Showing 41–60 of 158
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RCI’s position paper: “Commission proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation” (May 2023)
Policy
3 Pages
256 Downloads256 Downloads
2023-05
FREE
256
DownloadsThis position paper highlights chances for the EU to lead the way to a sustainable packaging industry and to promote innovation
In November 2022, the Commission adopted the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repealing Directive 94/62/EC. The proposed regulation includes several rules that would – if implemented – push for a much stronger circular economy in the packaging sector, due to higher re-use and refill quotas, higher use of recycled materials and mandatory composting of certain hard-to-recycle products.
The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) welcomes this proposal and wants to offer several suggestions to strengthen it further and get implementation closer to the market realities of Europe.
1. Set ambitious targets for all types of renewable content:
A complementary renewable content target should be added to the proposal promoting the use of bio- and CO2-based feedstocks in packaging similar to recycling.2. Keep Article 8 as it is – scientific evidence shows that these products offer true environmental benefits from being compostable
The proposal, following scientific evidence, requires that certain types of tea and coffee packaging, sticky labels attached to fruit and vegetables as well as very lightweight plastic carrier bags shall be compostable in industrially controlled conditions in bio-waste treatment facilities.3. Support the market uptake of all state-of-the-art recycling technologies
To actually achieve the ambitious recycling quotas and recycled content targets, technologies will have to evolve. Advanced recycling technologies (i.e. depolymerisation) are key. -
Conference on CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals 2023 Proceedings
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2023-05
150 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.Press
release Add to
cartThe proceedings of the Conference on CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals (19-20 April 2023, https://co2-chemistry.eu) contain all released presentations, the conference journal, and the press release of the three winners of the Innovation Award “Best CO2 Utilisation 2023″.
Press Release: https://renewable-carbon.eu/news/smart-carbon-capture-and-utilisation-ccu-technologies-and-materials-defossilise-the-economy
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RCI’s position paper: “Communication on sustainable carbon cycles” (April 2023)
Policy
7 Pages
510 Downloads510 Downloads
2023-04
FREE
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DownloadsThe RCI, an interest group of leading companies and pioneers from the chemical and material sector, has a rich history of advocating for policies acknowledging the indispensable need of carbon in a broad range of chemical and material industries. The Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles, as published in December 2021, is a milestone in European policy as it acknowledges exactly this value of carbon as a feedstock and its unavoidability for certain sectors. The recently published position paper of the RCI highlights why this is an important step in the right direction and asks policy makers for effective follow-up.
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Cellulose Fibres Conference 2023 (Proceedings, PDF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2023-03
150 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.Press
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cartThe unique conference focused on cellulose fibres – in textiles, hygiene products and packaging!
The Cellulose Fibres 2023 Conference Proceedings (https://cellulose-fibres.eu, 8-9 March 2023, Cologne, hybrid) include all released conference presentations, the conference journal, sponsor documents, a Fiber2Fashion Knowledgepaper and the conference press release.
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nova-Session: “Bio- and CO₂-based Polymers: Production, Trends 2022-2027 and the latest Policy Developments” (Proceedings, PDF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2023-03
150 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.
cartThe download of the proceedings contains all six presentations of the nova-Session (March 2023).
Bio-based and CO2-based Solutions – Where are we heading?
The only way for chemicals and plastics to become sustainable, climate-friendly and part of the circular economy is the complete substitution of fossil carbon with renewable carbon from alternative sources: biomass, CO2 and recycling. We see strong investment in all three sectors, with growth rates far exceeding that of fossil polymers – i.e. fossil polymers are being substituted in the market.
The session will focus on developments in bio- and CO2-based polymers and building blocks: Bio-based polymers are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14 % from 2022 to 2027. Some examples: Bio-based epoxy resin production is on the rise, PTT regained attractiveness after several years of constant capacities and PE and PP made from bio based naphtha are being further established with growing volumes. Increased capacities for PLA are ongoing, after being sold out in 2019. Current and future expansions for bio based polyamides as well as PHAs are on the horizon. And also, bio-based PET is getting back in the game.
Additionally, the use of CO2 as chemical feedstock for building blocks and polymers has been intensively diversified. Several successfully implemented technologies used at commercial level are in place and many more at the laboratory and pilot phase. Besides the long-established use of CO2 for the synthesis of polycarbonates, also polyurethanes are based on it. The most notable biotechnological conversion pathway of a syngas produces ethanol at commercial scale. Additionally, high interest is also observed in CO2-based methanol and in CO2-based hydrocarbons, which can be used for fuel, chemical and polymers applications. A current total production capacity of these CO2-based products of ca. 1.3 Mt/a in 2022 is observed and a strong increase in capacity is expected by 2027.
The EU policy landscape has seen significant updates in the final weeks of 2022 with the proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and the publication of the Policy Framework on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. How these updates may affect CO2 and bio-based polymers will be addressed in the session.
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Letter to the Commission on the definition of natural polymers in the REACH microplastics restriction
Policy, Sustainability & Health
4 Pages
357 Downloads357 Downloads
2023-02
FREE
357
DownloadsSix leading associations and stakeholders from the chemicals, polymers and plastics sectors – namely BioChem Europe (a sector group of Cefic), EDANA, EuropaBio, European BioPlastics, GO!PHA and Renewable Carbon Initiative) – express in this letter their specific concerns about the proposed definition of “natural polymers” and its impact on biopolymers in the context of the REACH restriction on microplastics.
Under the coordination of the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) they ask the European Commission in a letter “that in the adoption of the text of the Synthetic Polymer Microparticles restrictions (REACH Microplastics Restriction), the European Commission should not use the definition of ‘natural polymer’ which refers to a polymerisation process that takes place in nature.“
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RCI’s position paper: “Mass Balance and Free Attribution” (October 2022)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
4 Pages
529 Downloads529 Downloads
2022-12
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DownloadsThis position paper highlights the importance of mass balance and free attribution “MBFA” as one possible way to incentivise the transformation of the chemical sector away from fossil and on towards renewable carbon.
The term “mass balance” has become established to describe systems in which biomass, CO2 and secondary materials are used as a feedstock, but is not or not fully physically traced to the end product . It is common practice in many value chains in which large scale capacities are involved in one or more steps of the value chain that require mixing the sustainable with conventional material to fill the capacity. The approach makes it possible to substitute large quantities of fossil raw materials and attractive renewable content shares can be attributed to desired materials or products for which demand on the market exists. This incentivises a stepwise continuous transformation to increase the share of renewable carbon in particular for the large-scale chemical industry
However, the term “mass balance” is somewhat unfortunate because it is too general, and does not mention the essence of the method: the free attribution of the bio-based, CO2-based or chemically recycled share in the feedstock mix to certain selected end products.
The RCI recommends to only speak of “mass balance and free attribution (MBFA)” when talking about such cases, as this is how the complete method and its two central parts are referred to. This is transparent and honest, building trust from customers, end consumers and society in general. Both, mass balance and the free attribution are based on solid and established certifications.
Besides terminology, there is still a need for regulatory harmonisation between the schemes of the existing certification systems. MBFA cannot only be applied for bio-based feedstock, but also for CO/CO2 or feedstock from chemical recycling, both will gain strongly in importance in the coming years. Every MBFA scheme should cover these three renewable feedstocks: biomass, CO/CO2 and recycling.
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Advanced Recycling Conference 2022 (Proceedings)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2022-11
150 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.
cartThe proceedings of the Advanced Recycling Conference 2022 (14-15 November 2022, hybrid, https://advanced-recycling.eu) contain conference presentations, the conference journal, sponsor documents and the press release.
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Circular EconomyPLUS: Recommendations for action for a German Circular Economy Strategy
Policy
15 Pages
104 Downloads104 Downloads
2022-11
FREE
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DownloadsA contribution to the discussion on a circular economy for plastics moderated by PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V.
With the necessary transformation into a circular economy with plastics, the plastics industry is facing a far-reaching paradigm shift. Plastics Europe would like to drive this change forward. In the first half of 2022, as part of an initiative by Plastics Europe Deutschland, leading experts in the field of circular economy with plastics have developed recommendations for action for the German circular economy strategy announced in the latest coalition agreement in 2021 after intensive consultations. Plastics Europe Deutschland took the role of a moderator in this discussion process in order to guarantee recommendations for action on a technical and scientific basis.
With this paper we would like to initiate a discussion process and actively accompany the circular economy strategy and thus also the transformation path for our industry.
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RCI’s position paper: “Draft EU policy framework on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics” (October 2022)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
5 Pages
436 Downloads436 Downloads
2022-10
FREE
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DownloadsThe Commission is currently preparing a “Policy framework on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics.” The framework was announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan and is part of the Plastics Strategy for Circular Economy. It aims at developing guidance on the “sourcing, labelling and use of bio-based plastics, based on assessing where the use of bio-based feedstock results in genuine environmental benefits, going beyond reduction in using fossil resources” and on the “use of biodegradable or compostable plastics, based on an assessment of the applications where such use can be beneficial to the environment, and of the criteria for such applications”. While publication is planned for late 2022, the Renewable Carbon Initiative took the opportunity to comment on the draft from summer 2022.
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KreislaufwirtschaftPLUS: Handlungsempfehlungen für eine nationale Kreislaufwirtschaftsstrategie (PDF)
Policy
15 Pages
126 Downloads126 Downloads
2022-10
FREE
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DownloadsEin Diskussionsbeitrag für eine Kreislaufwirtschaft mit Kunststoffen moderiert von PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V.
Mit der erforderlichen Transformation in eine Kreislaufwirtschaft mit Kunststoffen steht die Kunststoffbranche vor einem tiefgreifenden Paradigmenwechsel. Wir möchten diesen Wandel gerne vorantreiben. In der ersten Jahreshälfte 2022 haben im Rahmen einer Initiative von PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V. ausgewiesene und führende Experten im Bereich der Kreislaufwirtschaft mit Kunststoffen in intensiven Beratungen Handlungsempfehlungen für die im Koalitionsvertrag angekündigte Nationale Kreislaufwirtschaftsstrategie erarbeitet. Plastics Europe Deutschland nahm in diesem Erörterungsprozess ausschließlich eine Moderatorenrolle ein, um Handlungsempfehlungen auf technisch-wissenschaftlicher Basis zu gewährleisten.
Mit diesem Papier möchten wir einen Diskussionsprozess anstoßen und die Kreislaufwirtschaftsstrategie und somit auch den Transformationspfad aktiv begleiten.
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Erneuerbarer Kohlenstoff – Schlüssel zur Zukunft (PDF)
Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2 Pages
299 Downloads299 Downloads
2022-07
FREE
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DownloadsDie chemische Industrie steht aktuell vor einer Vielzahl an Herausforderungen, aus denen eine neue, nachhaltige Chemie erwachsen kann – wenn die große Transformation in den nächsten Jahrzehnten gelingt. Und das muss sie!
Quelle: „Erneuerbarer Kohlenstoff – Schlüssel zur Zukunft“ – aus CHEManager 7/2022
https://www.chemanager-online.com/news/erneuerbarer-kohlenstoff-schluessel-zur-zukunft -
nova-paper #16: The Biomass Utilisation Factor (BUF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health
62 Pages
1259 Downloads1259 Downloads
2022-06
FREE
1259
DownloadsThe Biomass Utilisation Factor (BUF) is a new metric combining cascading use and production efficiency into one indicator to investigate the circularity of materials for the circular bioeconomy. Cascading use captures the repeated use of the original biomass, either for the same or a different purpose. Production efficiency looks at how much of the biomass input is actually transformed into useful products or materials.
The BUF can serve not only as an indicator for the circular economy principle of keeping materials in use, but also act as an efficient tool for stakeholders and policy makers to identify options that maximize biomass utilisation and keep materials in use for longer. In light of recent political developments in Europe, the BUF can serve as a tool that provides additional insights for achieving sustainable carbon cycles or help to respect the cascading principle of biomass utilisation.
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Die neue Tugend: Kunststoff im Kreislauf (PDF)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health
1 Page
253 Downloads253 Downloads
2022-05
FREE
253
DownloadsRohstoffe werden knapp, sowohl Metalle wie auch Mineralien. Nur erneuerbarer Kohlenstoff ist praktisch unbegrenzt verfügbar. Daher werden Kunststoffe in Zukunft noch wichtiger sein als heute, und deshalb müssen sie so nachhaltig wie möglich gestaltet werden: aus erneuerbarem Kohlenstoff und voll recycelbar.
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Conference on CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals 2022 Proceedings
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2022-04
50 € ex. tax
Plus 19% MwSt.Press
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cartThe proceedings of the Conference on CO2-based Fuels and Chemicals 2022 (23-24 March 2022, https://co2-chemistry.eu) contain 26 presentations, the conference journal, and the press release of the three winners of the Innovation Award “Best CO2 Utilisation 2022“.
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International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022 Proceedings
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
2022-02
50 € ex. tax
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cartThe proceedings of the International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022 (2-3 February 2022, https://cellulose-fibres.eu) contain 26 presentations, the conference journal, and the press release of the three winners of the Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year 2021 Award!
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RCI’s scientific background report: “Renewable carbon as a guiding principle for sustainable carbon cycles” (February 2022)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
41 Pages
2808 Downloads2808 Downloads
2022-02
FREE
2808
DownloadsWhy it is right to choose renewable carbon as a guiding principle for sustainable development in the chemicals and materials sectors.
The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) publishes this fundamental strategy paper on the defossilisation of the chemical and material industry with eleven policy recommendations. The Renewable Carbon Initiative is an interest group of more than 30 well-known companies from the wide field of the chemical and material value chains. (www.renewable-carbon-initiative.com)Read more here: https://renewable-carbon-initiative.com/media/press/?id=315
DOI No.: https://doi.org/10.52548/QUHG1295
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The Climate Change Mitigation Star: A Sixfold Challenge (PNG)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
1 Page
161 Downloads161 Downloads
2022-02
FREE
161
DownloadsWhy it is right to choose renewable carbon as a guiding principle for sustainable development in the chemicals and materials sectors.
The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) publishes this fundamental strategy paper on the defossilisation of the chemical and material industry with eleven policy recommendations. The Renewable Carbon Initiative is an interest group of more than 30 well-known companies from the wide field of the chemical and material value chains. (www.renewable-carbon-initiative.com)Read more here: https://renewable-carbon-initiative.com/media/press/?id=315
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Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) draws worldwide attention (PDF)
Policy, Sustainability & Health
2 Pages
281 Downloads281 Downloads
2021-11
FREE
281
DownloadsThe climate crisis is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, with global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation leading to food insecurity, global health problems and biodiversity loss. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the use of carbon-containing fossil energy sources such as oil, coal and natural gas have been shown to be a major contributor to climate change. Thus, for decades the focus of climate protection has been predominantly on the energy sector. A new initiative is now expanding this view. Learn about the history and activities of the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI).
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Scenario for the Plastic Industry 2050 (PNG)
Markets & Economy, Policy, Sustainability & Health, Technology
1 Page
1352 Downloads1352 Downloads
2021-10
FREE
1352
DownloadsThe plastics industry of the future will be decoupled from petrochemicals and will meet its carbon needs primarily from recycling. This alone will not close the renewable carbon cycle. The unavoidable losses will then be closed by bio- and CO2-based polymers.