EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION ON PACKAGING AND PACKAGING WASTE
On 24 April 2024, the European Parliament adopted at first reading a legislative resolution on the 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 aim of this proposed regulation is to establish environmental sustainability and labelling requirements for the entire life cycle of packaging.
The new requirements are as follows:
- Producers will have to take the necessary measures to prevent packaging waste. This includes the reduction of unnecessary packaging and the reuse or refilling of packaging, as well as the collection and treatment, including recycling, of packaging waste.
- Packaging placed on the market must be manufactured in such a way as to minimise the use of environmentally toxic substances in the composition of packaging materials.
- The European Commission will have a monitoring role by putting in place surveillance measures to check for the presence of substances of concern in packaging and packaging components.
The proposal also sets out a timetable for the introduction of certain labelling requirements, a reduction in the amount of packaging produced by the general public and the elimination of harmful substances:
- No later than 42 months after the regulation comes into force, all packaging placed on the market will have to carry a label giving useful information on the materials used, to make it easier for consumers to sort it.
- By 1 January 2030, economic operators will have to ensure that the empty space rate in grouped packaging, transport packaging and e-commerce packaging does not exceed 50%.
- Member States must ensure that the quantity of packaging waste produced per inhabitant is gradually reduced:
- 5% by 2030 ;
- 10% by 2035
- 15% by 2040.
From 18 months from the date of entry into force of the regulation, packaging intended to come into contact with foodstuffs and containing per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in concentrations above the value to be set in the final text will be banned from the market.
The Council of the European Union will now examine this proposal for a regulation, as amended by the European Parliament.
