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Fibre Packaging Europe

FPE

Fibre Packaging Europe is an informal coalition of seven trade associations representing industries involved in forestry, pulp, paper, board, carton packaging production and recycling from across Europe.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Eric Mamer (Director-General Environment)

11 Nov 2025 · Exchange of views with Fibre Packaging Europe

Response to Circular Economy Act

5 Nov 2025

Fibre Packaging Europe (FPE), a coalition of seven member associations jointly representing 1,500 companies bringing together Europes forestry, pulp, paper, board, carton packaging production, and recycling industries, has established a strong and well-functioning market for secondary raw materials through the sectors commitment to place on the market sustainably sourced products. Since before the release of the Clean Industrial Deal, FPE has actively been supporting the European Commission with policy recommendations to ensure that fibre material is considered and integrated in the scope of the Circular Economy Act, using this opportunity to close gaps in existing legislation. FPE welcomes the initiative to develop a new Circular Economy Act and in the attached position paper provides recommendations centred around the following pillars, which are key in further strengthening our sector's circular objectives: - Effective, transparent, and harmonised Extended Producer Responsibility schemes - Mandatory separate collection (further increasing and improving the collection of paper for recycling instead of the development of end-of-waste criteria) - Fostering industrial symbiosis through RDI for the forest-based bioeconomy - Leveraging existing and new EU funding instruments to support the paper packaging industrys role in the circular economy - Promoting voluntary integration of industry within the energy system.
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Meeting with Christine Singer (Member of the European Parliament)

6 Oct 2025 · PPWR, Circular Economy Act

Meeting with Jeannette Baljeu (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Jul 2025 · Circular Economy Act

Response to Towards a Circular, Regenerative and Competitive Bioeconomy

23 Jun 2025

The bioeconomy is key to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal for sustainable production and consumption: it can replace fossil-based materials with sustainable, renewable alternatives based on wood and enhance the EUs strategic autonomy. Yet, while the bioeconomy can play a pivotal role in the decarbonisation efforts across multiple sectors, its full potential is yet untapped. The recent 2040 climate targets communication underlines the role of bio-based materials as central to the bioeconomy and even calls for more innovation in bio-based and circular products. At the same time, it also underscores the role of bioenergy, including biofuels, as a key component in the EU's energy strategy. This competition for biomass in the context of a gap between demand and supply poses a direct threat to a sustainable and European bioeconomy. Europe needs a clear vision and a real industrial strategy for the forest-based bioeconomy. This industrial strategy should be supportive of, and act as a complement to, the EU Green Deals objectives. It would boost the competitiveness of Europes bioeconomy sector and enhance Europes strategic autonomy and resilience by supporting greater use of locally available resources. Such a strategy should recognise the bioeconomys central role in Europes competitiveness through the creation of jobs and support for innovation, whilst reducing risky dependencies. It should offer a holistic and balanced vision for the European forest-based bioeconomy, addressing the urgent need to reconcile the multifunctional role of forests (social, ecological, and economic) to meet the EUs long-term goals. Moreover, it should support greater coherence between different policy and legislative objectives/themes (climate, products, industry, innovation, single market). In its new mandate, the European Commission needs to focus on rebalancing demand and supply by 1) boosting the availability of both primary and secondary bio-based materials in a sustainable way and 2) supporting the substitution of fossil-based materials with bio-based materials and renewable products. Detailed recommendations can be found in the attached position paper.
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Meeting with Luis Planas Herrera (Cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall)

13 Jan 2025 · Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation

Meeting with Nils Torvalds (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and IKEA Foundation

29 Jan 2024 · PPWR

Response to Waste Framework review to reduce waste and the environmental impact of waste management

21 Nov 2023

Fibre Packaging Europe (FPE) is an informal coalition of seven trade associations along the fibre packaging value chain in Europe. Coming together to speak with one voice on the policy issues central to our ecosystem, collectively, FPE members represent 1500 companies employing 365,000 people across 2,200 facilities in Europe, generating around 120 billion in annual turnover. FPE supports the EU's ambition to reduce food waste and welcomes the targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD), which will contribute to reaching the waste reduction objectives of the Circular Economy Action Plan. To reach these objectives, FPE fully supports the targets set by the Commission in the WFD and, in particular, in article 9a, as the fibre packaging industry is willing to contribute to the prevention of food. FPE highlights the essential role of packaging in protecting and preserving goods throughout the food value chain, extending the lifespan of food, preventing product and food waste and thus contributing to resource efficiency. The coalition advocates for the support of innovative solutions along the value chain to design circular packaging and regrets the lack of emphasis on packaging's vital role in the legislative proposal. Innovation in packaging and using packaging when needed has been identified as one of the European Citizens Panel on Food Waste recommendations to speed up food waste reduction in the EU. The fibre packaging industry focuses on resource efficiency through sustainable sourcing, renewable materials, and high recycling rates, contributing to a circular economy. Paper and board packaging has the highest recycling rate in the EU, at 81.6%, and is consequently already a key contributor to the green transition. The fibre packaging industry is actively investing in innovation in packaging design to improve the environmental performance of the packaging and packaged products, decarbonising its processes by making paper less energy- and emission-intensive. The Fibre value chain calls for provisions in the Waste Framework Directive recognising the protective function of packaging and fostering innovation for circular practices. In addition, Fibre Packaging Europe advocates for a future revision covering all aspects of the Waste Framework Directive to address, among others, the for re-use and recycling to be complementary measures through the Waste hierarchy through a more explicit inclusion of a life cycle approach in the legal framework, to ensure the most efficient environmental solutions and in line with EU Taxonomy screening criteria. The coalition is committed to optimising recycling processes to boost already impressive fibre recycling rates and supports harmonised separate waste collection that will ensure high-quality secondary raw materials. It is crucial for the Commission to consider the recycling capabilities of specific waste streams when defining high-quality recycling, avoiding unnecessary barriers in well-functioning recycling processes. Recyclability and high-quality recycling should be assessed based on recycled materials' quality and their potential to substitute primary raw materials rather than imposing closed product loop requirements. Fibre Packaging Europe supports the Commission's intention to improve the separate collection of waste setting minimum requirements for source segregation and separate collection of waste that facilitate high-quality recycling. FPE also proposes utilising Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee modulation based on the net-cost principle to accelerate the shift to a low-carbon circular economy. Finally, FPE argues against applying an End-of-Waste (EoW) status for fibre, prioritizing increased Paper for Recycling (PfR) collection over regulatory tools. If this application is considered, specific criteria for EoW must be met, ensuring final recycling at the paper mill, compliance with quality standards, and verification through a quality management system.
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Response to Review of the requirements for packaging and feasibility of measures to prevent packaging waste

12 Apr 2023

Fibre Packaging Europe (FPE) acknowledges the European Commissions proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation and looks forward to supporting an evidence-based regulatory approach during the next stages of the legislative process. FPE recognises that recyclable and reusable options are complementary towards a common goal of achieving a circular economy in the EU. Policy decisions (including reuse targets) should be founded on an evidence-based evaluation of the life-cycle impact of packaging and its system, accompanied by the evaluation of the economic and technological implications, consequences for human health and possible liability implications. Packaging solutions with the best environmental performance, as provided for in Article 4(2) of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD), should be encouraged. Making the switch to reusable packaging mandatory, when not supported by data, would only have increased environmental, economic, and health safety impacts. Moreover, replacing a significant part of renewable and recyclable paper and board packaging will lead to increased use of finite fossil-based resources to produce non-renewable and non-recyclable fossil-based packaging. FPE welcomes the proposed, actionable and forward-looking definition of recyclability applicable to all packaging. The recyclability of the packaging must be assessed while taking into account material specificities via Design for Recycling (DfR) guidelines which provide technically sound guidance for recycling. The DfR should be based on expert judgment and consultation with targeted stakeholders, including recyclers, waste management operators, and technology providers. Thus, policymakers should ensure that stakeholders from the industry are consulted in a transparent and systemic manner in the drafting process of DfR guidelines. A process within the independent standardisation body, European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), would allow for open cooperation and exchange of expertise to set ambitious and realistic requirements on packaging recyclability. A mandatory 90% separate collection target for all packaging formats by 2030 is necessary to reach the recycled-at-scale obligation in 2035, further increasing recycling rates and enhancing the quality of the secondary raw materials. Please find our more detailed feedback on the PPWR proposal attached.
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