This is part of our ‘Mission Circular’ – to create a circular economy for flexible packaging in Europe by 2025.
CEFLEX is developing a set of design guidelines for consumer flexible packaging.
The objective of the guidelines is to support and advise the entire value chain to design and specify flexible packaging suitable for collection, sorting and recycling after use.
This is part of our ‘Mission Circular’ – to create a circular economy for flexible packaging in Europe by 2025.
Guideline and consultation scope
The guidelines are being developed in a phased approach.
Phase 1 focuses on designing for recyclability in a circular economy for polyolefin-based consumer flexible packaging (mono-polyethylene, mono-polypropylene and polyethylene/polypropylene mixes).
This is because this material makes up the largest proportion of the post-consumer flexible packaging waste stream (70-80%) and because the ability to sort and mechanically recycle these materials is already proven at industrial scale in Europe.
Please note that additional flexible packaging structures will be subject to further analysis and consultation during 2020 and are not part of this consultation.
How the guidelines have been developed so far
The phase 1 draft guidelines have been developed and refined over the last two years via a consultative majority agreement process.
Primarily thanks to input from a dedicated CEFLEX workstream, which today represents 80 companies and organisations across the flexible packaging value chain.
In June 2019, all 133 CEFLEX stakeholders* were invited to give input and further targeted consultation with key industry and material associations conducted.
Your valuable input requested
CEFLEX now invites the wider value chain to assess and enrich the draft phase 1 guidelines.
Responses received will be reviewed by CEFLEX and changes made where appropriate and necessary. Phase 1 guidelines will be finalised and launched in Q1 2020 after input is assimilated.
How to contribute
To participate in this open consultation and receive the draft phase 1 guidelines, please register your details below.
You will then receive an email with a copy and details of how to provide your feedback as part of the consultation process.
The consultation process will close on Friday 17th January 2020 5pm CET.
CEFLEX
CEFLEX is the collaborative initiative of a European consortium of companies and associations representing the entire value chain of flexible packaging.
The CEFLEX Mission is to further enhance the performance of flexible packaging in the circular economy by designing and advancing better system solutions identified through the collaboration of companies representing the entire value chain.
The CEFLEX Vision
By 2020 flexible packaging will have a comprehensive sustainability and circular economy roadmap for flexible packaging, including widely recognised design guidelines and a robust approach to measure, demonstrate and communicate the significant value flexible packaging adds to the circular economy.
- The roadmap will address:
resource efficiency - waste preventions benefits
- sustainably returning recycled flexible packaging materials to supply identified end markets
- elimination of leakage.
By 2025 there will be an established collection, sorting and reprocessing infrastructure/economy developed for post-consumer flexible packaging across Europe, based on end of life technologies and processes which deliver the best economic, technical and environmental outcome for a circular economy.
REFS
Published on ceflex.eu
OPEN CONSULTATION: DESIGNING FOR A CIRCULAR ECONOMY GUIDELINES PHASE 1