APEAL, the Association of European Packaging Steel Producers, is an organization representing steel packaging producers in Europe. Founded in 1986, APEAL is composed of members that collectively employ more than 200,000 workers in Europe, including 15,000 in the steel packaging industry.

ML- Could you tell us a little about your professional background before joining APEAL?

Prior to joining APEAL, I accumulated more than two decades of professional experience in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), advising global authorities and industry sectors on the implementation and optimization of EPR principles and best practices. This included working as an independent consultant specializing in EPR, circular economy and sustainability, and as an Advisory Services Manager at Green Crossroads and Fost Plus, the Belgian EPR scheme for household packaging. I also worked for EXPRA, an EPR Alliance, where I provided guidance within and outside the EU to both industry and authorities in establishing innovative and sustainable circular models based on EPR.

My previous roles covered not only EPR and circular economy practices, but also packaging waste management, environmental policy, project planning, business management and environmental impact assessment. I am excited to bring the knowledge and experience I have gained in these roles to my new position as Secretary General at APEAL.

ML- What motivated you to accept the position of Secretary General of APEAL?

I joined APEAL in 2018 as Sustainability Manager and was involved in various projects related to packaging steel, from recyclability and recycling rates to Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Product Environmental Footprint (PEF). More recently, I have actively engaged with policy makers to highlight the critical role of permanent materials such as steel in a more circular economy, especially during the ongoing discussions on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

My time at APEAL has provided me with a solid understanding of the EU steel industry and its central position within the circular economy. With the PPWR set to come into force in the next few years and the transition to greener steel already underway, this is a crucial time for our industry to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability and highlight the invaluable role steel will play as a permanent material on the path to a more circular future.

With my experience and expertise, I believe I can make a real difference in helping the industry build on its strong sustainability credentials and take advantage of these opportunities to position steel as a circular champion, and I look forward to using my industry knowledge to contribute to APEAL’s continued growth and success.

ML- what are your main objectives for packaging steel sustainability, addressing challenges in manufacturing, promoting circular practices, highlighting the role in the transition to a greener economy, and what key strategies have you implemented?

2023 was a year of great progress for steel packaging and the packaging industry in general, with legislative developments such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) signifying a major shift towards sustainability and circularity. The introduction of a harmonized method for calculating recycling rates across the EU was also an important milestone, paving the way for a level playing field for all packaging materials in Europe and promoting accuracy and transparency in the industry by focusing on “true recycling.” Notably, this year the steel packaging sector exceeded its new EU 2025 recycling rate target of 70%, achieving an actual recycling rate of 78.5% in 2021 and remaining the most widely recycled packaging material in Europe. We are proud that our independently verified figures align with the progressive approach adopted by the EU, helping to lay the foundations for a greener and more circular future.

Looking ahead to 2024, APEAL is poised to continue advocating steel as the ideal material for a circular economy. Amid ongoing discussions on PPWR, the focus remains on urging stakeholders to adopt higher ambitions for a greener and more circular Europe. APEAL will continue to push for bolder regulation that encourages manufacturers to improve the recyclability of their products by incorporating the concept of ‘multiple recycling’ into the definition of high quality recycling. An ambitious definition of high-quality recycling could act as a driver for packaging manufacturers to improve the recyclability of their products, thereby encouraging a more effective and efficient recycling process. We look forward to continuing to engage policy makers on these issues and to collaborate with our partners to ensure recognition of steel as a permanent material perfectly placed to assist in the transition to a circular economy.

Steel packaging is the most widely recycled packaging material in Europe, and the industry has made incredible strides over the years to reduce carbon emissions and adopt sustainability best practices. Although steel packaging has already exceeded its EU recycling rate target for 2025, our focus remains on encouraging best practice in the separate collection, sorting and recycling of packaging steel across Europe. It is important that we continue this work and maintain our progress towards a 100% recycling rate, contributing to the closing of the materials cycle and meeting the circular economy targets of the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and the EU Green Pact. In our recycling report ‘Why steel recycles forever’, we outline six policy recommendations to further improve steel recycling, including optimized separate collection, consumer participation and a second overband at sorting plants to ensure that recyclable caps, plugs and closures are not sent to landfill. In 2024, we will continue to work with our stakeholders and those along the value chain to further improve steel packaging recycling rates and promote sustainability and resource conservation within the packaging industry.

Our commitment to greener steel goes beyond recycling rates. Over the years, sustainable processes and continuous innovation have made steel lighter and more formable than ever before. Since 1960, the European steel industry has already halved its energy consumption and CO2 emissions. But just as Europe has demonstrated global leadership with its ambitious Green Pact, which includes a clear commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, the European steel industry is committed to helping deliver a greener future for all. At APEAL, we are actively preparing for carbon-neutral steelmaking, targeting a remarkable 95% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. As an integral part of this commitment, we will continue to explore a variety of low-carbon and carbon-neutral solutions for CO2-free steelmaking that could lead to a carbon-neutral future under an optimal regulatory framework. By using a combination of these innovative technologies, process efficiencies and increased scrap availability, we are confident that we can achieve up to a 95% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and reach the interim target of 30% by 2030.

ML- What is your perspective on the impact of existing regulations and policies on the steel packaging industry? What are the new challenges the industry will face by 2024?

The impact of existing regulations and policies on the steel packaging industry, particularly the new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) in Europe, signals a significant shift towards sustainability and circularity. The regulation, aimed at transforming the European packaging landscape, focuses on harmonizing standards, recyclability and the obligation to use reusable or recyclable packaging by 2030. APEAL welcomed the European Parliament’s plenary vote in favor of stricter measures in the PPWR in November this year, especially the inclusion of recyclability performance ratings to incentivize the use of sustainable packaging materials that can be recycled again and again, as well as the introduction of a definition of “high quality recycling,” which will act as a catalyst for packaging manufacturers to improve the recyclability of their products.

However, there is room for improvement to fully promote closed-loop recycling, especially recognizing the value of permanent materials such as steel. In line with the waste hierarchy, which places waste disposal through landfill as the least preferred option, the measures envisaged in the PPWR should be complemented by a revision of the Landfill Directive, with the objective of accelerating the phasing out of landfill of packaging waste.

Looking ahead to 2024, the industry faces the challenge of efficiently recycling packaging materials on a large scale, which will require significant infrastructure development. Despite these challenges, steel, with the highest recycling rate of all sales packaging materials in the EU, stands out as a benchmark for circularity and already has a well-established collection and recycling infrastructure with hundreds of recycling points across Europe. We will continue to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to meet the EU’s circular economy targets and commit to improving the recyclability and actual recycling of steel packaging across the EU as much as possible.