As announced by the European Commission’s (EC) circular economy package in December 2015, steel for packaging is the most sustainable material in terms of recycling.
The EC predicts ambitious savings of €600 billion for EU businesses equivalent to 8% of their annual turnover, along with the creation of 580,000 jobs and a reduction of EU carbon emissions by 450 million tonnes per year.
In order to achive these objectives, higher recycling targets are proposed for steel – 75% by 2025 and 85% by 2030 – which APEAL considers challenging but achievable. Also a split recycling target for metals is proposed, which will provide better understanding of the recycling performance of individual metals.
The EC recognises the exeptional economic opportunity and the positive change for environment this represents.
Changing the way we use natural resources, manufacture goods and keep materials alive through recycling could lead to better economic sustainability too.