A recently leaked draft of a new EU packaging law has caused an uproar in the industry, which says it threatens to undermine years of effort and billions of euros worth of recycling investment.
The EU's original packaging directive, EU 94/62/EC, will expire on November 30, 2022, and the new draft includes mandatory recycling content targets for plastics, new eco-design standards to make products easier to recycle, and a renewed push to implement a deposit return program for used items. One of the most controversial elements is the goal regarding the reuse of plastics.
According to the content of the leaked draft, the utilization rate of reusable packaging should reach.
Hot and cold beverages: 30 percent by 2030 and 95 percent by 2040
Takeaway food: 20 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2040
Alcoholic beverages (excluding wine and spirits): 20 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2040
Non-alcoholic beverages: 20 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2040
Large appliances: 90% by 2030.
These goals have created a furor among packaging manufacturers and retailers.
A cross-industry coalition said the proposed goals are "unrealistic" and could even "backfire" by undermining existing recycling programs.
UNESDA, representing the soft drink industry, said the draft reuse target poses "an existential threat to the beverage industry and to effective existing recycling systems. "If imposed, these disproportionately and unreasonably high standards will have a profound impact on our respective sectors and pose an existential threat to many of our SMEs. "
"They will also result in a number of efficient existing recycling systems that will be forced to be dismantled," the organization said in a statement.
Paper packaging and paperboard manufacturers were also alarmed. An industry coalition of 100 players in the fiber packaging value chain called for exemptions from paper and paperboard reuse targets. In a letter to the EU executive, the coalition suggested that the exemption would be based on life-cycle considerations and "on the condition that recycling ensures better environmental performance and a high level of consumer protection".
"Regardless of the materials used, reuse targets for all packaging have a negative impact on the environment, undermine competitiveness in internal and global markets, and pose a significant threat to the fiber packaging industry," the organization told the European Commission.
