Who is PRO EUROPE?

PRO EUROPE s.p.r.l. (PACKAGING RECOVERY ORGANISATION EUROPE) is the umbrella organisation for European packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling schemes which use the "Green Dot" trademark as a financing symbol. In its primary role, PRO EUROPE is the general licensor of the "Green Dot" trademark. It also acts as the authoritative voice and common policy platform representing the interests of all packaging recovery and recycling organisations using the "Green Dot" as their financing symbol.

These national recovery organisations are pursuing similar goals, essentially finding themselves and their stakeholders in a similar situation. They have set themselves the task of relieving industrial companies and commercial enterprises of their individual obligation to take back used sales packaging through the operation of a scheme which fulfils these obligations on a nation-wide basis on behalf of their member companies. The aim is to ensure the recovery and recycling of packaging waste in the most economically efficient and ecologically sound manner. Apart from requiring the co-ordination and alignment of individual member positions, the task of safeguarding common interests involves the projection of a coherent, unified policy and image to the outside world.

The "Green Dot" has evolved into a proven concept in many countries. Industry in twenty-two nations is now using the "Green Dot" as the financing symbol for the organisation of recovery, sorting and recycling of sales packaging. Private-sector compliance schemes working toward this objective are today in place in nineteen EU member states, viz., Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden as well as additional countries include Norway (as an EEA member), Bulgaria and Turkey. Moreover PRO EUROPE has concluded co-operation agreements with similar systems in UK (VALPAK) and Canada (CSR) which are taking care for the Green Dot in UK and the NAFTA region to ensure that all licensees of the Green Dot may use labelled packaging without problems throughout the world.

The members of PRO EUROPE wish to demonstrate that the recycling of used packaging is an important step on the path towards the sustainable development that is necessary to safeguard our planet for future generations. Their work in Europe and world-wide is both successful and transparent. At this congress PRO EUROPE will emphasise that the efforts made at the national level should be supported and supplemented by international co-operation.

Incorporated as a private limited liability company under Belgian law (société privée à responsabilité limitée, s.p.r.l.), PRO EUROPE is headquartered in Brussels. Its joint managing directors are Dr. Fritz Flanderka (Duales System Deutschland AG) and Bernard Hérodin (Eco-Emballages S.A.).

For detailed information please visit our homepage www.pro-e.org!