Kick off: The Circular Economy Tour 2025

Dear Friends of PETplanet,

We’re hitting the road again! Our latest Editour, The Circular Economy Tour 2025 Europe, has officially begun—just in time for World Recycling Day 2025.

Throughout the year, the PETplanet editorial team will be reporting from production facilities, offices, and in the field, exploring the challenges that come with transitioning to sustainable business strategies and production practices.

Leading the way is Alexander Büchler, who kicks off the tour with an opening interview at Geisenheim University in Germany before heading to Spain, France, and Portugal. While some meetings are already scheduled, others are still in the works. In the second leg of the tour, Heike Fischer will cover the Benelux countries (Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg). Following the Plastics Recycling Europe Show, both familiar and new customers will be visited. And although it’s still a bit further down the road, Gabriele Kosmehl is preparing for her planned interview journey across Scandinavia. Eastern Europe and the United Kingdom will also be visited! Panta rhei—everything flows!

PETplanet will be investigating which companies have already obtained sustainability certifications and how they are structuring their operations to comply with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Taxonomy Regulation. We will be providing insights into the status quo and highlighting concrete case studies from the field. How are transparent supply chains being created? What are the steps to establishing material and energy cycles? What does sustainability mean for company leadership and employees alike? Which countries have already implemented deposit return systems? How is the industry addressing the scarcity of recycled materials? For PETplanet, it’s crucial to understand how companies are embracing sustainability, how they see their role in the bigger picture, and what tangible actions they are taking—or planning—to take.

At the same time, the broader global context cannot be ignored. European companies operate within a complex international economic landscape, where traditional structures are being disrupted, trade tariffs are being debated, and sustainability is at risk of slipping down the agenda.

Antonello Ciotti, President of Petcore, captures this challenge:

“It is clear that the new US administration is reducing its focus on the Green New Deal, and as a result, EU industry finds itself at a crossroads: turning back is not an option, but moving forward requires a lot of support and protection. […] The Green New Deal is based on the reduction of fossil energy and its replacement with renewable resources: in the case of PET packaging, this is by the collection of post-consumer bottles and trays for recycling. The challenge is that in the EU these collection costs are, in some cases, more than ten times higher than the costs faced in developing countries, and the technical advantages that our EU industry has made are not sufficient to plug the gap. So, in order to maintain a future for all our members we need to push the Commission to take action to ensure a level playing field by the proper standardisation and verification of material that is entering the EU.”

PETplanet looks forward to an exciting tour—one filled with pioneering projects, success stories, and a deep dive into the everyday realities of sustainable business. After all, sustainable action and business practices should ultimately become just that: the norm.

We look forward to meeting you!

Yous,

PETplanet Insider Team

PS: Are you interested in taking part in the tour? Then send us an email to: [email protected]