The Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL) has welcomed the new waste and recycling targets adopted by the European Commission last week. The Commission announced a 70 percent recycling objective for steel, rising to 80 percent by 2025. Considering the current European recycling rate of 74 percent steel for packaging and that the top five EU performers already recycle an average of 90 percent of steel for packaging between them, APEAL believes this is certainly achievable. Indeed, steel for the packaging industry has long set its own recycling rate objective of 80 percent steel recycling by 2020 and zero steel to landfill, noted APEAL.
APEAL has long shared the opinion that all EU member states should expand their efforts to reach higher recycling targets for all packaging materials, in the interest of recognizing waste as a resource whose recovery and reinjection into the human economy contributes to resource efficiency, emissions reduction and the circular economy.
Alexander Mohr, secretary general of APEAL, commented, "Steel is currently the most recycled packaging material in Europe. We will continue to put resources into ensuring that the full benefits of steel as a sustainable packaging material are understood across Europe, so that all EU member states can be brought up to the recycling level of today's best performers."