Together with six other European manufacturers of plastic packaging, packaging manufacturer Paccor has filed a lawsuit against the planned labelling regulations for drinks cups.
The „action for annulment“ brought by European manufacturers, which include Paccor (Germany) Flo (Italy), Dopla Pap (Czech Republic), Ilip (Italy), Aristea (Italy), Dart (United Kingdom) and Intraplás (Portugal) is directed against the European Union's Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). According to this directive, single-use plastic beverage cups and paper cups coated with plastic must be labelled with a new pictogram from 3 July, indicating that the cup contains plastic or is made of plastic.
The seven companies doubt that the new Labelling Directive littering is reduced and the circular economy is promoted. Beverage cups would be only 35th on the list of the most common items found on beaches. The labelling requirements for drinks cups laid down by the Commission in IR 2020/2151 are unsuitable for achieving the objective of the directive.
Familiar labelling is already in use
The applicants are of the opinion that the required information „Made of plastic“ or „Product contains plastic“ in the respective official language of the Member State in which a beverage cup is placed on the market, the free movement of goods and consumers in the internal market is taken into account.
The company is also committed to the objectives of the European Green Deal and the circular economy policy and has launched various sustainability initiatives in this context. Beverage cups and their packaging in the EU are therefore already placed on the market with known symbols and labelling, to enable their proper disposal, sorting and recycling.
The aim of the action is to establish the unlawfulness of the labelling requirements for beverage cups laid down in Regulation 2020/2151 and to declare them null and void. However, the action for annulment has No suspensive effect, so that the labelling requirements will continue to apply from 3 July 2021 until the final judgement.
Irrespective of this, it is the declared aim of the seven plastic packaging manufacturers to draw the attention of other players in the value chain, such as retailers, brand owners and food service companies, to the effects of labelling on their activities. A judgement by the EU court is expected in around two years.
Source: Paccor
