The EU has launched its entire legislative machinery in an offensive aimed at tackling the proliferation of single-use packaging. The Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on Monday to approve the packaging regulation, aimed at reducing the proliferation of this waste, ensuring that all packaging is truly recyclable and ensuring that it is free of contaminants. These are the main contents of this new regulation, which has yet to be ratified.
This is a new offensive to put a stop to single-use plastics, after five years ago the European directive was approved regarding the reduction of certain plastics that are disposable meat (cutlery, stirrers, straws, balloons, glasses…), in order to reduce the environmental impact. As of January 1, 2030, some formats of single-use plastic packaging will be prohibited, such as containers for unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables, containers for food and beverages served and consumed in cafes and restaurants, and individual portions and sachets (for example, condiments, sauces, cream, sugar). Likewise, miniature containers for toiletries and shrink wrappers for suitcases should be cornered at airports.
The agreement establishes the goal of gradually reducing packaging by 5% in 2030, 10% in 2035 and 15% in 2040 (a figure that lowers the European Parliament’s initial ambition by 5%). It has also been possible to introduce a ban on the sale of very light plastic bags, less than 15 microns, unless they are necessary for hygiene reasons or are primary packaging for bulk foods to help avoid food waste.
Negotiators have set a specific target for reusable packaging of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages (except milk, wine, aromatized wine and spirits) of at least 10% by 2030. However, States can grant an exemption of five years to these requirements under certain conditions. “The initial reuse objectives have been reduced to insufficient numbers and some specific typologies have been eliminated. It has been disappointing that these five-year exceptions are allowed to the industry,” says Rosa García, director of the Rezero Foundation focused on waste reduction. In Spain, reuse only reaches 15%, the lowest in history, and is concentrated in restoration channels.
It will be mandatory for restaurant establishments that serve take-away food to accept reusable containers from their customers. And they will be required to offer 10% of their products in reusable packaging in 2030. “The measure, given the impact of these packaging, falls short; It would be more effective if these establishments were forced to serve these products in reusable containers and have recovery circuits,” says Rosa García.
Packaging must be recyclable, and meet strict criteria to be defined by future legislation. The objective sought is that all the material that reaches stores can be recovered and transformed into a new resource. There will be exemptions for wood, cork, textiles, rubber, ceramics, porcelain and wax.
Single-use plastic packaging on fresh fruits and vegetables will be banned. But the risk is that the “small print” appears in the legislative development that distorts the goal, warns Rezero. This is what has happened in Spain, where the 2022 packaging decree prohibited the bulk sale of fruits and vegetables wrapped in plastic in batches of less than 1.5 kg. However, the entry into force of this measure was conditional on the preparation of a list with exceptions referring to perishable products, which could be sold packaged. And the list that Agriculture had to prepare has not yet been made public.
In 2029, States must guarantee the separate collection of at least 90% of single-use plastic bottles and beverage cans up to three liters per year. States must implement the deposit, return and return system for packaging to the store (the old formula for returning it to the store). However, this system will not apply if the systems in operation (yellow bin) have achieved a separate collection target of 90% in 2029 (or a rate above 80% in 2026 accompanied by a strategy to achieve 90% collection). ). “The deposit and return system is the most effective to meet the goal of separate collection of 90% of beverage containers, as has been seen in many countries,” says García.
The regulation will also include a very positive aspect linked to the protection of people’s health: the prohibition of chemical substances in contact with food (PFAs). This step was already taken with the Spanish Waste Law, which prohibited the use of phthalates and bisphenol A in packaging, although the measure has not been deployed either.
