Circular
Economy
We are addressing the plastics waste challenge
It’s estimated that only about 9% of the world’s plastics ever produced are being recycled.1
In Europe, the overall recycling rate for plastic waste was 32,5% and 42% for plastic packaging in 2020.2
With pesticide containers playing an essential role in ensuring that crop protection products are delivered safely to the end user, the crop protection industry is taking the lead to ensure the appropriate recovery and recycling of these containers through Container Management Systems (CMS) as part of a CleanFarms initiative. This not only keeps farmers and society safe, but it helps protect our environment.
1 – UN Environment, “Beat Plastic Pollution”
2 – Plastics Europe


Figures for 2020 show that
the average collection rate for plastics packaging among European Union Member States with a dedicated Container Management System was 72%. When EU Member States without collection programmes are also considered, the overall collection rate for the whole Union is 65%.
But we want to do more…

IN THE AREA OF CIRCULAR ECONOMY, EU PESTICIDES AND BIOPESTICIDES MANUFACTURERS COMMIT TO:
Establish
an average 75%
collection rate
of plastic pesticide containers across EU
Member States by 2025
Ensure that a container collection scheme is
available in 100%
of EU Member States by 2025


sustainable plastics use

By increasing the recovery and recycling of plastic containers in which pesticides are packaged, our industry is contributing to the EU’s goal of a circular economy that provides high-quality, functional and safe products. We strive to align with the European Commission’s goal of resource-efficiency and to this end, we take note of the planned legislative proposal for a sustainable product policy initiative due in 2022.
working with partners

Over the past two decades, our industry’s CleanFarms initiative have successfully worked with national authorities, farm unions and licensed waste operators to establish and monitor collection, recovery, and recycling schemes of used plastic pesticide containers in Europe and worldwide.
Container Management Systems across Europe
History of Container Management Systems in Europe
1990
1997
2002
2017
2019
2025

Supporting Documents
Responsible Management of Pesticide Packaging: CMS Collection data 2020