PAST EVENTS
Unesda organised an online event on Deposit and Return Systems (DRS)
Unesda hosted an online debate on how well-designed Deposit and Return Systems (DRS) can contribute to the circularity transition. The event took place on 29 June 2023.
The discussion revolved around the role of well-designed DRS in achieving higher collection rates of beverage packaging in Europe.
It allowed for an exchange of views among experts in the field on the place of DRS in the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and how the EU legislation can support their further roll-out.
Unesda supported the Go Circular summit in Rotterdam
The 4th Go Circular business summit took place in Rotterdam on 19th & 20th of April 2023, bringing together plastic recycling solution providers, waste management companies, packaging producers, along with key industry non-governmental players and governmental institutions.
Unesda supported this event. Discussions revolved around the major challenges faced by the industry in the transition to a plastic circular economy, including how waste should be addressed and prevented.
The organiser of the conference was Globuc, specialised in high-level business events in energy transition, petrochemicals and digital transformation sectors.
Unesda joined the Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum in Brussels
Unesda’s EU Policy Manager Delphine Close joined the panel discussion about Reducing packaging waste: Moving towards reusable and recyclable packaging on 29 March 2023 at this year’s Packaging Waste & Sustainability Forum.
Delphine presented our sector’s position on reuse and our suggestions for improvements to be made to the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation to ensure a realistic integration of more reusable solutions.
The event took place from 28 to 30 March in Brussels. It gathered industry experts and policymakers to discuss topics such as the latest regulatory developments, the effectiveness of Deposit Refund Systems and the role of waste management systems, and industry actions to achieve circularity.
Clean-up action in Brussels
Unesda organised a clean-up action in Brussels during the EU Green Week 2022. The aim was to raise awareness of the importance of disposing of waste correctly so more waste can be collected, recycled, and reused to enable the transition to a circular economy. It was also a good opportunity to encourage responsible behaviour to promote cleaner surroundings.
Online debate on reuse
Beverage packaging has an important role to play in helping create a circular economy in Europe because it is a resource that can (and should) be collected, recycled, and reused multiple times in a closed-loop system.
One way of reducing packaging waste is to use more reusable solutions. The European soft drinks sector, represented by UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe, is already using several reusable systems, from returnable refillable containers to in-home dispensers.
As part of its Circular Packaging Vision 2030, Europe’s soft drinks sector aims to increase reuse by 2030 as a complementary way to its continued efforts on recyclability, collection, and recycling of its packaging. This commitment is in line with the European Commission’s aim to promote the use of more reusable packaging solutions in the revision of its Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.
Against this background, Unesda hosted an online debate on 1 June 2022, which brought together industry representatives, NGOs, and EU decision makers to discuss how to make the shift to more reusable beverage solutions a success and what conditions and enablers are necessary to make this transition realistic.