As discussions intensify on guidelines for the implementation of the ‘SUP’ directive limiting single-use plastics, the European Paperboard Packaging Industry (EPPA) published a study on Tuesday 12 January showing that the paper-based, single-use packaging for food and drinks used in European fast food restaurants is more environmentally friendly than reusable tableware.
The industry fears that the guidelines, in inter-service consultation at the Commission, will lump together plastic packaging and single-use cardboard packaging containing a very small amount of polymer, in favour of only reusable products, as the vice-president for the Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, seems to be advocating. “The guidelines go further than the directive”, EPPA President Antonio D’Amato told the press. He advocates “a science-based approach”.
The study, carried out by Ramboll, is based on product life cycle assessment. It shows that, assuming a realistic one-year use, the energy consumption in the use phase of plastic and traditional reusable tableware, during washing and drying in the shop or elsewhere, outweighed the environmental impact of single-use cardboard tableware.
Reusable tableware generates 177% more CO2 emissions than the paper-based single-use system, consumes 267% more freshwater, produces 132% more fine particles, and increases fossil depletion by 238% and terrestrial acidification by 72%.
This study was evaluated by the German TÜV. It used current primary data from the paper, packaging, and food service sectors to compare the one-year environmental performance of typical disposable and reusable food and beverage containers used in a fast food restaurant for in-store consumption. Link to the study: https://bit.ly/3sctzAG and to the data: https://bit.ly/2MZtBfh (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)