Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation Proposal: BusinessEurope reacts to General Approach

19 December 2023 - Commenting on the Environment Council’s agreement on a General Approach on the proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: “Reuse and recycling of packaging waste are two sides of the same coin, and this should be better reflected in the regulation.”

“Reusable packaging can be an efficient and sustainable waste prevention measure, but reuse is not the environmentally preferred solution in all situations. Reuse and recycling are complementary solutions to achieve circularity. Unfortunately, this is not sufficiently reflected in the General Approach. This risks sidelining efforts and investments already made by companies to increase the recyclability of packaging.

In addition, the text leaves room for divergent national requirements, such as national packaging bans and labelling rules. This will lead to market fragmentation which prevents the development of a circular economy, by undercutting economies of scale and hampering investments in innovation.

In the upcoming negotiations, we call on co-legislators to prioritise strengthening the Single Market and introduce mechanisms that consider the environmental performance of reuse and single use solutions.”