Earlier this month at Afera’s Annual Conference in Malta, a hybrid session dedicated to AFSP provided an excellent platform for project participants to meet in person, review key actions taken in the past year, celebrate milestones, and agree on the next steps to support the industry’s transition to sustainability and circularity. 

WS1 – Calculation Methods

• Methodology
• Scope
• Functional unit for reporting PCF
• Data collection parameters
• Third-party verification

The open questions identified during the 2nd workshop and the follow-up discussions in Malta, including those regarding the grouping of raw materials, data collection process, expected timelines, and futureproofing, will be taken up in the upcoming workshop in November to ensure that the tool supports everyone’s needs. 

In this quarter, the workstream will also evaluate the next steps to be taken regarding Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) calculations for tapes.

WS2 – Waste Management

To gather more insights and ideas, an interactive session on ‘How to circularise tape?’ was held on Day 1 of the annual conference in Malta. 15 teams worked on specific cases to map the circularity challenges, readiness, and potential collaborative solutions for different types of tapes (recyclable, difficult-to-recycle, containing a liner...) with a focus on key areas like the 9Rs, material sourcing, production, and waste management (reduction, collection, recycling...).

The input from this workshop and the interviews will guide the discussions within WS2 on how to tackle the identified issues (fragmented availability, contamination of tape waste, etc.) and apply new technologies and partnerships to advance the circularity of tapes.

WS3 – Advocacy

WS3 continues to work in close coordination with the Regulatory Affairs Working Group to monitor the impact of legislative developments. Based on discussions held during the annual meet-up in Malta, WS3 will also increase its focus on fostering partnerships and collaboration with external stakeholders across the value chain.

To support the needs of Afera members, the following guidance documents and position papers are currently under development and will be published in the upcoming quarters: 
(1) Impact of Spanish Plastic Packaging Tax on the tapes industry
(2) Impact of UK Plastic Packaging Tax on adhesive tapes
(3) ‘Design for recycling’ (DfR) guidelines for packaging tapes, aimed at tape manufacturers and converters 
(4) Sustainable use of tapes in packaging applications, aimed at brand owners, end-users, tape manufacturers, and converters
(5) Position paper on Mass Balance Approach  

During our annual meeting in Malta we had a great meeting with AFSP participants to share where we are in the different workstreams and together exchange on how to accelerate the progress on the three pillars. The most important take home message: sustainability in the tape industry is not an option, we need to ensure we can monitor its progress. We will continue to work to implement this idea at all levels: developing a harmonized PCF calculation, developing recycling of tape and liner waste, and ensuring that the industry is prepared to face the upcoming regulatory changes.

If you would also like to participate in the AFSP Workstreams, please register your interest with us.

For any further questions, contact us at: AFSP@afera.com