Use less plastic, make all the plastic that we use recyclable and apply more recyclate in new plastic products. That is the deal that Van Werven co-signed on Thursday 21 February 2019 in the Plastic Pact NL. From packer to producer and from supermarket to waste processor: the whole chain tackles the problem together. Good news according to Van Werven.
Ton van der Giessen, managing director: "This Plastic Pact is not just anything. It gives direction, focus and ensures moral responsibility. Seventy different companies and parties have signed this, including large companies such as Albert Heijn and organizations such as Stichting Natuur en Milieu. We are now all morally obliged to work on this. Not only these parties, but also their suppliers and relations are addressed indirectly. For example, this pact contributes to the many steps that are needed to achieve the ultimate goal, namely no one-time use of plastic that is being brought new to the market. "
The pact focuses on all types of plastic: films and packaging, but also the hard plastics that Van Werven recycles. Van der Giessen: "In addition to plastic packaging, there are also many other plastic products that end up in the waste stage. Think of garden furniture, toys and buckets from households and profiles and tubes from the construction sector. We are currently recycling more than 100 million kilos per year, which we sell as high-quality raw materials and we see opportunities to double this over the next three years. "
Conference on Circular Economy
At the much-visited National Conference on Circular Economy, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Stientje van Veldhoven signed a deal with more than seventy parties. The targets set in the pact focus on reducing plastic use, making plastic products and packaging fully recyclable and applying recyclate in new plastic applications. The Plastic Pact NL is one of Van Veldhoven's priorities in the context of the raw materials agreement. Ton van der Giessen signed the pact on behalf of Van Werven, BRBS Recycling and the Stichting Holland Circular Hotspot.
Van Werven Plastic Recycling
Van Werven invested for years in something that did not yet exist: sort out residual plastics from construction waste and environmental waste and recycle them into a high-quality raw material. That is the result of our urge to search for real and unique solutions. The plastic recycling activities have been awarded several times with an innovation award in the Netherlands and Europe. After years of successful plastic recycling in the Netherlands, Van Werven expands its activities. We now have branches in various locations in Europe where we recycle plastic waste.