Recycling and Recovery: End-Of-Life Options for Bioplastics

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EuropeanEuropean Bioplastics Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr. e.V. Marienstr. 19/20 19/20 10117 Berlin 10117 Berlin EuropeanEuropean Bioplastics Bioplastics e.V. e.V. European Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr. 19/20 10117 Berlin European Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr.Marienstr. 19/20, 19/20, 10117 10117 Berlin Berlin phone phone+49.30.28+49.30.28 48 23 48 50 23 50 fax fax+49.30.28Marienstr.+49.30.28 48 19/20,23 48 59 23 1011759 Berlin [email protected][email protected] 48 23 50 webfax webwww.european-bioplastics.org+49.30.28www.european-bioplastics.org 48 23 59 Position of European Bioplastics e-mail [email protected] web www.european-bioplastics.org RECYCLING AND RECOVERY: END-OF-LIFE OPTIONS FOR BIOPLASTICS

Efficient waste management is key to the European Commis- waste treatment option – implementing the guiding principle sion’s flagship policy goal of a resource-efficient Europe and its of the waste hierarchy, a circular economy. circular economy vision. The EU Waste Framework Directive Prevention, minimisation, and reuse (2008/98/EC, WFD) defines a five-step waste hierarchy rank- ing the treatments of waste based on their ability to conserve This step of the waste hierarchy requires the use of manufactur- resources (see Figure 1). ing processes and materials that minimise resource use and maximise the functional performance of the product. Plastics have consistently proven their suitability, with products be- coming increasingly thinner, lighter and stronger. The rules of competition, and the economic and ecological demands of the market lead to bioplastics increasing their performance and resource efficiency. Bioplastics packaging with increased barrier properties can, for example, extend shelf-life of fresh produce and therefore contribute to food waste prevention.

Also, there are already a large number of plastic and bioplastics products, which can be reused multiple times.2

Mechanical recycling

The major share of bioplastics produced today is mechanically recyclable. Bio-based plastics that are chemically and physi- Figure 1: EU waste hierarchy1 cally identical to their fossil-based counterparts, but made from Bioplastics can be bio-based, like bio-based PE (polyethylene) biomass, are called drop-in materials, for example bio-based and bio-based PUR (polyurethanes), biodegradable, for exam- PE and bio-based PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The only ple PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate), or both, such difference to their fossil-based equivalents is that the polymers as PLA (polylactic acid) and starch blends. The properties of are wholly or partly derived from biomass and feature a lower these various types of bioplastics make them suitable for a carbon footprint than their conventional alternative. They can wide range of applications for which they increase resource effi- be recycled in already well-established recycling streams3. ciency, ameliorate performance, and support the most efficient

VR1 Recycling 19997VR 19997 inNz, this graphAmtsgericht Nz, shall Amtsgericht include mechanical,Charlottenburg, Charlottenburg, organic and USt-IdNr.chemical USt-IdNr. recycling. DE235874231 DE235874231 2 Carrier bags made from bio-based PE or PLA, or starch can be reused many times before the material wears out. HypoVereinsbank3 SeveralHypoVereinsbank other bioplastics Rosenheim, can be Rosenheim, mechanically BLZ recycled, 711BLZ 200 as 711 soon 77, 200 as theKonto 77, needed Konto 6356800, volumes 6356800, are availableIBAN IBAN inDE26 the market, DE26 7112 most 00777112 notably 00770006 PLA. 0006 3568 00,3568 BIC/SWIFT 00, BIC/SWIFT HYVEDEMM448 HYVEDEMM448

VR 19997 Nz, Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, USt-IdNr. DE235874231 HypoVereinsbank Rosenheim, BLZ 711 200 77, Konto 6356800, IBAN DE26 7112 0077 0006 3568 00, BIC/SWIFT HYVEDEMM448 EUBP supports reuse and recycling targets for plastic waste sation processes and the fabrication of new products. Chemical EuropeanEuropean Bioplastics Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr. e.V. Marienstr. 19/20 19/20 10117 Berlin 10117 Berlin EuropeanEuropean Bioplastics Bioplastics e.V. e.V. that are progressive, incremental and based on separate recycling fits in well with the idea of a circular economy, and European Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr. 19/20 10117 Berlin European Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr.Marienstr. 19/20, 19/20, 10117 10117 Berlin Berlin collection of household and other plastics. numerous successful research projects have been conducted in recent years.phone phone+49.30.28+49.30.28 48 23 48 50 23 50 Correspondingly, EUBP supports the creation of a single fax fax+49.30.28Marienstr.+49.30.28 48 19/20,23 48 59 23 1011759 Berlin [email protected][email protected] 48 23 50 market for plastic recyclates; the combination of recycled EUBP calls for the support of more research and develop- webfax webwww.european-bioplastics.org+49.30.28www.european-bioplastics.org 48 23 59 material and bio-based material represents a truly circular ment activitiese-mail in [email protected] area of chemical recycling and feed- use of resources that is already accepted in the market. stock recoveryweb to makewww.european-bioplastics.org large scale operations feasible and thus become an additional valuable recovery option in the Organic recycling future. Industrial composting and anaerobic digestion (AD), also re- Energy recovery ferred to as organic recycling, are the ‘circular’ end-of-life options for biodegradable, compostable plastics products such as If mechanical, chemical, and organic recycling, respectively, are packaging. These are plastics that biodegrade within a specific not available, the next best option according to the EU waste timeframe in clearly defined conditions (e.g. temperature, hu- hierarchy is for bioplastic waste to be incinerated, generating midity, and the presence of microorganisms). The biodegrada- partly renewable energy through heat recovery. The renewable tion process in an industrial composting facility is called com- (i.e. bio-based) share of the bioplastic material releases the posting and converts the plastic into carbon dioxide, water, and same amount of carbon dioxide as originally sequestered by biomass. In anaerobic digestion, the biodegradation process the plants, thus closing the material carbon loop. is called biomethanisation and additionally produces methane In case no higher ranked end-of-life options are available, (biogas)4, which is used for the production of energy and/or EUBP considers incineration with energy recovery a viable fuels. In order to be suitable for industrial composting and AD, end-of-life choice for bio-based plastics, due to its produc- products and materials need to meet the requirements laid out tion of renewable energy. in the European norm EN 134325. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC, PPWD) defines organic recycling of Landfill packaging and also sets the essential requirements for biode- Because of its inherent environmental risks, landfilling is, ac- gradable and compostable packaging. cording to the EU waste hierarchy, the least desirable end-of-life EUBP calls for the mandatory separate collection of biode- option. Despite steady progress in the EU’s efforts to reduce gradable waste across Europe and to include waste with landfilling, it is still the most common waste disposal route in biodegradability properties in the biowaste definition of the many European countries today. WFD6. EUBP supports the gradual phase-out of landfilling for any EUBP also recommends the use of biodegradable, com- recyclable waste in Europe and appropriate measures to ex- postable plastics products for food packaging and single- pand recycling and recovery of all types of plastic waste. service food applications in cases where mechanical recy- For more information, please see the EUBP Fact Sheet “Bio- cling poses a challenge, or when packaging that is highly plastics – furthering efficient waste management”. contaminated with food waste, in order to minimize plastic contamination of organic waste streams. About European Bioplastics

Chemical recycling European Bioplastics is the association representing the inter- ests of the bioplastics industry along the entire value chain in Chemical recycling, also known as feedstock recycling, means Europe. Its members produce, refine, and distribute bioplas- the recovery of the building blocks and monomers that a poly- tics, i.e. plastics that are either bio-based, biodegradable, or mer or plastic, respectively, is made of. The base materials ob- both. More information is available on www.european-bioplas- tained through chemical recycling can be used in new polymeri- tics.org.

4 AD plants should ideally be combined with an aerobic composting step. 5 EN 13432 „Requirements for packaging recoverable through composting and biodegradation. Test scheme and evaluation criteria for the final acceptance of packaging“. 6 Biodegradable, compostable plastic bags help to optimise the collection of biowaste and its diversion from incineration and landfill to organic recycling.

VRContact: 19997VR 19997 Nz, European Amtsgericht Nz, Amtsgericht Bioplastics Charlottenburg, Charlottenburg,e.V., Phone: USt-IdNr. +49 USt-IdNr. 30 28DE235874231 48 DE235874231 23 50, Email: [email protected], www.european-bioplastics.org HypoVereinsbankHypoVereinsbank Rosenheim, Rosenheim, BLZ 711BLZ 200 711 77, 200 Konto 77, Konto 6356800, 6356800, IBAN IBAN DE26 DE26 7112 00777112 00770006 0006 3568 00,3568 BIC/SWIFT 00, BIC/SWIFT HYVEDEMM448 HYVEDEMM448 January 2017

VR 19997 Nz, Amtsgericht Charlottenburg, USt-IdNr. DE235874231 HypoVereinsbank Rosenheim, BLZ 711 200 77, Konto 6356800, IBAN DE26 7112 0077 0006 3568 00, BIC/SWIFT HYVEDEMM448