Environmental Action Germany (DUH) considers the position adopted by the European Parliament's Environment Committee on the proposal for the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) to be unambitious and disappointing. Other associations have also criticised it.
For Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), the measures to promote reusable packaging in particular remain far behind the EU Commission's proposals. The planned changes would see the cancellation of reusable quotas for takeaway packaging. They would also open up further loopholes for single-use paper packaging. Also EU-wide targets for the separate collection of single-use plastic bottles and beverage cans for better recycling have been weakened. DUH is calling on MEPs to prevent a further weakening of the EU Packaging Regulation in the upcoming plenary vote at the end of November.
„I am appalled by the unprecedented lack of ambition and watering down of the draft legislation. Obviously, the lobbying pressure exerted by the single-use industry on MEPs in recent months has had an effect. With questionable studies, advertising campaigns and even posters on the streets of Brussels, the single-use lobby has pulled out all the stops to greenwash single-use and prevent binding reusable requirements. With success - reusable quotas for takeaway packaging have been completely cancelled, with only a mandatory reusable offer for drinks in the catering trade planned. A measure that hardly incentivises catering businesses and consumers. And although the reusable quotas for drinks packaging have been slightly increased, only retailers are to be obliged to offer reusable drinks. Beverage producers do not have to fulfil reusable quotas, as proposed by the EU Commission. This is a missed opportunity for beverage giants such as Coca-Cola, Red Bull, Nestlé and others to deviate from their one-way strategy and make it mandatory to fill their products in reusable beverage bottles. If we really want to reduce packaging waste in the EU, the plenary of the EU Parliament must take clear countermeasures.“
Barbara MetzDUH Federal Managing Director
From the DUH's point of view, the Environmental Committee also renders the planned ban on disposable packaging for on-site consumption in the catering trade virtually ineffective, by exempting the majority of catering businesses. The requirements for more unpackaged fruit and vegetables in supermarkets also come to nothing in many places with the new requirements. They should only apply to plastic and composite packaging, but not to pure paper packaging.
„Instead of consistently stemming the tide of single-use waste, many of the planned changes will restrict single-use plastic packaging but result in an increase in paper packaging. This is not a good development; European forests are already reaching their limits due to the increased demand for paper, and Brazil is now the largest supplier of pulp to the EU. Even today, 50 per cent of all paper consumed in the EU is used solely for packaging, and the trend is rising. Environment Minister Steffi Lemke must ensure that the reusable quotas for transport packaging also apply to paper packaging.“
Elena Schägg, Head of Packaging at DUH
The ambitions for improved recycling of packaging were also lowered by the Environment Committee. For the EU countries, the target to be met by 2029 has been Target for separate collection of single-use plastic bottles and beverage cans reduced from 90 to 85 per cent. „The Single-Use Plastics Directive adopted in 2019 provides for the separate collection of 90 per cent of single-use plastic bottles by 2029. We now see a contradiction with the EU Packaging Regulation, which only requires 85 per cent. How is that supposed to be compatible? It is disappointing that we can expect a seemingly less ambitious environmental policy from the EU in 2023 than four years ago,“ criticises Elena Schägg.
After the Environment Committee The next vote on the EU Packaging Regulation is expected to take place in the plenary session of the EU Parliament in the week of 20 November. The EU Environment Council intends to adopt its position in December. The regulation will then be negotiated in a trialogue between the EU Commission, the EU Parliament and the EU Environment Council. The regulation is under great time pressure to be voted on during this legislative period of the EU Parliament.
FEVE fears standardisation of glass packaging
The European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) welcomed the vote by the European Parliament's Environment Committee, However, it remains far below expectations. The association is concerned that the intellectual property rights for packaging are not protected. There is a risk that packaged products will increasingly look the same and that creative designs and iconic shapes will gradually disappear.
„We fear that this will lead to standardised packaging and the gradual decline of brand differentiation. We are committed to ensuring that the glass packaging solutions agreed with our customers are designed with the minimum weight and volume required. However, we believe that this measure will limit creative designs and iconic shapes of bottles, which often reflect heritage products, to be brought to market in the future. This will massively affect the economic value that these products have for Europe and beyond.“
Adeline Farrelly, Secretary General of FEVE.
APEAL favours recycling performance levels
APEAL, the Association of European Packaging Steel Manufacturers, welcomed the support of the Environment Committee as a decisive step towards true recyclability of packaging, in particular the introduction of a set of so-called „recycling performance levels“ based on criteria for recyclable design. Depending on their recyclability, the packaging was given a grade from A to E, where A is the best and E the worst rating. In the event of an E rating, the packaging format would have to be withdrawn from the market within a certain period of time.
„The recyclability grades now introduced in the PPWR are a major step towards a genuine EU circular economy. These grades are the first of their kind and reward packaging that can be recycled multiple times and fed into a closed material loop.“
Alexis Van Maercke, Secretary General of APEAL
„We strongly believe that durable materials such as steel, which can be recycled again and again, should be favoured over those that cannot be recycled or can only be recycled to a limited extent,“ added Steve Claus, Sustainability Manager at APEAL. However, APEAL regrets that the packaging types steel buckets, drums, bulk packaging and canisters continue to be referred to as transport packaging in the proposed legislation. These types of packaging are obvious examples of sales packaging and are labelled as such in the national legislation and directives of several EU Member States. The association is therefore of the opinion that these types of packaging should not be subject to the reuse targets for transport packaging under Article 26.
Sources: DUH, FEVE, APEAL
