PET strap and the EU plastics strategy: questions buyers could ask in January 2018

On 16 January 2018 the European Commission published COM(2018) 28, A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy. The document ranges across plastics production, recycling, waste and marine litter, and polyester (PET) strap is not singled out. Strap is, however, a plastic packaging item that travels with a great many palletised exports, so purchasing teams in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Poland had reason to ask what the document meant for them.

The short answer on PET strap and the EU plastics strategy, at the end of January 2018: the strategy set a direction and launched voluntary actions. It did not create a recycled-content requirement for strap, and it did not change how a strap, clip and tool combination should be approved. What it did change was the kind of question a customer, auditor or sustainability team was likely to send to the purchasing desk.

What the strategy actually set out

The communication is a policy document, not a regulation. Several points in it are relevant to strapping buyers:

• The Commission confirmed it would work towards all plastic packaging on the EU market being reusable or easily recycled by 2030.
• It launched an EU-wide pledging campaign aiming for ten million tonnes of recycled plastics to find their way into new products on the EU market by 2025. Companies and public bodies were invited to submit pledges by June 2018.
• It committed to working with the European Committee for Standardisation and industry on quality standards for sorted plastic waste and recycled plastics.
• It described the starting point: around 25.8 million tonnes of plastic waste generated in Europe each year, less than 30% of it collected for recycling, and demand for recycled plastics at around 6% of European plastics demand.
• It said the Commission would look at maximising the impact of new Extended Producer Responsibility rules.

None of those lines names strap. A buyer should be careful not to read a 2030 aspiration as a present obligation, and equally careful not to dismiss it. Customers who make pledges under the campaign may start asking their own suppliers, including packaging suppliers, for evidence about plastic content.

The China factor

The strategy also refers to China’s decision to restrict imports of certain plastic waste. The underlying notice is the WTO notification G/TBT/N/CHN/1211 of 18 July 2017. In it, China stated that by the end of 2017 it would forbid the import of four classes and 24 kinds of solid waste, including plastics waste from living sources, unsorted waste paper and waste textile materials. The notification lists plastic waste lines under HS heading 3915.

For a PET strap buyer, the practical consequence was uncertainty rather than a known outcome. Collected plastic that had previously been exported would need other outlets, and recyclers, converters and strap producers would adjust over time. In January 2018 nobody purchasing strap could know how fast feedstock availability or prices would move. The sensible response was to improve documentation, not to forecast the market.

Questions to put to a PET strap supplier

The questions below do not assume any particular answer. They make the supplier state what the strap is, so that later claims can be checked against the same record.

Question	Why it matters in January 2018
Is the strap made from virgin PET, recycled PET or a blend?	Customers responding to the strategy may ask; a general phrase such as “eco strap” is not an answer.
If recycled content is claimed, how is the share determined and documented?	A percentage without a stated basis cannot be passed on to your own customer with confidence.
Does a change of feedstock change width, thickness, surface embossing, breaking strength or elongation?	The clip, crimp and retained tension depend on the strap, not the polymer name.
Will the supplier notify you before changing feedstock or production site?	A silent change can alter joint behaviour on a packing line that was previously approved.
Which joining methods does the supplier support for this grade?	A sealless friction weld and a crimped steel clip are different joints with different evidence.
What can the receiving site do with used strap?	Recyclability in practice depends on local collection; keep the claim to what is actually available.

Put the answers into the purchase specification, with the date and the supplier reference. If an answer is “unknown”, record that too.

Keep the joint specification stable while the material question evolves

The joint is where a material change shows up first. With crimped sheet metal clips, the clip profile, the strap thickness and surface, and the crimping tool work together. A strap that is slightly thinner or has a different embossing pattern may still look identical on the roll and behave differently in the clip.

Three habits help:

1. Approve a combination, not a polymer. Record the strap reference, nominal width and thickness, the clip reference and the tool model as one approved set. The joint selection guide explains why.
2. Re-check after any declared change. If the supplier announces a new feedstock blend, run a sample check on the line before switching stock, and keep the old reference visible until the new one is accepted.
3. Separate content claims from performance claims. A recycled share is a material statement. Breaking strength and joint performance are separate measurements that need their own basis.

What not to promise your own customers

The strategy invites pledges and standards work; it does not hand packaging buyers a certificate. Avoid putting “recyclable” or a recycled percentage on your own documentation unless the supplier has stated it in writing and you can trace it to a delivery. If a customer asks about PET strap content, reply with what the supplier has documented, the date of that statement and the strap reference it applies to.

A short internal note helps here: list the strap references in use, the supplier statements held for each, and the gaps. That note will be useful whatever the pledging campaign produces by its June 2018 deadline.

Turning the questions into a request

YAKU quotes PET strap against the width, grade and joining method you specify, and sheet metal clips against the strap and crimping tool in use. Material details and breaking strength are on request. Send the strap reference, tool model and the questions you need answered through the enquiry page, using the RFQ checklist as a structure.