The fourteenth edition of IdentiPlast, Europe’s leading conference focused on the recycling and recovery of used plastics, was the largest ever. The event run by PlasticsEurope and supported by the BPF took place on March 7 and 8 in London and featured talks from over 50 world-leading speakers in plastics recycling and waste management, and had over 340 attendees.

Bruce Margetts, President of the British Plastics Federation (BPF), and Javier Constante, President of PlasticsEurope, opened this year’s edition. The opening speeches set the tone for the conference, highlighting that the industry has a huge role to play in tackling the issue of plastic waste and that the value of the material, once used, needs to be more widely understood.

The first day looked at sustainability issues and solutions from the perspectives of different countries, featuring speakers ranging from Europe, Ghana, Columbia, Japan and North America. A video message was broadcast from Therese Coffey MP, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment, who stated that she welcomed industry-led efforts to reduce plastic waste. Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director-General of the European Commission’s Environment Directorate, stated how he recognised plastic as a crucial material for the EU economy, that it should not be demonised and the shift to a circular economy presented huge opportunities.

The second day of the conference was focused on the technical aspects of improving the management of plastic waste, ranging from increasing collection, improving sorting technologies and adapting recycling processes to a large variety of waste.

“We are delighted to have helped bring together many of the best minds in recycling and waste management to discuss ways to accelerate our journey towards a truly circular economy. I hope everyone involved enjoyed the interesting agenda and fascinating discussions as much as I did”, Executive Director of PlasticsEurope Karl-H. Foerster stated.

“It was exciting to hear about the innovative solutions that have been presented to transition to a more circular economy. It is thanks to these exchanges that we can continue building necessary joint efforts to achieve the recycling targets of our Voluntary Commitment”, he added.