Afera has announced an agreement with FEICA (The European Adhesives and Sealants Association) to co-operate on key issues of overlapping interest, including the European Green Deal – which Afera aims to translate to its Members in its Flagship Sustainability Project – and other regulatory affairs in which information exchange and active co-ordinated involvement benefits both industries.

Afera Regulatory Affairs Manager Pablo Englebienne and FEICA Executive Director of Regulatory Affairs Jana Cohrs will continue the contact they already enjoy through various overlapping working groups. As European chemical and environmental legislation evolves however, further collaboration in the form of information exchange, industry mobilisation or other forms of mutual support will be stepped up where it is deemed beneficial for both organisations. In this case, Afera Secretary General Astrid Lejeune will be in close contact with FEICA Secretary General Kristel Ons. The 2 have formalised this commitment to ensure that both associations, as well as their memberships and industries, can benefit from the increased collaboration with immediate effect.

“One of our current strategic goals is teaming up with associations in adjacent technologies for additional learning and support where possible,” commented Ms. Lejeune. “We have long valued our European ties with FEICA and look forward to deepening our relationship further in a flexible, informal manner.”

“The reinforcement of our co-operation fits perfectly with FEICA’s strategy on all fronts,” Ms. Ons added. “The objective is to deliver more value to our members and meet the challenges posed by today’s dynamic business environment.”

“I am grateful that we all recognise that major topics like sustainability and the cyclical economy have to be addressed together, by the joining of forces along the entire value chain,” added Afera President Evert Smit, who is also director scouting at Lohmann GmbH & Co. KG. This was reiterated by FEICA President Roland Albers, also senior vice president of construction and consumer global business unit at Bostik B.V., who expressed that co-operating collectively as associations on these specific topics will be beneficial in efficiency and effectiveness.

Likewise, Afera Sustainability Working Group Chairman Martijn Verhagen, who is also principal scientist at Lohmann, said, “I am looking forward to this co-operation as I think it is necessary that various trade organisations work together more closely to tackle important issues on the horizon, such as the European Green Deal. Furthermore, FEICA has already implemented important tools linked to sustainability that I think we can learn and benefit from as an organisation.” Ms. Cohrs also commented, “There are indeed many areas in which we can work together to achieve our common objectives, particularly with respect to the circular economy.”

Afera Regulatory Affairs Manager Pablo Englebienne remarked that “the pressure from policy developments arising from the European Commission strategies (the European Green Deal, Circular Economy Action Plan, Chemical Strategy for Sustainability and derived initiatives) has significant implications for the value chains represented by both Afera and FEICA.” He concluded that “the substantial overlap in chemicals, members and approaches of both associations make it highly relevant to strengthen co-operation whenever possible.”