The EU’s proposed packaging regulation, designed to reverse the rising quantity of waste generated in Europe, is about to trigger frictions as policymakers within the European Parliament and EU international locations hash out their place.
Final yr, the European Fee proposed overhauling the legislation to deal with the drastic enhance in packaging waste and handle fragmentation within the single market as governments introduce country-level insurance policies.
Even earlier than its publication, the reform was proving controversial. And now the European Parliament and EU international locations will start to make amendments, dredging up points just like the stability between recycling and reuse, how to make sure correct waste assortment and extra.
Assortment clean spot
Putting in waste assortment programs is the prerequisite to reaching a round economic system. However whereas sure gadgets like glass or plastic bottles are supported by particular assortment measures like deposit return schemes, this isn’t the case for all packaging.
The Fee’s proposal is “unfair” mentioned Annick Carpentier from The Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Surroundings (ACE), which is looking for a separate assortment goal for paper-based packaging.
Certainly, some packaging could also be banned from the EU market if it isn’t recycled at scale by 2035 beneath the Fee’s proposed reform. However assortment – a significant aspect to extend recycling – stays within the palms of EU international locations.
“Everyone knows that assortment is the bottleneck and everyone knows that prolonged producer accountability has been in place for years and years and years and but, in some international locations, assortment may be very low for some packaging,” she advised EURACTIV.
“That features beverage cartons, regardless of our personal efforts as trade,” she added.
Environmental organisations, just like the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and Zero Waste Europe, advised EURACTIV that they might be open to separate assortment targets.
“Nonetheless, it ought to be, after all, accompanied by robust design for recyclability necessities that may guarantee financial operators will successfully enhance the recyclability of their merchandise,” added Larissa Copello from Zero Waste Europe.
Equally, Delara Burkhardt, a socialist lawmaker within the European Parliament who’s engaged on the file, advised EURACTIV that the concept is price exploring however shouldn’t be used to minimize the necessity for strict recyclability standards.
But, the European Fee has pushed again in opposition to the introduction of separate assortment targets for several types of packaging.
At a European Parliament occasion on the legislation, a Fee official underlined that EU international locations had been already failing to correctly implement waste laws and, due to this fact, shouldn’t be pushed additional.
“We imagine that you simply can not tighten the screws additional when clearly the scenario is already problematic,” mentioned Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea, director for round economic system on the Fee’s setting directorate.
In response, lawmaker Nils Torvalds joked, “You can’t tighten the screws too exhausting. Properly, you could be closely screwed by a nasty method.”
Whereas Ciobanu-Dordea acknowledged the chance that merchandise might be banned if they don’t meet recycling targets, he mentioned there will likely be time for the trade to adapt and take up the options specified by the brand new legislation.
Recycling vs reuse
The proposal may additionally change into a tug of warfare between those that need ambition on reuse and those that argue recycling can typically be extra useful for the setting.
“I’m involved that the Fee appears to advertise the reuse of packaging in all makes use of, regardless that recycled merchandise are additionally wanted,” mentioned European Parliament lawmaker Elsi Katainen, who hosted the occasion on the legislation.
“The query just isn’t black and white. Research present that reuse just isn’t all the time the most effective resolution for the setting, for instance, in a fast service restaurant,” she added.
Recycling and reuse can also be a “highly regarded matter” for EU international locations, in accordance with Patrik Brodd, a Swedish official from the nation’s everlasting illustration in Brussels, which at the moment holds the EU’s six-month rotating presidency.
In the meantime, environmental campaigners are supportive of the reuse and waste prevention targets and are warning in opposition to watering these down.
“The EU, in our view, ought to resist the temptation to proceed enterprise as ordinary by solely specializing in incremental enhancements in recycling charges,” mentioned Marco Musso from the EEB.
Sturdy motion on waste prevention can also be a precedence for each the Greens and the Socialists within the European Parliament.
“Packaging is ridiculously useful resource heavy, with about 50% of paper and 40% of plastic getting used for packaging. The much less packaging we produce within the first place, the much less uncooked supplies we’ve to extract,” Inexperienced lawmaker Grace O’Sullivan advised EURACTIV.
EU international locations cautious about harmonisation
Different components of the Fee’s proposal danger working into points. As an illustration, not all EU international locations will assist the concept of harmonising waste laws throughout the 27 member states, even when that is the surest means of avoiding a fragmentation of the bloc’s single market.
“The necessity for a harmonised method can also be one of many challenges,” Brodd mentioned. “The EU is kind of giant and has so many member states which have taken their very own initiatives and funding so that you must discover a stability there between harmonisation and adaptability and ambition,” he added.
Responding on behalf of the Fee, Ciobanu-Dordea pointed to flexibilities within the proposal, together with an exemption from necessary deposit return schemes for sure supplies if international locations can show their assortment charges are already excessive.
With the EU elections developing in Spring 2024, the clock is ticking for EU lawmakers to achieve settlement on the EU’s packaging legislation earlier than the European Parliament goes into recess.
Transferring the legislation ahead is a precedence for Sweden, mentioned Brodd, however it’s unlikely that EU international locations will hammer out their place earlier than the tip of its EU Presidency on 30 June.
In the meantime, campaigners are calling for fast progress on the legislation.
“There’s actually no time to waste,” mentioned Musso, who urged policymakers to keep away from delays and full the evaluate earlier than the tip of the parliamentary time period in 2024.
On the trade aspect, ACE is extra cautious, saying the laws shouldn’t be rushed via. “It’s essential to get ready to innovate, to resolve on the wanted investments,” mentioned Carpentier.
“On the identical time, that is such a giant piece of laws – so far-reaching, fairly complicated, and so impacting on so many worth chains – that I imagine we additionally must take the time to make it work,” she added.
[Edited by Frédéric Simon]
