The European Commission’s new Circular Economy Action Plan is tackling plastic pollution with a goal to ensure all packaging becomes reusable or recyclable by 2030. However, currently less than half of plastic packaging waste is recycled, with most of it going to landfill or incineration.

Ahead of the crucial vote in the European Parliament's ENVI Committee next January, this discussion will bring together policy makers from the European Commission and European Parliament, alongside an NGO and the private sector, to look at industry demand for recycled plastic materials and how to ensure that waste management infrastructure and recycling technologies in the EU can help meet the EU’s circular economy targets. The panel will have a specific focus on meeting packaging targets in the food and drink industry.

There will be no long intros and no irrelevant chitchat. In our strictly timed ‘Food & Drink in Five’ format, we'll explore the plastic problem with five hard hitting questions across 50 minutes.
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    Frances Robinson
    Moderator
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    Maria Spyraki MEP
    Panellist
    Maria Spyraki is a member of the European Parliament for Nea Dimokratia (European People's Party) and co-chair of the Intergroup on climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development. Ms. Spyraki MEP is also Vice-Chair of the Delegation of the EU to China and a member of the Parliament's ITRE and BECA committees.
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    Philippe Diercxsens
    Panellist
    Philippe Diercxens is the Environment Manager at Danone Waters. Philippe is an expert in environmental chemistry and packaging waste management.
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    Joan Marc Simon
    Panellist
    Joan Marc is Executive Director of Zero Waste Europe. He has been a leading voice for Zero Waste in Europe since 2007 and is a member of the Steering Committee of the Break Free from Plastics movement. Among many other publications he has authored the Zero Waste Masterplan for cities as well as the book “Zero Waste – How to reactivate the economy without trashing the planet”.
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    Werner Bosmans
    Panellist
    Werner Bosmans is a Policy Officer on the circular economy at the European Commission's DG ENV. In this position, he has been responsible for Natural Resource policies, promoting life-cycle thinking to reduce environmental impacts. In recent years, he has focused on developing the Plastics Strategy and the Directive on single-use plastics.