As a leading supplier in sustainable returnable transport packaging, DS Smith Plastics was invited as a guest speaker at the prestigious annual Plastics Recyclers Meeting, held October 11 & 12 in Cascais, Portugal.
This year’s conference, attended by many key members in the plastics industry, focused on the increased collection of plastic waste as one of the fundamental factors needed for achieving higher recycling rates in Europe and featured Paul Baeyens from DS Smith Plastics as a guest speaker.
The conference opened with a moving welcome speech from Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) President Ton Emans, stating that he and Mr. Frans Timmermans, Vice President of the European Commission speak the same language: “We need plastics. We cannot send a man to the moon, or cure people, without plastics, but we have to take responsibility and start using plastics in an environmentally friendly way.”
Keynote speakers Kestutis Sadauskas, European Commission Director of Circular Economy and Green Growth, and José Inacio Faria, Member of the European Parliament, were debating about the waste collection rates, current and best practices in waste collection as well as legislative measures such as reducing waste and deposit systems to harmonize waste management.
“DS Smith Plastics uses plastics in products that last for decades and recycle them into new products at the end of their life,” said Baeyens. “We want to apply this approach for disposable products as well by developing innovative technologies to give post-consumer materials a new long life. DS Smith treats plastics as a high-value material and I was proud to be invited as a guest speaker on good examples of sustainable packaging.“
PRE actively promotes the increase of plastics recycling and supports the transition towards a fully circular plastic economy. The organization consists of a network of more than 120 members from all over Europe.