European Parliament: draft report and opinion on packaging and packaging waste
The 18 April, the draft report on the proposal on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR) of the ENVI Committee. The rapporteur is Frederique Ries (RE, FR). Below is an overview of the main points of the draft report:
Plastic pollution
· The rapporteur proposes to act at the base with recycled content targets for plastic packaging from 2030 (along the lines of what has been done in the SUP3 for PET bottles).
· MEP Ries proposes specific waste reduction targets for plastic packaging: 10% by 2030, 15% by 2035 and 20% by 2040.
· Additionally, the rapporteur introduced a limit on the number of lightweight (thickness between 15 and 50 microns) and very lightweight (thickness below 15 microns) plastic bags. The rapporteur is based on data provided by Eurostat in November 2022: while the 2015 European legislation on lightweight plastic bags seems to be slowly bearing fruit, the consumption of very lightweight plastic bags is increasing. The aim is to counter the substitution that is clearly taking place between the two types.
Mandatory separate collection for packaging
· The rapporteur proposes to set a separate collection target of 90 % by 2029 for all types of packaging covered by the legislative proposal, and not only for plastic beverage bottles as in the UDS. The aim is to increase the recycling rate and recycled content, as requested by the sectors concerned.
Sustainable innovation
· The amendments tabled by the rapporteur added a digital repository as an alternative to the traditional repository.
· Additionally, they promote sustainable biomass as an essential resource to 'defossilise' the plastics supply chain.
· Finally, a new definition of 'innovative polymer' of biological origin was included to indicate the type of polymer that do not contain or generate persistent micro-particles of synthetic polymers during biodegradation.
Reuse channels
· The rapporteur wants to draw more on national best practices (six Member States have already set reuse targets for packaging) to rethink the Commission proposal in depth, with four key proposals.
· Additionally, she separated the concepts of reuse and refill.
· MEP Ries also removed reuse targets for take-away food and beverages from existing legislation. The rapporteur proposes to shift the obligation for the Horeca sector to a refill system (B2C - Business to Consumer).
· The rapporteur also wants the end distributor responsible for reuse targets for the beverage sector. The rapporteur suggests being inspired by national practices (recent laws in Spain and Austria) with mandatory re-use targets for the final distributor only and indicative targets for the producer.
· Finally, MEP Ries asks the Commission to assess for 2028 the addition of new sectors with significant potential in the re-use system: take-away food and beverages, detergents, hygiene, packaging for ready meals, pet food.
AGRI Committee: Consideration of draft opinion on packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR)
On April 24, in the Committee on agriculture and rural development (AGRI) of the European Parliament, the consideration of the draft opinion on the proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste was held.
· Salvatore De Meo (EPP, FI), rapporteur for the opinion, said that the opinion must reflect the competences of the AGRI Committee. He said that he agrees with the objective of the regulation, but that the proposal has several critical points, especially from a pragmatic point of view. The opinion tries not to cause further damage to this sector. Recycling chains, including chemical recycling, need to be strengthened. A price increase resulting from a shortage of materials must also be avoided. The ban on single-use packaging in the food sector must be done in a feasible way that does not lead to additional burdens. States must have flexibility on how to achieve recycling and reuse targets. The impact assessment was lacking with regard to the agri-food sector. Among the amendments tabled, De Meo asked the European Commission to provide an assessment on reusable packaging and its risks. The new regulation should not involve products of European excellence, i.e. those with GIs. He then stated that the vote in the AGRI Committee could be postponed by 15 days compared to 30 August.
Euractiv: Event "Packaging and the packaging waste regulation - how can we make it work?"
Euractiv will organize an event entitled "Packaging and packaging waste regulation - how can we make it work?" The event will be held in-person and online on June 28 from 12:30 to 13:45.
The panelists already announced are the following:
· Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea - Director, Circular economy, DG ENV, European Commission
· Stephen Russell - Director General, ANEC
· Eleni Despotou - Director General, FEFCO
Parliament and Council: Adoption of trilogues agreement on ETS and CBAM
On April 17, in Strasbourg, the European Parliament gathered in plenary session adopted the agreements reached during the inter-institutional negotiations on the Directive for the revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), whose rapporteur is Peter Liese (EPP, Germany), on the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) whose rapporteur is Mohammed Chamin (S&D, Netherlands). The agreements were adopted as follows:
· ETS: 413 votes in favor, 167 against and 57 abstentions
· CBAM: 487 votes in favor, 81 against and 75 abstentions
· Social Climate Fund: 521 votes in favor, 75 against and 43 abstentions
Afterwards, on April 25, also the Council adopted the agreements resulting from the interinstitutional negotiations on the revision of the ETS Directive and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
As for the next steps, the proposals will soon be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
