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.
ECOS is advocating for strong standards to set clear definitions and test methods based on real-life conditions for compostable and biodegradable plastics. Without robust methods, consumers may be misled into buying harmful products.
On 1 September, representatives from EU member states formally approved the legal means to tether caps and lids to plastic bottles of up to three litres. It is the official starting signal for a two to three-year process in CEN to develop a standard that will allow the caps and lids requirement of the Single-Use Plastics Directive to be effective from day one.
We are looking for a highly motivated Programme Manager to join our Circular Economy team. The Programme Manager will manage our activities to limit the environmental impact of plastics, and chemicals in products to drive a circular economy.
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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