GEIR News

GEIR contributes to Sustainable Consumption and Production public consultation

In March 2012, the European Waste Oils Re-refining Association (GEIR) contributed to the European Commission’s public consultation on Sustainable Consumption and Production. The consultation aimed at collecting stakeholders views on sustainable consumption and production and sustainable industry policies, Green Public Procurement, and actions for improving the environmental performance of products (Product Environmental Footprint – PEF), etc.

GEIR is actively involved in this policy debate and expressed its views as a response to the consultation. GEIR underlined in its contribution support for ensuring more resource efficient and environmental friendly products in the EU market; augmenting competitive rewards for such products; improving waste management and recycling in the EU; improving implementation of EU Green Public Procurement criteria by proposing mandatory uptake targets; and support for improvement the environmental performance of products by use of common methodology. The finalisation of EU’s harmonized Product Environmental Footprint methodology is an important step forward which GEIR welcomes and will apply to its products.

 

Questionnaire answers available by clicking here.

 

GEIR members have elected a new President, Dr Detlev Bruhnke.

Detlev Bruhnke is Member of the Management Board of AVISTA Oil AG with responsibilities for R&D and technology transfer, QSHE, refinery production and technical services. After joining the AVISTA group in 1991 as Laboratory Manager of Mineraloel-Raffinerie Dollbergen GmbH, he has been Head of the R&D Department before being assigned Technical Managing Director in 2007. He is also Board Member of AVISTA OIL AG since 2008. He holds an MSc and a PhD in Chemistry from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. He is also Member of the Board of the German association Bundesverband Altoel e.V. (BVA).

 

Fabio Dalla Giovanna, GEIR Past President, finished his second mandate and said: "Over these four years we have tackled together many problems and many battles and I can say, to my great satisfaction, that today GEIR enjoys respect, visibility and credibility, so much so that we are often called to
express our opinion as stakeholders and as a landmark in our sector to the authorities and to the European Commission".

 

GEIR members and Secretariat wish good luck to Detlev for his Presidency!

"The re-refining industry: 40 years at the service of Europe's environment"

A chance to share visions, strengthen networks, explore the opportunities and the challenges of the Re-refining market.

 

Please click here to download speakers' presentations

 

 

 

Please click here to download speakers' presentations

 

GEIR, the European Re-refining Industry Section, welcomed the final adoption of the Revised Waste Framework Directive in November 2008.

A reference, in the revised Waste Directive, to a 5-step waste hierarchy (called "priority order”) favouring recycling over other methods of waste treatment.

A specific mention to the need to follow the priority order for the management of waste oils and to their separate collection, ensuring that the spirit of the revised Directive is favourable to the industry across Europe and that waste oils regeneration remains a suitable option.

A perception that GEIR is a credible and knowledgeable European stakeholder, maximising its legitimacy to reach out to EU stakeholders on other policy issues if necessary (REACH, etc.).

At the adoption of the Final Waste Framework Directive, Fabio Dalla Giovanna, GEIR President, said: “Reaffirming the importance of oil recycling in EU law was vital to our industry’s future and we made it thanks to a professionally led public affairs campaign- this result was unthinkable three years ago. Today the priority order for waste oil recycling has been re-established, without any constraint such as was imposed in the Directive 75/439/EEC, strengthening the concept of recycling above combustion”.

All 27 Member States of the European Union will have to transpose the revised Waste Directive by 12 December 2010.