According to IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V., German manufacturers of plastic packaging are disappointed with the EU Commission's new rules on the use of recycled plastics in food packaging. They are pushing for food packaging to be excluded from the planned quotas for the use of recycled materials.
"The high expectations for the use of recycled plastics in food packaging have been dampened by the new regulation," explains Dr Martin Engelmann, Managing Director of the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V. It is positive that the proven and safe use of recycled PET plastics will also be possible in the future. However the Commission must now fulfil its announcement and swiftly approve the more than 270 recycling processes that have now been assessed as safe throughout Europe. So far, national authorisations have applied here. It is also true that recyclates obtained from production waste in the manufacture of food packaging can be reused in food packaging.
"Unlike in the past, however, extensive and often bureaucratic requirements now apply to the use of so-called post-industrial recyclates. At GKV, we are currently preparing a guideline for the industry that should bring clarity, especially for the many small and medium-sized manufacturers."
Dr Martin EngelmannManaging Director of the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V.
Manufacturers criticise the complex and very long approval process for previously unauthorised recycling processes. "The Commission has failed to create a perspective for other waste streams, e.g. PET from the Yellow Bag, applications such as functional barriers and solvent-based recycling technologies, that they can expect authorisation in the medium term," criticises Engelmann, pointing out that the authorisation procedure can take up to seven years and is not practical for SMEs.
"Food packaging made from recycled plastics is safe because it is already strictly regulated and monitored," says Engelmann. In the case of recycling PET from drinks bottles, we would therefore have expected things to be easier based on our many years of experience. The new rules would set disproportionately high requirements for the safety of recyclates other than those made from PET bottles.
"The new rules will initially make the use of recyclates more difficult rather than more favourable. In any case, they are not a basis for setting binding quotas for the use of recyclates in plastic food packaging, because it is not at all clear which recycled plastics other than PET bottles will fulfil the high requirements in the future", says Engelmann. Comparable and realistic regulations are now also needed for other packaging materials in order to increase consumer safety and create a level playing field in the internal market.
SourceIK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V.
