EU: Proposal for a new EU packaging law

 

The EU has published a proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 and Directive (EU) 2019/904 and repealing Directive 94/62/EC (the existing Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive).

This draft Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste aims to harmonise the rules for placing packaging on the EU market while fostering packaging sustainability and circularity. It lays down sustainability requirements for placing packaging on the EU market related to its composition, design with the view to packaging minimisation, recyclability, use of secondary raw materials in plastic packaging, compostability and requirements on reusable packaging.

In order to reduce the generation of packaging waste, it restricts the use of some packaging formats and establishes obligations on economic operators and Member States, including packaging reuse and waste prevention targets. As regards recycling targets and the related rules on their calculation, it maintains obligations from the existing EU packaging legislation.

The key points of the proposal are:

• By 2030, all packaging should be designed to be “recyclable,” and by 2035, it should be recycled “on a large scale.”
• Additionally, new plastic packaging must incorporate recycled materials by 2030 and 2040.
• Furthermore, by 2030 and 2040, a portion of specific packaging types must either be reusable or designed to facilitate refilling.
• Certain types of packaging will also be prohibited as part of these measures.
• Lastly, the goal is to reduce packaging waste per person by 15% compared to the 2018 baseline by the year 2040.

The full text of the proposal is available HERE.

To find out more about packaging compliance, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.