Switzerland: New Ordinance on Packaging

 

Switzerland has published a new Ordinance on Packaging.

The legal draft stipulates that sustainability considerations must be integrated into the packaging production process. Where technically feasible and economically reasonable, producers and distributors should strive to reduce material usage, optimize packaging design and composition, and increase both recyclability and the incorporation of secondary raw materials. A supplementary take-back obligation for non-refillable plastic packaging and beverage cartons is introduced to establish a national system for their separate collection, including recycling targets. The current requirement to charge a prepaid disposal fee for glass beverage containers will be expanded to cover additional glass packaging used for food and cosmetic products, ensuring proper waste management funding. To facilitate the use of refillable beverage containers, certain exemptions from the mandatory deposit requirement will be allowed. Existing reporting obligations for beverage containers will be extended to other types of packaging to improve transparency and enable the calculation of recycling rates. The current regulations concerning PVC beverage packaging will be repealed, as this material is now rarely used for such applications.

The proposed date of entry into force is 1 January 2027; with the following transition periods:

– until 1 January 2028 for the subsidiary take-back obligation for non-refillable plastic packaging and beverage cartons

– until 1 January 2029 for the reporting requirements.

To find out more about the standard as well as environmental compliance in Switzerland, do not hesitate to contact the Product Compliance Institute.