The Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging initiative (CEFLEX) has announced a new leadership team to guide the next phase of the initiative, following the planned transition of Project Coordinator and founder Graham Houlder towards retirement.
From 1 January 2026, Arne Jost, Mike Jefferson, and Liz Morrish will form the new leadership team. CEFLEX says its steering committee, representing each part of the value chain, oversaw the selection process and shortlisting of candidates before making the appointments.
Arne Jost, currently at Henkel and previously a CEFLEX Steering Committee member, will lead Policy and External Affairs Management, focusing on strategic partnerships and external representation. Mike Jefferson, already part of the CEFLEX team, will head Circular Economy Implementation, driving the initiative’s progress on EPR, recycling, sorting and collection. Liz Morrish, also currently part of the CEFLEX team, will oversee Operations, as well as continuing to lead CEFLEX’s technical work on packaging design and end markets.
Reflecting on the transition, Graham Houlder said:
“The 2025-2030 period will be the most critical for implementing the PPWR and delivering real circularity. It will demand collaboration, innovation, and robust data-driven insights to align the many moving parts across industry, Member States and policymakers. I’m confident the new team will guide CEFLEX and its stakeholders through this important next chapter.”
Back in May, a study by CEFLEX and Ghent University found ‘significant challenges’ in upscaling delamination, deinking, dissolution, and contaminant extraction technologies to meet the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation’s flexible plastic recycling and recycled content deadlines by 2030. Aiming to identify potential benefits and challenges to scaling up these technologies, the partners selected twelve technology providers for analysis, including IVV Fraunhofer, PureCycle, Saperatec and the Industrial Technical Centre for Plastics and Composites (IPC).
In other flexible packaging news, Lecta unveiled its Creaset GP PFAS-Free FP paper in September; a high-performance, one-side coated gloss paper for flexible packaging applications, said to combine premium grease resistance with ‘excellent’ flexibility and printability. Lecta adds that its PFAS-free formulation aligns with growing regulatory and consumer demands for safer, more sustainable packaging materials.
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