What we recycle

Plastics

Plastics are composed of polymers i.e., compounds made of many small molecules.

Ferrous metals

Ferrous metals, primarily composed of iron, include materials like steel and cast iron, which are commonly found in construction, manufacturing, and transportation.

Non-Ferrous metals

Non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, and titanium, do not contain iron and are valued for their resistance to corrosion and high conductivity.

Paper

Recycled paper is a versatile material that can replace or supplement virgin pulp to create new products like packaging, newspapers, and insulation.

Textiles

Textiles, including both synthetic fibers like polyester and natural fibers like cotton, are integral to daily life, with global production nearly tripling since 1975.

Tyres

Tyres contain multiple valuable materials such as rubber (75%), steel (15%) and textile fibres (10%).

Construction & Demolition

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste includes materials like concrete, bricks, wood, metals, glass, plastics, and hazardous substances such as asbestos.

End-of-life Vehicles

End-of-life Vehicles (ELVs) contain valuable materials like metals (steel, aluminum), plastics, rubber, and glass, as well as batteries.

E-waste

E-waste, otherwise referred to as waste electronical and electronic equipment (WEEE), is mainly composed of non-ferrous metals (nickel, copper, lead, etc.

Ships

End-of-life ships are decommissioned vessels that contain valuable materials like steel, metals, and electronics, along with hazardous substances such as asbestos, oils, and toxic chemicals.

Who we are

New product priorities for Ecodesign for Sustainable Products

A review on the draft study published by the Joint Research Center (JRC)

The European Recycling Industry strongly welcomes the focus placed by the European Commission (EU COM) on sustainable production – for a wide range of products – through the recently published proposal for a regulation on Ecodesing for sustainable products [COM(2022) 142]. This shows the EU COM’s commitment to set ambitious measures to boost the circularity of the different end-use and intermediate product groups prioritized by the proposal. This is now more important than ever, especially considering that only around 12% of material resources come from recycled materials (EUROSTAT). This is a testimony that the European economy remains mostly linear and that there is significant room for improvement (JRC, 2023).

This paper is divided in different streams and want to outline position of the European recycling industry on the ESPR proposal and is meant as a response to the EC open public consultation. EuRIC looks forward to working closely with the EU COM and the co-legislators to ensure the introduction of harmonized rules on the different end-use and intermediate product groups that promote the Union’s circular economy targets. The recycling industry stands ready to provide support in the development of delegated acts and implementing provisions.

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