria and regulatory targets to dramatically reduce microplastics emissions into the environment. As standards shape the essential part of the European and global markets for plastics, ECOS also contributes to standardisation workin order to foster net environmental benefits. The more robust and ambitious the standards in the plastics field, the better the overall environmental performance of plastics and the lower the overall pollution level of the sector.
The European Commission is developing a new method to calculate, verify and report on the share of recycled content in plastic products. If not done carefully, it could lead to massive greenwashing by manufacturers. We spell out the two main pitfalls EU officials must watch out for - and how to avoid them.
ECOS seeks to commission a study exploring the use and meaning of labels used on plastic products worldwide. With this work, ECOS intends to assess the relevance, credibility, comparability, and the understanding among consumers of these labels and environmental claims.
ECOS is looking for experts in the field of Plastics Recycling to represent and defend environmental interests in the development of standards and related policies. Our experts provide us with technical and scientific input and represent ECOS in standardisation processes and multi-stakeholder discussions.
The concept of ‘chemical recycling’ has been promoted by the industry for decades, including as a solution to the current plastic crisis. The industry has been claiming that chemical recycling technologies are able to treat plastic waste that is currently not recovered through mechanical recycling, thus enabling an entirely circular economy in plastic. Yet, a recent research review highlights the limits of these technologies to deal with plastic waste (such as the need for a pure feedstock, the need for further treatment of by-products, high loss of feedstock carbon in the process, etc.) and the high energy consumption requirement of these processes.
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