UPM Biofore Magazine 1-2019

Katainen points out that many new policy areas have yet to take effect. Under recent legislation passed by the EU, no more than 10% of household waste can end up in landfills by 2035. “The final effects of the legislation remain to be seen. When member countries are required to comply with the law, it will certainly have a significant effect on the market. For implementation to be efficient on a national level, we need a Europe- wide market for recycled plastic.” international market for circular economy products, and the topic has been on the agenda of trade negotiations with countries such as China and Japan. China placed significant restrictions on the import of recyclable rawmaterials in 2017. As a result, the world market for recyclable materials collapsed. Europe, for example, exported only 5.1 million tonnes of plastic waste to China last year — about half of the previous year’s exports. Katainen understands China’s decision, as the country is facing a major waste problem. The reduction in exports has worsened Europe’s plastic problem, but at the same time, it serves as an incentive for Deepening integration The EU also aims to create an

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“The Commission’s goal is to quadruple the capacity for plastic recycling by the year 2030, at which point all plastic packaging entering the EU market will be recyclable or reusable.”

We can replace fossil rawmaterials with rawmaterials derived from biomass, which additionally supports the EU’s climate goals,” Katainen says. Bio-based rawmaterials are ideal for replacing harmful materials such as oil-based plastics. “There are plenty of biodegradable plastics on the market, but they don’t break down in a natural environment. They also produce significant amounts of microplastic waste. Their impact is just as harmful as that of other plastics. We want to create new regulations so that producers will know what kinds of plastic to bring to the market in the future,” he says. With the help of ecodesign, advances are also being made in the recyclability of products. The Commission’s new proposals for instance require manufacturers of home appliances to improve the energy efficiency and recyclability of their products. “Spare parts will need to be available for devices so that they can

be repaired. The standards will also apply to imported goods. This kind of legislation has been extremely well received as a means of promoting energy efficiency,” Katainen adds. Better monitoring Varied degrees of progress have been achieved with circular economy agendas in different EU countries. “In Finland, for example, we do a good job at recycling bottles and cans, but we have a long way to go with plastic waste,” notes Katainen. “We’re monitoring the implementation of the circular economy in the EU with the help of ten indicators. Monitoring is based on data produced by Eurostat. The member countries also have their own indicators. Data collection is important not only for our ability to monitor the enforcement of legislation, but also to determine whether additional legislation is needed.”

10 | UPM BIOFORE BEYOND FOSSILS