Correction of the EU packaging regulation demanded
29 April 2024
Following the European Parliament's decision on new packaging rules in the EU, the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen has criticised in particular the last-minute stipulation - apparently due to an oversight - that certain industrial and commercial packaging must be 100% recyclable from 2030.
The association also criticises the numerous loopholes for single-use packaging made from materials other than plastic, which have been excluded from the requirements for recyclability and the use of recycled materials as well as from the reusable requirements and single-use bans in many areas of the law.
The Association for Plastic Packaging supported the original objectives of the EU Packaging Regulation from the outset: The aim was to achieve binding and uniform Europe-wide requirements for the recyclability of packaging, the use of recycled materials and the reduction of packaging waste through more ecologically sound reusable packaging and the minimisation of single-use packaging to the extent necessary to meet product protection and consumer information requirements.
However, the short-term reorganisation of the reusable packaging requirements for industrial and commercial packaging led - apparently inadvertently - to a drastic expansion and increase in the quotas. This would have meant, for example, that pallet wrappings for securing loads in national transport between companies would always have to be reused for the same purpose, which is not technically possible.
The sudden tightening of the rules had therefore caused great concern in the business community with regard to transport safety and supply chain security. Following criticism from the industry, the Commission has now announced that it will examine exemptions for pallet wrapping until the end of the year. A number of MEPs, on the other hand, had called for the cancellation of the reusable packaging obligation for industrial and commercial packaging, but were unable to get their way.
"The ball is now in the Member States' court. Only they can now make the necessary corrections to the reusable packaging obligations and thus ensure legal and planning certainty. It is not enough for the Commission to possibly decide on exemptions from the reusable packaging obligation for certain packaging formats in a few years' time. The uncertainty in all supply chains is enormous because nobody knows how goods will be transported in Europe from 2030." - Dr Martin Engelmann, Managing Director of the IK
In addition, many regulations on packaging bans, reusable quotas, recycling requirements and use quotas for recyclates are only intended to apply to plastic packaging or provide for exemptions for other packaging materials. There is no basis for this unequal treatment of packaging materials - the loopholes even undermine the objectives of the PPWR.
"Obviously, politicians were often more concerned with symbolic actions against plastic than with the consistent implementation of a circular economy and the reduction of packaging waste. A switch to plastic-coated paper packaging, which consumers perceive as more ecological even though it leads to more packaging waste that is difficult to recycle, is unfortunately pre-programmed. We call on decision-makers to remove the loopholes and create the same rules for all packaging materials." - Dr Isabell Schmidt, Managing Director for Circular Economy at IK.
Source: Packaging-Journal