Industry associations are calling for the planned reusable packaging requirements for industrial packaging to be removed from the current proposal, reports Euwid.

According to the provisional compromise proposal on the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR), the reusable quotas for industrial packaging made of plastic are to be significantly expanded and increased, in contrast to the original proposal by the EU Commission. The proposal envisages not only reusable quotas for transport packaging, but also for "sales packaging for the transport of products". The EU Commission had proposed different quotas (up to 30 per cent) for different transport packaging formats for 2030. According to the compromise proposal, a quota of 40 per cent should now apply to all formats. The plans have been met with great scepticism by German associations such as the Federation of the German Food Industry and the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen. A letter from the associations to the Federal Ministry for the Environment states that there are considerable legal concerns, particularly with regard to the distinction between sales and transport packaging, as many packaging formats include both transport and sales aspects, which makes a clear definition difficult. The associations also criticised the fact that the proposed quotas were not based on scientific evidence. Reusable quotas for transport packaging should only be introduced on the basis of a comprehensive scientific foundation and impact assessment. There were also doubts about the ecological and economic justification of the proposed measures. The industry associations therefore called for the reusable packaging requirements for industrial packaging to be removed from the current proposal.
 
Sources:

• euwid-recycling.de (12.3.2024)
• Photo: Symbolic image, unsplash.com, Manh Le