The MEPs of the Environment Commission have just adopted the compromise position on the proposed Regulation which establishes the requirements for the entire life cycle of packaging , from raw materials to final disposal, with 56 votes in favour, 23 against and 5 abstentions.
The plan is aimed at ensuring that all packaging is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030, aiming to reduce packaging waste by 5% compared to 2018 levels by the end of this decade and by 15% by the end of 2040.
The alternative amendments signed by EPP and ECR, which would have canceled reuse and refill targets and repealed bans on single-use packaging, did not pass.
MPs want the sale of very light plastic bags (under 15 microns) to be banned , unless they are required for hygiene reasons, or supplied as primary packaging for bulk foods to help prevent food waste.
Wine bottles are exempted from the packaging regulations (which provided for the standardization of the bottles and the reduction of their weight), regulations which have instead been confirmed for fruit and vegetables with the limit now set at 1 kg which risks having repercussions on bagged salad, baskets of strawberries, net packs of cherry tomatoes and oranges weighing less than the limit.
In addition to the general packaging reduction objectives proposed in the Regulation, MEPs want to set specific waste reduction objectives for plastic packaging:
- 10% by 2030,
- 15% by 2035
- 20% by 2040.
By the end of 2025, the Commission should evaluate the possibility of proposing sustainability objectives and criteria for bio-based plastics.
Encourage reuse and refilling for consumers
The proposal makes a distinction and clarifies the requirements for packaging to be reused or refilled .Reusable packaging should meet a number of criteria, including a minimum number of times it can be reused, to be defined at a later stage.
Takeaway food distributors should offer consumers the option to bring their own container.
Ban forever chemicals in food packaging
MEPs want to ban the use of so-called "forever chemicals", PFAS , intentionally added, and bisphenol A in food contact packaging.These substances are widely used to fireproof or waterproof packaging, particularly paper and cardboard food packaging, and have been associated with a number of adverse health effects, such as cancer.
We remind you that ECHA recently proposed a ban on the production, use and import of PFAS into the Union to reduce the releases of these very harmful substances into the environment.
Other measures proposed by the Environment Commission
In the compromise position, the deputies also included and approved:- increased requirements for all packaging in the EU to be considered recyclable , with the Commission tasked with adopting criteria to define packaging as 'designed for recycling' and 'recyclable at scale'
- that EU countries ensure that 90% of materials contained in packaging (plastic, wood, ferrous metals, aluminium, glass, paper and cardboard) are collected separately by 2029
- that online service providers are bound by the same liability obligations as producers.
Scenario
In 2018, packaging generated a turnover of 355 billion euros in the EU. It is also a constantly increasing source of waste: the EU total rose from 66 million tonnes in 2009 to 84 million tonnes in 2021.In 2021, each European generated 188.7 kg of packaging waste per year, a figure expected to increase to 209 kg in 2030 without additional measures. (Source: https://www.foodandtec.com/ )
Proposal for a Regulation of the EP and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904, and repealing Directive 94/62/EC - COMPROMISE AMENDMENTS →