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Promote reuse and refilling and make all packaging recyclable"

The proposed revision of EU legislation on packaging and packaging waste focuses on three core objectives:

The primary objective is to prevent the generation of packaging waste. This includes reducing the amount of packaging waste, limiting unnecessary packaging, and promoting reusable and refillable packaging solutions.

Secondly, the proposal aims to promote high-quality closed cycle recycling. By 2030, the aim is to ensure that all packaging on the EU market can be recycled in an economically viable way.

Finally, the revised proposal focuses on reducing the demand for primary natural resources, creating a well-functioning market environment for secondary raw materials, and increasing the use of recycled plastics in packaging through mandatory targets.

The main goal of the new regulation is to reduce packaging waste per capita in each member state by 15% by 2040 compared to 2018. This will reduce the total amount of waste in the EU by around 37% compared to what would have been the case if the regulations had not changed, and this will be achieved through the reuse and recycling of packaging. In order to promote the reuse or refilling of packaging, companies must provide consumers with a certain percentage of products that can be reused or refilled, such as packaging in takeaway drinks, meals or e-commerce deliveries. In addition, there must be some standardization of packaging formats and clear labels for reusable packaging.

In order to reduce unnecessary packaging waste, some forms of packaging will face a ban. Examples include disposable packaging for food and drinks when consumed in restaurants and cafes, disposable packaging for fruits and vegetables, miniature shampoo bottles and other miniature packaging in hotels. This set of measures aims to make packaging fully recyclable by 2030. These include setting standards for packaging design, establishing a mandatory deposit return system for plastic bottles and aluminum cans, and specifying which limited-use packaging types must be compostable to facilitate their inclusion in biowaste disposal systems. There will also be a mandatory rate of recycled content that producers must include in new plastic packaging, which will help turn recycled plastics into valuable raw materials - similar to the successful demonstration of PET bottles in the single-use Plastics Directive.

This proposal will eliminate the confusion we have about which recycling bin different packages should be placed in. Now, each package is equipped with a clear label that clearly indicates the material it is made of and the waste stream to which it belongs. At the same time, waste collection containers will carry the same label, and this labeling standard will be universally applied across the EU. The proposal is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from packaging from 66 million tons to 43 million tons by 2030. This is equivalent to Croatia's total annual emissions and has played a positive role in mitigating climate change. In addition, these changes will result in water savings, which are expected to reduce water consumption by 1.1 million cubic meters. What's more, this initiative will reduce the cost of environmental damage to the economy and society by an estimated 6.4 billion euros relative to baseline 2030.

The single-use packaging industry must move towards change, however, the overall economic and employment implications for the EU are positive. By 2030, the promotion of reuse alone is expected to create more than 600,000 jobs, many of which will be in local small and medium-sized enterprises. We look forward to seeing more innovation in packaging solutions to reduce waste volumes, increase reuse and enhance recycling. These initiatives are also expected to bring cost savings to companies: if companies invested these savings in product innovation and quality improvement, every European could enjoy savings of nearly 100 euros per year.