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The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association

TEPPFA

• Advocacy • Setting-up collection schemes for postconsumer plastic pipes and fittings • Increase uptake of recycled content into new plastic pipes and fittings. • Design for Recycling Guidelines • Develop and update EN voluntary product standards • Implementation of the revised Construction Products Regulation • Implementation of the EU Drinking Water Directive • Water Resilience Strategy (EU Blue Deal) • REACH monitoring participation in ECHA public consultation • Unintentionally added microplastics. Implement Operation Clean Sweep to avoid pellet loss (Operation Clean Sweep) • Developing sector guidelines on Taxonomy • Developing EPDs and comparative LCAs • Promote long life plastic pipe systems in building and infrastructure (from 50 up to 100plus years) • Technical Research

Lobbying Activity

Response to EU rules for the calculation and reporting of recycled content in single-use plastic bottles

19 Aug 2025

TEPPFA welcomes the European Commissions public consultation regarding the draft Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) Implementing Decision, which proposes a credit-based mass balance method for attributing chemically recycled content in plastic beverage bottles. It is essential that EU policymakers establish a precedent as to when and how a mass balance credit method for chemically recycled plastics will be applied for the first time within the EU. This precedent should also guide policy in non-packaging sectors, including building and construction. Such guidance is crucial, as EN 15804:+A2 is currently interpreted inconsistently with regard to the compliance (or non-compliance) of using a credit-based mass balance model for developing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for construction products. TEPPFA supports both chemical and mechanical recycling technologies in order to increase the availability of secondary raw materials within the EU availability currently limited by the extended service life of plastic pipes (50 to 100 years or more). Legal requirements restrict the use of mechanically recycled material in plastic pressure pipe systems, such as those used for drinking water and gas distribution. Consequently, chemical recycling solutions may offer potential in the future, especially for pressure pipe applications. While mechanical recycling should remain the preferred option, increased investment in all relevant technologies is necessary to enhance recycling rates. Chemical recycling enables the use of plastic wasteespecially feedstock unsuitable for mechanical recyclingto produce new chemicals, including plastics. Thus, chemical recycling can provide additional high-quality material for plastic pipes, which demand high-grade recycled plastics due to safety, regulatory, and performance requirements. For this approach to succeed and become available at scale, it is imperative that the EU establish harmonised rules for calculating chemically recycled content, thereby intensifying investment in these technologies. To support a low-carbon, circular economy, the mass balance credit method should also be considered as a tool to attribute biogenic carbon content in plastic applications for the building and construction sector, using renewable feedstock. This would help to increase both the amount of circular polymers and the proportion of recycled content within the EU supply chain.
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Meeting with Pernille Weiss-Ehler (Cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall)

15 Apr 2025 · Water Resilience Strategy

Response to European Water Resilience Strategy

4 Mar 2025

TEPPFA, the European voice of plastic pipe and fittings manufacturers, welcomes the Water Resilience Strategy. Clean water is a critical resource for the well-being of European citizens and is essential for a resilient and competitive European manufacturing industryparticularly for strategically important sectors such as microelectronics. European Member States are increasingly facing the consequences of climate disruption, including severe flooding, prolonged droughts, and widespread water scarcity. In this context, TEPPFA underscores the crucial role of resilient water infrastructure in mitigating the impacts of extreme weather. We call for increased investment in flood prevention and management infrastructure, including sustainable urban drainage systems and durable solutions capable of withstanding changing climate conditions. The EU must take decisive action to ensure water security and build a water-resilient society. With a growing population, demand for clean water continues to rise. However, some European regions still struggle with high water leakage rates due to outdated infrastructure. Investing in durable, leakage-free drinking water supply systems is vital to ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water for all EU citizens for decades to come. TEPPFA calls on the Commission to create specific financial instruments to support Member States in upgrading their water distribution and flood management systems, with a focus on implementing innovative and sustainable solutions Durable, circular, safe, and affordable solutions exist to mitigate the effects of severe flooding and water scarcity caused by prolonged droughts. TEPPFA members stand ready to support the European Commission in achieving its goal of building a water-resilient Europe.
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Response to Drinking water - methodologies for establishing and amending the European Positive Lists

16 Nov 2023

TEPPFA appreciates the opportunity to provide feedback on the Implementing decision: Methodologies for testing/accepting substances, compositions & constituents in European positive lists. Please see the attached PDF file.
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Response to Drinking water - establishing the European Positive Lists of starting substances

16 Nov 2023

TEPPFA appreciates the opportunity to provide feedback on the Implementing decision: Establishing the European positive lists of starting substances, compositions, and constituents. Please see the attached PDF file.
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Response to Drinking water - procedures and methods for testing and accepting final materials

16 Nov 2023

TEPPFA appreciates the opportunity to provide feedback on the Implementing decision: Procedure and methodologies for testing and accepting final materials. Please see the attached PDF file.
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Response to Drinking water - conformity assessment procedure

16 Nov 2023

TEPPFA appreciates the opportunity to provide its feedback on the Delegated Regulation on conformity assessment procedure for products that come into contact with drinking water. Please see that attached PDF file.
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Response to Establishing harmonised marking to be used for products in contact with drinking water

13 Nov 2023

The proposed marking is too sophisticated. Implementation on all products will be very costly for producers, in particular for SMEs. We propose a simplification of the proposed marking. We also suggest that the local language only will be required on the documents and not on the label.
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Response to Drinking water - Establishing the procedure for amending the European Positive Lists ('EUPLs')

13 Nov 2023

General remark: A procedure should be specifically defined for suggesting modifications or changes to the existing positive listed substances or related additional restrictions of use, for example in case that new toxicological or other data emerge. In case of logic and scientific based adjustments would follow the same procedure as petitioning for a completely new positive listing the adoption of new knowledge will be unnecessarily delayed. The process for these kinds of changes should for clarity reasons be explained.
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Meeting with Jens Gieseke (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Feb 2023 · Austausch zur Europapolitik

Response to Review of the Construction Products Regulation

12 Jul 2022

TEPPFA contribution to the proposal for a revised Construction Products Regulation. TEPPFA, the European Plastic Pipes & Fittings Association, welcomes the publication of the Commission’s proposal for a revised CPR and fully supports its objectives to achieve a well-functioning single market for construction products as well as to contribute to the green and digital transition for a resource-efficient and competitive construction industry. TEPPFA supports the strengthening of the single market for construction products, the principles of circularity and environmental sustainability and an easier information among economic operators enabled with digitalisation. Nevertheless, the new CPR proposal contains in our opinion some points which need further clarification, elaboration, and/or revision.
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Response to Commission Regulation amending Annex XIV to REACH

21 May 2019

TEPPFA (The European Plastic Pipe and Fitting Association) represents the plastic pipe industry in Europe. The industry produces 3 million tonnes of plastic pipes per year and employs 40.000 people in total. We are deeply concerned about the suggested inclusion of ADCA in the Annex XIV of Regulation 1907/2006. It will impact our industry hard. In our industry ADCA is used to foam pipes or individual layers of the pipes, used for typically sewer or storm water purposes. A survey in our industry concluded that the alternative to use ADCA will be NOT TO FOAM at all. The ADCA-alternatives are not efficient enough and does not provide the processability needed. The stop for using the foam technology in our products will result in heavier and more expensive products as well as the environmental footprint will increase. Furthermore, the handling and installation of the products will be more difficult. Finally, the listing of ADCA will open a door for import of foamed products from outside of Europe, eg. Turkey who has a powerful plastic pipe industry. Annex XIV listing for ADCA is an overkill and not a suitable option. ADCA should not be listed as an SVHC as it cannot be considered to meet the criterias. With all uses of ADCA being at an industrial level, we believe that alternative policy measures should be considered to increase ongoing efforts to minimize exposure in the workplace. The Reach Committee must exclude ADCA from the proposed list of substances for inclusion in Annex XIV of REACH and The European Commission shall take steps to further ensure that worker exposure is minimized and controlled.
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Response to Revision of the Drinking Water Directive (RECAST 2017)

29 Mar 2018

TEPPFA, The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association, is in principle supporting the European Commission’s initiative to improve the harmonisation of regulatory requirements on products in contact with drinking water, as outlined in the Commission’s proposal on the Revision of the Drinking Water Directive (DWD) published on February 1, 2018. However, TEPPFA considers the proposed steps to be insufficient from the point of view of both ensuring consistent quality of products in contact with drinking water and of ensuring a functioning single market for these products. Consequently, TEPPFA cordially expresses the following opinions: 1. The DWD should include a review clause (with a clear deadline) giving the Commission the mandate to assess the progress of harmonisation for both construction products and other products in contact with water intended for human consumption, and to take appropriate measures if necessary – including the possibility of establishing new dedicated European legislation related to products in contact with water intended for human consumption. 2. The DWD should include provisions for the creation and maintenance of a European list of substances, compounds and formulations approved for manufacturing of materials and products in contact with water intended for human consumption. The authority to create and maintain such a list should be given to a European body with sufficient toxicological and other relevant competence, as is currently the case with food contact materials. 3. In relation to the standards to be developed under the CPR, we would like to restate our opinion and the proposals already expressed in the summer of 2017 in relation to the standardisation mandate(s) that are intended to replace the previous mandate 136. TEPPFA's full opinion and details on the above are included in the attached document. Sincerely Yours, Ilari Aho Chairman, TEPPFA Working Group Drinking Water Policy
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Response to Revision of the Drinking Water Directive

28 Mar 2017

The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA) welcomes the European Commission’s effort to review and revise the Drinking Water Directive (DWD), and has worked with its partner associations within the European Drinking Water (EDW) consortium to develop and provide a consolidated industry feedback on the matter. TEPPFA endorses and supports the EDW feedback and position on the Revision of the DWD. In addition to the points raised in the EDW feedback, TEPPFA would like to emphasise the following: - Currently, in addition to the existence of different test methods on the safety of materials and products in contact with drinking water, and the lack of mutual recognition thereof, individual Member States are often applying different acceptance criteria for products even in cases where the same test method would be applied. This currently leads to uneven level of quality assurance for the end user and market uncertainty for the suppliers of the products. - Consequently the revision of Article 10 of the DWD should be designed to ensure that a common European test and/or assessment methodology and a single set of acceptance criteria apply for products in contact with drinking water across the EU and the single market. - In parallel to developments in EU regulation of products in contact with drinking water, TEPPFA also recognises the role of voluntary quality marks on the European market for these products and the need to develop these further. Sincerely Yours, On behalf of The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association TEPPFA, Ilari Aho Chairman, TEPPFA Working Group Drinking Water Policy Vice President, New Business Development & CSR, Uponor Corporation
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