The proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste to be presented by the European Commission on Wednesday 30 November to combine recycling, the reuse of packaging, the minimum recycled content obligation, the prevention and minimisation of packaging waste in the EU is a major piece of the much-awaited second ‘Circular Economy’ package (see EUROPE 13069/16).
One person eagerly awaiting its arrival is the Chair of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, French). He told a group of journalists on Tuesday 29 November that the proposal will be assigned to this parliamentary committee as of Thursday.
In view of the leaked text, he welcomed a high level of ambition and “a very important element of the European Green Deal which is not just about climate, but also about making the economy much more resource efficient and circular”, and above all, which represents “a sovereignty issue given our dependence on imports of raw materials and fossil fuels” whether it be for packaging, plastics or batteries (see EUROPE 13030/10).
He stressed that this legislation is “complementary to the French law, which was a precursor”, while going further. “The bar is very high. It is the most ambitious text in the world”.
Canfin recalled that the “proposed regulation covers all packaging and packaged products, which will have an impact on all value chains and everyday consumption”.
Among the 100 or so figures, targets and dates contained in this colossal draft regulation (over 200-pages long), he cited as examples the obligations to incorporate recycled plastic into yoghurt pots - the symbol of single-use plastic (a 10% target by 2025 and another by 50% in 2030 “which do not exist in French law”), an obligation to reduce empty space in e-commerce cardboard boxes - which he considers very innovative - and the dual concern of increasing recycling and reuse.
Furthermore, the Chair of the Committee on Environment highlighted the complementarity between this forthcoming proposal for a regulation and the ‘ecodesign’ regulation for sustainable products (allocated to the EU Competitiveness Council: Editor’s note) (see EUROPE 13066/6), as well as its consistency with the regulation on batteries and battery waste. On this last piece of legislation, he said he was “confident” that the negotiations could be concluded at the next trilogue, scheduled for 9 December.
On packaging and packaging waste, MEP Jessica Polfjard (EPP, Swedish) said that “the way forward is a modern and robust framework that allows for economies of scale by strengthening the single market”. On behalf of her group, she said that “the EPP stands ready to work with the other political groups to deliver a parliamentary position that levels the playing field and promotes innovation”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)