Weekly

Industry prepares for PPWR - investments require swift legal certainty

17 December 2024

Following the decision of the EU Council of Ministers on the new EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR), manufacturers of plastic packaging are calling on the EU Commission and the Member States to adopt the technical implementing regulations as quickly as possible in order to create the urgently needed legal certainty for investments and to abolish ecologically unfounded special rules for plastics.

The industry as a whole is on track to meet the PPWR targets. In Germany, over 80 per cent of plastic packaging already fulfils the recyclability requirements that will apply from 2030, provided the criteria of the German minimum standard are applied. Nevertheless, the uncertainty surrounding possible deviations between the German and future EU standard poses challenges for the industry. ‘Companies need legally certain specifications quickly in order to align their packaging development with them,’ says Dr Isabell Schmidt, Managing Director of the IK für Kreislaufwirtschaft.

The use of recycled plastics has also increased significantly in recent years, although the utilisation rates from 2030 onwards will remain challenging, especially for so-called contact-sensitive packaging. ‘In view of the objectives of the PPWR, the industry urgently needs approvals for recycling processes and greater promotion of high-quality plastics recycling in Europe.’

‘We strongly support the aim of the EU Packaging Regulation to enable the free movement of goods and reduce the amount of packaging waste. The creation of uniform standards for the packaging industry is an important step towards a more sustainable circular economy,’ explains Dr Martin Engelmann, Managing Director of the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V. (German Association of Plastics Packaging).

The IK is correspondingly critical of the unchanged special regulations for plastic packaging and national exemptions. In addition, the 100% reuse targets for industrial and commercial packaging from 2030 are impractical and ecologically unfounded. ‘The last negotiations have led to many, sometimes unintended, changes that contradict the objectives of the PPWR. We continue to advocate for a swift correction of these misguided measures,’ Engelmann concludes.

The manufacturers of plastic packaging are committed to a future-proof, standardised and sustainable packaging policy in Europe and hope that the outstanding issues will be clarified quickly in order to achieve the goals that have been set.

Source: IK