Position or Policy Paper Archives

Joint NGO-industry letter to MEPs on the EU Textiles Strategy and closed-loop recycling

Reloop is pleased to be one of the co-signers of a joint NGO-industry letter that calls on members of the European Parliament to refrain from supporting amendments that would water down the clear message against breaking the loop of PET bottles. The letter, signed by UNESDA, Natural Mineral Waters Europe, the European Fruit Juice Association…

Reloop and ZWE release guidelines for legislating MWS in the context of the Renewable Energy Directive

This policy briefing by Reloop and Zero Waste Europe provides guidelines for legislating mixed waste sorting (MWS) in the context of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). The guidelines were developed to clarify the amendment proposed by the European Parliament regarding the use of mixed wastes for ‘renewable energy’ purposes. The document recommends applying MWS systems…

Policy Brief on Mixed Waste Sorting

Our policy brief explains why taking a holistic approach to policies addressing packaging design for recyclability, separate collection systems—including deposit return for beverage containers—and further sorting of municipal mixed waste prior to thermal treatment or landfill, is necessary if the EU is to meet its recycling and carbon emissions reductions targets and achieve real circularity.…

Coalition letter in support of PPWR

Reloop pulled together a coalition in EU which supports the overall direction and ambition of the Commission´s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation proposal. We rely on the ordinary legislative process—a democratic process—and urge the European Commission to submit its proposal to the Council and the European Parliament on 30 November as planned so that the…

Target 90: An unprecedented coalition of businesses across the EU calls for an ambitious approach to beverage packaging.

Our dual proposal: 90% separate collection target + DRS offers a proven solution which is good for the economy, jobs and Europe’s resilience when it comes to securing resources and saving energy. This is an opportunity to significantly reduce the demand for virgin resources in a meaningful way. Download : Coalition Position Paper

Beyond Recycling: Policy to Achieve Circular Waste Management

Waste collection and recycling services are some of the most essential functions of government to keep cities clean and promote public health. For more than 50 years, local governments have championed efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of waste management services by establishing curbside recycling programs, investing in sorting facilities, capturing methane and other greenhouse gases from landfills and much…

New white paper: Policy Guidelines for Recycled Content Mandates

Minimum recycled content mandates are a critical policy tool to drive higher recyclable material prices and investment for recycling, address climate change, help stabilise municipal waste budgets, and enable resilient local economies. This white paper, drafted by Director of Reloop North America, Elizabeth Balkan, offers a framework for effective and responsible scoping of recycled content…

Reloop and CRI comments on EPA consultation on recycling calculation

Together with the Container Recycling Institute, Natural Resources Council of Maine, and the Conservation Law Foundation, Reloop has prepared a joint letter to the U.S. EPA with comments about the methodology it uses to calculate national recycling rates, and how this methodology might be improved. Among other things, we discuss how a combination of over-counting…

Reusable vs Single-Use Packaging: A Review of Environmental Impacts

Political and public interest in the potential of reusable packaging to improve how we manage our resources is growing steadily around the world. Life cycle analysis (LCA) is often used to measure what positive or negative impact this packaging would have, both economically and environmentally. Our study, undertaken by the University of Utrecht, analyses the…

Joint Policy Paper on Reusable Packaging & COVID-19

On June 4th, Zero Waste Europe and Reloop released a joint policy paper to address the situation of reusable packaging and refillable systems in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. While industry uses this current health crisis to continue pushing for single-use products and packaging, there is no evidence that disposable packaging contributes to the spread…