FEA’s initiative on PET-made aerosols

Alain D’Haese, secretary general of the European Aerosol Federation (FEA), explains the association’s initiative concerning PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) and aerosol recyclability. The FEA has launched its voluntary Code of Practice for PET aerosol dispenser recyclability in the EU. This article explains the background and details.  The Aerosol Dispensers Directivei (ADD) includes specific provisions for plastic aerosols, linked to glass aerosols, restricting their capacities to 220ml. These provisions have not been revised since 1975, and do not reflect today’s technological advances in polymer and machinery. Focusing on product safety, it took roughly 10 years for FEA to convince DG GROWii and EU Member States that modern plastic aerosols can be safe in the same way metal aerosols are. EU Member States finally agreed to proceed with an adaptation to technical progress of the ADD in October 2017. However, after this long process, the European Commission adopted a European Strategy for Plastics in January 2018iii and announced future actions to ensure that...