Meet Europe's Policymakers
Friends of Europe
evening debate with
Director-General for Environment James Currie
Monday 05 March 2001
Director-General for Environment James Currie
Monday 05 March 2001
Introductory speech by Philippe Wolper, Director General, Apeal
Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important for society in general. The European citizen is more and more aware of the significance of these issues.
APEAL, as the representative of steel for packaging producers in Europe, recognises the importance of having a coherent European environmental strategy. Packaging waste and the reduction of its impact on the environment is one aspect of the global scope, but should not be the victim of over-regulation.
As a responsible industry, steel producers have integrated environmental actions in their strategy. Every day, the steel industry, in the EU, recycles 4,000 tons of secondary raw material derived from packaging.
Every steel packaging contains a part of recycled material. Recycling saves natural resources, energy and reduces the disposal of final waste and emissions. The steel industry is good at recycling, because the material is easy and cheap to recover, and easy to recycle. Recycling is an integral part of steel making and steel recycling is sustainable.
Globally, the steel industry uses more than 50% secondary raw material, and is therefore using half the natural resources as would otherwise be required.
The Steel for packaging industry is ready for a coherent approach based on dialogue with the Authorities specially the European Commission.
This dialogue is becoming more and more necessary because of the increasingly fragmented European market, due to various trade barriers, specially in Germany and in Denmark, such as eco-taxes, national quotas, bans, and deposits on one-way drinks packaging.
Having mentioned all this, harmonisation seems to have become a necessity and should become a reality.
APEAL and its members want to be constructive in making the environmental dialogue progress, and, very practically, advance the packaging debate. Therefore we will foster a dialogue involving all stakeholders, on 26th April, during the “Green Week”, organised by the European Commission, where new ideas will be exchanged in order to contribute to a more equitable regulatory framework.