Imposing strict targets for reusable packaging by 2030 could have a negative impact on the EU’s climate footprint and consumer budgets, the paper and packaging industry warned on 6 April, based on an impact assessment of the revised Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation proposed by the European Commission in late 2022 (see EUROPE 13074/7) and debated in March by the EU27 environment ministers (see EUROPE 13143/7).
This report, commissioned by Cepi, ECMA, EPPA, FEFCO and Pro Carton, reviews several existing studies on packaging and is based on two different scenarios, one for takeaway food in Belgium and one for e-commerce packaging in Germany. These use cases were chosen to compare the impact of paper packaging as used today with that of reusable plastic packaging, if the 2030 reuse targets in the proposed regulation were applied.
It concludes that reusable solutions would produce higher CO2 emissions than paper and cardboard - up to 160% more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere for takeaways and up to 40% for e-commerce.
Due to the investment required to develop an entirely new packaging model and its high operating costs, more reusable packaging would imply higher costs that would mainly be passed on to consumers, according to the study.
In the study’s scenarios, it is mainly transport that would be responsible for the CO2 emissions and costs. This is because reusable packaging has to be transported to the producer after delivery or purchase, which is not the case for recycling, which takes place closer to the consumer.
However, the report’s assumptions about reusable plastic packaging represent a best-case scenario, for example if plastics recycling develops rapidly in the future.
See the summary of the study: https://aeur.eu/f/69i
See the full study: https://aeur.eu/f/69j (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)