BRUSSELS, January 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Metal Packaging Europe (MPE), in partnership with Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy MEP, today launched the concept of "permanent materials", those preserving their material qualities with infinite recyclability. Such materials boost a resource efficient society and have the capability to provide a key and unlimited natural asset for future generations.

Committed to and united through a sustainability manifesto, the metal packaging sector is ready to take on this challenge and has set itself a target to increase the European average metal recycling from close to 70% to 80% by 2020.

The challenge is not one of the industry alone. Recycling is a legal, national and societal responsibility.

"We invite Member States, policy-makers and stakeholders to join forces to meet the 2020 MPE target. Our industry is bold in its ask and we believe we can even exceed this target", said Anders Linde, Secretary General of Metal Packaging Europe.

"No metal packaging should go to landfill, Linde added. If we integrate the permanent materials concept in key legislation we stand to reap the benefits associated with the kind of efficiencies only our sector can deliver.

"The scarcity of resources forces the EU to become radically more efficient, and recycling is paramount to achieve this goal," said Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, MEP, and Rapporteur on the Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe for the European Parliament's Environment Committee.

Gerbrandy further argued that "for economical and ecological reasons we should strive for recycling percentages close to 100% for certain materials. This could be stimulated by lowering the VAT for secondary materials, as a more efficient use of resources is essential for the EU to get out the economic crisis."

"Industry will have to play a key role if we want to see effective waste management delivering its full potential for resource efficiency and creating new business opportunities and jobs," said Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment.

Potočnik added, "this is why I very much welcome the commitment of the metal packaging industry to making waste a resource, and to developing a real cradle to cradle approach. Metal Packaging Europe's main proposals, such as increasing resource efficiency, zero metals in landfills, and closed loop recycling - are important messages to the rest of the European industry. Only by working together we will be able to take a real step towards resource efficiency in Europe."

Metal Packaging Europe showcased its ambitious concept at the Museum of Natural Sciences today and challenged the engaged stakeholder community to revisit recycling as a priority issue. Only through partnerships with all actors in the waste management chain, including consumers, can we achieve a true recycling society.

About Metal Packaging Europe

Metal Packaging Europe (MPE) represents the united interests of producers and suppliers of rigid metal packaging across Europe.

For more information, visit http://www.metalpackagingeurope.org.

SOURCE Metal Packaging Europe

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