Six EPR-organisations join forces for more sustainable packaging
Six EPR-organisations join forces for more sustainable packaging
In the coming years, Valorlux will closely collaborate with the EPR-organisations of neighboring countries, namely Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The six organisations signed a declaration of intent to this effect on 8th October. Their goal is to help companies meet their future legal obligations and make their packaging more sustainable by focusing on knowledge sharing and the harmonization of declaration systems.
"The situation in Luxembourg is particular, since the majority of products put on the market are imported from abroad, mainly from Belgium. This collaboration will allow us to harmonise our declaration systems, making it easier for our members who already make a declaration in Belgium, France, or the Netherlands. This harmonisation will also be a means of meeting the legal obligations relating to reporting, which will have to be more detailed in the future."
Claude Turping, Director of Valorlux
In their respective countries, the six EPR-organisations are responsible for the selective collection and recycling of packaging. They also ensure that producers comply with their legal obligations under extended producer responsibility. These organisations are Fost Plus and Valipac in Belgium, Verpact in the Netherlands, Citeo and Citeo Pro in France, and Valorlux in Luxembourg. They are accredited by the public authorities and financed by the companies that put the packaging on the market.
Better service and more sustainable packaging
By collaborating more closely, the six organisations aim to improve their services to affiliated companies and prepare them for future legal obligations. Initially, the collaboration will focus on three key themes:
Management of packaging-related data. Companies must provide more and more data on the packaging they put on the market. The six organisations aim to create a common set of data to manage and share data, which will make it easier for companies to declare their data in different countries.
Sharing knowledge about sustainable packaging systems. Over the years, the six organisations have developed considerable expertise in the sustainable management of packaging. Think, for example, of reducing packaging, reusable packaging systems, design for recycling, the use of recycled content, and innovative recycling technologies. By pooling this knowledge, they are able to provide optimal support and advice to companies wishing to make their packaging increasingly sustainable.
Industrial packaging. Finally, the six organisations also want to collaborate more closely to strengthen extended producer responsibility regarding industrial packaging. To this end, they will mainly focus on a standardised definition of the producer, the traceability of the recycling destination, and the guarantee of the recycling rates achieved. Again, data management, reporting tools, and the exchange of knowledge will play a major role.
"The obligations that fall to all actors in the packaging chain are undeniable. That is why we collaborate with like-minded EPR organisations in the field of packaging within EXPRA to ensure that the EU's packaging policy is ambitious, but also fair, clear, and feasible. It is precisely to increase feasibility and further improve our services that we will collaborate within a cluster of Dutch-speaking and French-speaking EPR organisations. By better coordinating our services, we want to enable our producers, many of whom are also active in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, to comply more easily with their obligations."
Hester Klein Lankhorst, CEO of Verpact and President of EXPRA
"International cooperation between EPR organisations in these four countries allows us to jointly tackle the challenges posed by new European legislation and exchange best practices. This will not only increase the efficiency of our EPR systems, but also have a positive impact on the circular economy of our packaging by promoting more efficient and cost-effective local collection and recycling methods."
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