On 30 November 2022, the European Commission published its proposal for a Regulation on packaging and packaging waste. The 118-page text (and its 36-page annex) is part of the European Green Deal and aims to prevent packaging waste, encourage reuse and refill and make all packaging recyclable by 2030.
In its press release, the European Commission states that each European generates on average almost 180 kg of packaging waste per year. Packaging is one of the main users of virgin materials as 40% of plastics and 50% of paper used in the EU is destined for packaging. Without action, the EU would see a further 19% increase in packaging waste by 2030, and for plastic packaging waste even a 46% increase.
In order to stop this trend, the Commission is proposing a major overhaul of EU legislation on packaging and packaging waste, with three main objectives :
• restrict unnecessary packaging and promote reusable and refillable packaging solutions
• make all packaging on the EU market recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030
• increasing the use of recycled plastics in packaging through mandatory targets
The main measures
• reduce packaging waste by 15% by 2040 per Member State per capita, compared to 2018. The Commission considers that this eThis would lead to an overall waste reduction in the EU of some 37% compared to a scenario without changing the legislation, through both reuse and recycling.
• Foster reuse or refill of packaging, by requiring the companies …
