Belgium and Netherlands join forces for better traceability of exported plastic waste

Valipac, the body that manages commercial and industrial packaging in Belgium, and Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (from 1 March, Verpact), its Dutch counterpart for commercial and household packaging, have signed a cooperation agreement to implement a certification system for plastic recyclers. This is the start of a European cooperation that should ensure that Belgian and Dutch packaging waste is recycled according to European standards both inside and outside the EU.

More transparency on European scale

Belgium and the Netherlands currently carry out checks to monitor whether commercial and industrial packaging waste from the two countries that is exported outside the EU is recycled according to strict legal conditions.

Valipac and Afvalfonds strive to better identify the ultimate destination of commercial and industrial plastic packaging waste and carry out audits with recyclers to ensure they fulfil not only local licensing regulations but also the applicable environmental standards and health and safety conditions imposed by Europe and the Belgian and Dutch governments. Both organisations want to ensure that recycling outside the EU is processed in the same way as within the EU.

Stricter conditions for plastic export

With this cooperation, Valipac and Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen are anticipating the effects of new stronger European regulations and certification requirements for the export of plastic waste in the medium term. From 2026, the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries will no longer be possible. Export of plastic waste to OECD countries will only be permitted if the local installations undergo an audit in advance to guarantee that recycling will be done under the same conditions as within Europe, known as broadly equivalent conditions.

Valipac and Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen will work closely together on an audit protocol in accordance with the European regulation on the export of waste. This audit protocol will guarantee uniform interpretation of the way in which compliance of the final destination of plastic packaging waste with European regulations is assessed.

Better identification of final destination

“With Valipac, Belgium established several years ago a system for tracing commercial and industrial plastic packaging waste. To achieve this, we signed cooperation agreements with relevant traders in the sector to identify the final destinations of the commercial and industrial packaging waste of Belgian origin. With an independent audit bureau, we assessed compliance with the rules by the final recyclers. Given that plastic packaging waste from the Netherlands follows the same route, a cooperation with the Afvalfonds seemed obvious,” says Xavier Lhoir, Director Operations and Circularity at Valipac.

“Belgium and the Netherlands are leaders in recycling packaging waste. This cooperation is therefore a logical step. With a shared certification system, we can increase the number of checks and share the results of audits of recyclers. Plastic packaging waste from Belgian and Dutch households is processed in Europe, alongside a large part of commercial and industrial waste. By working with Valipac, we can also better assure the recycling of commercial and industrial packaging waste from Europe. This is how we make a difference and ensure effective recycling of commercial and industrial plastic packaging waste. This aligns with our commitment to a circular packaging chain, in which we preserve valuable raw materials,” says Bianca Lambrechts, Director Operations at Stichting Afvalfonds Verpakkingen.

About Valipac

Valipac was founded in 1997 by the Belgian industry to provide a collective response to the extended producer responsibility for C&I packaging. We are the first European organisation specifically dedicated to C&I packaging. Our basic mission is to achieve the recycling rates imposed on our clients for the C&I packaging they put on the Belgian market.

To achieve circularity of C&I packaging, we have made four commitments: encourage our clients to use circular packaging, guarantee the traceability of C&I packaging waste to ensure effective recycling, promote local recycling and, finally, further encourage the selective collection of C&I packaging from companies.