Don’t let the ambition of the new Packaging Waste regulation get compromised

The mandatory targets for waste reduction, recycled content, reuse and refill suggested by the European Commission in their reviewed packaging & packaging waste regulation (PPWR) are ambitious and constructive. Watering them down before they cross the regulatory finish line would be counterproductive for green innovation, the advance of the circular economy and the impacts and risks from packaging waste for both humans and the environment. In our feedback to EU lawmakers, we therefore welcome the implementation of these targets within the suggested timeline along with the introduction of mandatory deposit-return-schemes and a grading system to define the level of recyclability performance, based on eco-design, to be used for eco-modulated EPR schemes.

Corresponding to the principles of the EU Waste Hierarchy, the regulation must privilege consistent reduction and reuse targets over recycling and composting. Lower reuse targets, particularly for 2030, could make reuse systems too hard to establish.

Read the details in our position paper.