Last week, the European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) proposed last year by the European Commission. Unfortunately, many amendments from the Environmental Committee initial Report that single out plastic packaging have passed the consensus of the Plenary session.
European Plastics Converters are disappointed by the unfounded tailored measures against plastics, which seem to be based predominantly on emotional motives. Some examples of such emotional motived voting are special reduction targets for certain plastic packaging, exemptions for composite packaging from the recyclate use quotas, and bans on single-use stretch films and more.
The lack of rational support to a plastics converting and recycling industry that has been working for improved sustainability, recyclability, circularity as well as on improved performances of its packaging offer is a missed opportunity. In our perspective, topics like additional food waste as a direct consequence should have been addressed, whereas plastic packaging reuse quotas and others have not been very well assessed either. In our view the voted amendments will therefore not bring the expected environmental goals the Parliament desires.
Moreover, the lack of consideration for how to reach the ambitious recycled content targets adds perplexity to their feasibility in coming years. The proposed targets are based on the assumption of a given consistent availability of high-quality recycled raw materials, that has proven to be already lacking today. Linear waste management systems in many Member States with still open landfills and subsidized incineration have for years been blocking required additional investments in high-quality infrastructure and high-tech systems for collection, sorting and recycling.
Practical solutions such as credit-based systems and clear exemptions must be included in a final version of the PPWR to allow the plastics converting and recycling industry, mostly composed of SMEs, and their customers, to effectively comply and support the market of high-quality recycled materials to naturally grow.
