PPWR, agreement on the Regulation: the main points

Having completed the process that since the start of 2024 has involved the vote of the Trilogue, then the committee of representatives (COREPER) and, finally, on 19 March, approval by the ENVI Commission, the new version of the PPWR now continues its journey with plenary approval by the European Parliament and Council. The aim: to harmonise the single market, regulating the use of packaging throughout its life-cycle, from the raw material to the product’s end-of-life.

Key openings compared to the previous versions include a greater tolerance regarding timings, with deadlines fixed at 2030 and 2040; the Commission’s focus on the technological evolution of bio-materials; greater attention to the preservation of fresh processed products and the role played by packaging; there is space for tolerance granted to State members, which have demonstrated their willingness to strengthen their recovery and recycling policies, aiming at percentages equal to or greater than 70%. Looking at the more striking provisions, here is a summary of the main points present in the document.

No to disposable plastic.

One of the most significant new developments is the prohibition, starting from January 2030, of disposable plastic-based containers for the hotel industry, sachets for ketchup, sauces, sugar and cream (typically used in fast food stores and in bars), wrap-around packaging for luggage and non-processed fruit and vegetables, provided they are unprocessed, as well as plastic bags of a thickness of less than 15 microns, with a number of exceptions for reasons of preservation and hygiene. The prohibition also applies to the disposable packaging used to group drinks together and packages of fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kg.

Yes to cardboard and salad in bags.

Disposable cardboard for fast food and takeaway food and beverages and cartons for perishable drinks like milk, wine and other alcoholic drinks, are excluded from the reuse obligations. Plastic-based packaging for washed salad in bags and generally for freshly processed products whose freshness and firmness must be guaranteed, has also been exempted, given that the Commission has recognised the microbiological and oxidation risks linked to conservation without adequate packaging.

Biobased and composite materials.

The Regulation provides for the revision of the 2030 targets and the feasibility of the 2040 targets by the Commission, called on to evaluate the status of the technological development of bio-based plastic and its effective sustainability in the framework of plastic-based packaging solutions. According to the definition of composite packaging, a package which is at least 95% composed of paper can be considered as exempt from prohibitions that apply to plastic, precisely as a result of the low percentages of this material.

Reuse obligations but also important exceptions.

Shops are required to accept customers’ reusable containers and to provide up to 10% reusable packaging by 2030. With regards to bottles, the objectives have been fixed between 2030 and 2040, with the exclusion of perishable drinks, spirits, milk and derivatives. Finally, carboard, materials for the transport of dangerous goods, flexible packaging in contact with foods and the packaging of large machinery are all exempt.

PFAS banned.

Strong limitations are imposed on the use of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in packaging in contact with foods, with a window of four years granted to co-legislators in order to avoid overlapping and to favour the alignment of restrictive measures.

Logistics and returnable bottles.

Rules also for logistics and e-commerce, with a maximum percentage of empty space in grouped packaging set at 50% and a request to logistics carriers, producers and importers to minimise weight and volume. By 2030, moreover, it will be obligatory to have a returnable bottle system that covers 90% of drink containers of up to 3 litres, a provision from which state members reaching 80% of sorted waste by 2028 are excluded. This is a target already achieved by Italy in 2021 for metal packaging and is very close for other materials with 72% in 2023.

Single Market at risk of fragmentation.

State Members have been left time to define standards linked to food safety and quality, with the possibility of granting extensions of up to five years in the event of exceeding by 5% the recycling targets fixed for 2025. As feared by category associations and stakeholders, this opens up a worrying scenario of a growing fragmentation of the single market, due to the extensive autonomy for management of the question granted to State Members, which will inevitably be followed by difficulties for international trade and import/export within the Single Market.