Shaping Europe’s Circular Future: Harmonising Policy and Performance for a Circular Future

On 21 April 2026, Steel for Packaging Europe (SfPE) hosted a high-level assembly in Brussels to mark its 40th anniversary. The milestone event, "Shaping Europe’s Circular Future", served as a double celebration with the launch of the landmark recycling report, “Steel Ahead: Packaging for a Circular Future”. This report provides the data-driven foundation for industry progress as Europe navigates the implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the Circular Economy Act.

High-Performance Recycling: Beyond the Theory

The afternoon commenced with a keynote from Susana Solis MEP, who set the stage for achieving high-performance recycling in Europe. This was followed by a panel featuring Bruno Tobback MEP, Wolfgang Trunk (DG ENVI), Géza Nagy (Nestlé), and Marco Musso (EEB), moderated by Chiara Antonelli (IEEP).

A core theme was the urgent need for legislative frameworks to recognise the unique properties of permanent materials. SfPE President Richard Lézé and Secretary General Steve Claus highlighted that steel, which can be infinitely recycled without losing its properties, currently boasts an 82% recycling rate.

Panellists discussed that the Circular Economy Act should recognise materials like steel that demonstrate permanent recyclability and optimise infrastructure and prioritise material specific collection systems to minimise contamination and ensure high quality secondary raw materials. It should also reward materials that already deliver high-performance recyclability and avoid counter-productive mandates that do not account for the proven closed-loop nature of steel.

EPR Systems: Fairness and Net-Costs

The second half of the agenda tackled the financial engines of circularity, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems. Following a presentation by Peter Kirchesch (thyssenkrupp Steel), a panel including Monika Romenska (EXPRA), Arnaud Warusfel (Bonduelle), and Felipe Watanabe (Trivium Packaging), moderated by Emily Pompelia (Brunswick), debated the evolution of EPR.

The speakers championed several critical pillars for a fair system. Starting with the net-cost approach, speakers emphasised that EPR fees should reflect the actual costs of collection, sorting, and processing, while factoring in the high financial value of steel scrap. Eco-modulation and reinvestment in order to reward endless recyclability. Fees should be material-specific and reward endless recyclability, ensuring that revenues generated from steel packaging are reinvested directly into the material’s own recycling infrastructure. Finally, almost all speakers agreed upon EU-wide harmonisation. They championed systems that are transparent, non-discriminatory and uniform across all 27 member states to ensure a cohesive and functional circular single market.

A Collaborative Path Forward

The event concluded with a call for greater transparency and data accountability to foster a resilient circular economy. In his closing remarks, Steve Claus, Secretary General of SfPE, reinforced the industry’s commitment to a permanent, closed-loop future.
With representation from the European Commission, European Parliament, and major industry stakeholders, the summit reinforced that Europe’s circular future depends on policy that recognises and incentivises the high-performance materials already delivering on the continent’s green ambitions.