APE Europe congratulates Dutch and German stakeholders for their commitment to a voluntary EPR scheme for agricultural plastics

APE Europe (Agriculture, Plastics and Environment), through its President Andreas Malberg, extends warm congratulations to the Dutch and German stakeholders driving forward a voluntary Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for agricultural and horticultural plastics in the Netherlands.

 A milestone towards the 2050 circular economy goal

This initiative, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, represents a major step towards the European target of a fully circular economy by 2050.

It is the result of strong cooperation between Federatie NRK, Bluehub BV, and the German partner RIGK GmbH, operator of the ERDE programme in Germany – a leading example of a successful voluntary EPR model in the agricultural sector.

“We commend this exemplary cooperation between neighbouring countries, which demonstrates the sector’s ability to design effective, cross-border solutions for the collection and recycling of agricultural plastics. The Dutch project shows that a voluntary, industry-led system can deliver tangible and lasting results.”

— Andreas Malberg, President of APE Europe

 APE Europe’s key recommendations

APE Europe, which has consistently advocated for effective and sustainable EPR schemes, emphasises three pillars essential for the long-term success of the Dutch initiative:

1. Full stakeholder involvement : Producers, importers, distributors, farmers, horticulturalists, and recyclers should be actively engaged in the scheme’s governance and daily operations to ensure ownership and effectiveness.
2. A sustainable financing mechanism: A robust funding structure is crucial to guarantee the long-term material recyclingof collected quantities and to maintain the system’s financial stability over time.
3. Clear and progressive targets: The scheme should define measurable, ambitious, and regularly updated objectives for collection, recycling, and reuse within the agricultural sector.

 A European benchmark in the making

APE Europe reaffirms its full commitment to supporting this initiative. The organisation will continue to share experience and best practices from its members across Europe, and to foster collaboration between national programmes, so that this Dutch project can become a European reference in agricultural plastics circularity.