Focus on foreign sustainable packaging policies and regulations, you want to know all here

In this issue, find out more about specific policy and regulatory requirements in the EU and elsewhere.

The European Union

On 30 November 2022, the European Commission published a proposal for a new packaging regulation, amending Regulation 2019/1020 and Directive 2019/904, and repealing the old Packaging Directive 94/62/EC. This initiative aims to reduce packaging waste, promote reuse and refilling, increase the use of recycled plastics, and make packaging easier to recycle. The main contents of the new packaging proposal are summarized as follows:

# 01

"Reduce the need for raw materials"

The new regulations aim to curb the growing problem of packaging waste. For the average consumer, this will ensure that reusable packaging options are available, unnecessary packaging is reduced, excessive packaging is restricted, and clear labelling is provided to promote proper recycling. For the packaging industry, this regulation will open up new business opportunities, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, this will reduce the need for raw materials, improve Europe's recycling capacity and reduce dependence on primary sources and external suppliers. By 2050, this regulation will push the packaging industry on the path to carbon neutrality.

In addition, the Committee clarified bio-based, compostable and biodegradable plastics. It clearly spells out which applications are good for the environment and how to design, dispose of and recycle these plastics. This will help consumers and industry understand how to make better use of these sustainable plastics to reduce the environmental burden.

# 02

"By 2030, prevent packaging waste

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.

# 03

"Eliminating confusion about bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics"

The biological feedstock used in the production of biobased plastics must be sustainable, environmentally sound and comply with the principle of "cascade use of biomass", which means that producers should prefer organic waste and by-products as raw materials. In addition, in order to avoid green washing and ensure that consumers are not misled, manufacturers must avoid using generic terms such as "bioplastics" and "bio-based" and should instead provide exact measurable percentages when talking about bio-based materials, such as: "product contains 50% bio-based plastics".

Biodegradable plastics need to be treated with caution. They have potential for a sustainable future, but their use must be selected according to the specific field of application to prove their value in terms of environmental protection and circular economy. Biodegradable plastics must not be an excuse for littering, and for one thing, these products must be labeled with a clear indication of how long they take to biodegrade in what circumstances and under what circumstances. Products that may be littered, including those covered by the Single-Use Plastics Directive, cannot be claimed or labelled as biodegradable because they may be mishandled without achieving the desired degradation effect.

In addition, the use of industrial composting plastics is also subject to some restrictions. These plastics should only be used if their presence in the environment does not adversely affect the quality of the compost and there is also a need for proper biological waste collection and treatment systems. The scope of application of industrial compost packaging is usually limited to tea bags, filtered coffee pods and MATS, fruit and vegetable stickers, and very light plastic bags. Products that comply with EU standards must always indicate that they have been certified for industrial composting to ensure that consumers can clearly understand the environmental properties of these products.

"Other regions"

Since 2014, many countries and regions, including France, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Iceland, etc., have formulated a timetable for banning and limiting plastic products, and proposed the use of degradable plastic bags and other alternatives to traditional plastic bags. This trend is also being actively promoted worldwide to reduce the use of traditional plastic products.