EU Circular Economy Action Plan reintensifies drive for eco-friendly packaging

17 Mar 2020 --- The European Commission has adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan in which it prioritizes reducing overpackaging and packaging waste, driving design for reusable and recyclable packaging and reducing the complexity of packaging materials. The Plan, which the Commission identifies as one of the major building blocks of the European Green Deal, also considers mandatory plastic requirements for recycled content and waste reduction measures for key products such as packaging, addresses intentionally added microplastics, develops labeling and regulatory measures on unintentionally released microplastics and establishes a policy framework on the use of bio-based plastics.

The Commission expresses concern that the amount of materials used for packaging is growing continuously. In 2017, packaging waste in Europe reached a record of 173 kg per inhabitant. To ensure that all packaging on the EU market is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030, the Commission will review Directive 94/62/EC27 to reinforce the mandatory essential requirements for packaging to be allowed on the EU market and consider other measures, with a focus on:

• Reducing (over)packaging and packaging waste, including by setting targets and other waste prevention measures;
• Driving design for re-use and recyclability of packaging, including considering restrictions on the use of some packaging materials for certain applications, in particular where alternative reusable products or systems are possible or consumer goods can be handled safely without packaging;
• Considering reducing the complexity of packaging materials, including the number of materials and polymers used.

As part of the initiative to harmonize separate collection systems, the Commission will assess the feasibility of EU-wide labeling that facilitates the correct separation of packaging waste at source.Packaging waste in Europe reached a record of 173 kg per inhabitant, according to EU estimations.

The Commission will also establish rules for the safe recycling into food contact materials of plastic materials other than PET.

The Commission will also strictly monitor and support the implementation of the requirements of the Drinking Water Directive to make drinkable tap water accessible in public places, which will reduce dependence on bottled water and prevent packaging waste.

Microplastics under the microscope
The EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy set in motion a comprehensive set of initiatives responding to a challenge of serious public concern. However, as consumption of plastics is expected to double in the coming 20 years, the Commission has stated that it will take further targeted measures to address the sustainability challenges posed by this ubiquitous material and continue to promote a “concerted approach” to tackle plastics pollution at the global level.

To increase uptake of recycled plastics and contribute to the more sustainable use of plastics, the Commission will propose mandatory requirements for recycled content and waste reduction measures for key products such as packaging, construction materials and vehicles, also taking into account the activities of the Circular Plastics Alliance.

In addition to measures to reduce plastic litter, the Commission will address the presence of microplastics in the environment by:

• Restricting intentionally added microplastics and tackling pellets taking into account the opinion of the European Chemicals Agency;
• Developing labeling, standardization, certification and regulatory measures on the unintentional release of microplastics, including measures to increase the capture of microplastics at all relevant stages of products’ lifecycle;
• Further developing and harmonizing methods for measuring unintentionally released microplastics, especially from tires and textiles, and delivering harmonized data on microplastics concentrations in seawater;
• Closing the gaps in scientific knowledge related to the risk and occurrence of microplastics in the environment, drinking water and foods.

The Commission is developing labeling, standardization, certification and regulatory measures on the unintentional release of microplastics.The Rethink Plastics Alliance states that, while it is beneficial that microplastics are highlighted as a focus area, it is regretful that the action plan remains vague on the related concrete measures, which it sees as “going no further than the Plastics Strategy of early 2018.”

“The alliance calls on the Commission to develop EU legislative measures to address pollution from all primary microplastics including pre-production plastic pellets, a major source of microplastics, along the plastic supply chain,” the Alliance notes.

The Commission has also stated that it will ensure the timely implementation of the new Directive on Single-Use Plastic Products. This includes harmonizing the interpretation of the products covered by the Directive, labeling products such as beverage cups and wet wipes and ensuring the introduction of tethered caps for bottles to prevent littering and developing for the first time rules on measuring recycled content in products.

No circular economy without bioeconomy?
Furthermore, the Commission will address emerging sustainability challenges by developing a policy framework on:

• Sourcing, labeling and use of bio-based plastics, based on assessing where the use of bio-based feedstock results in genuine environmental benefits, going beyond reduction in using fossil resources;
• Use of biodegradable or compostable plastics, based on an assessment of the applications where such use can be beneficial to the environment, and of the criteria for such applications. It will aim to ensure that labeling a product as ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’ does not mislead consumers to dispose of it in a way that causes plastic littering or pollution due to unsuitable environmental conditions or insufficient time for degradation.

European Bioplastics (EUBP) has expressed its satisfaction that these measures interlink the circular economy with the bioeconomy. “EUBP especially endorsees the Commission’s commitment to supporting the ‘sustainable and circular bio-based sector through the implementation of the Bioeconomy Action Plan,’” François de Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics notes.

“We have long been criticizing the rather artificial separation of the circular economy and the bio-based economy. These two, however, are very much interlinked, and we are happy to see that this seems to have finally been understood,” de Bie adds.

European Bioplastics expressed its satisfaction that the new measures interlink the circular economy with the bioeconomy.EUBP recently announced “dynamic growth” in the global bioplastics industry, in which packaging remains the largest field of application with almost 53 percent (1.14 million metric tons) of the total bioplastics market in 2019. This is despite what it described as “unfavorable EU legislation.” EUBP also regards the bioplastics industry as crucial to achieving net-zero greenhouse emissions.

The Rethink Plastic Alliance, however, remains cautious about the Commission’s commitment to set a policy framework for biobased and biodegradable plastics. “These plastics, which are too often pushed as a solution, are mostly applied as single-use materials with similar environmental impacts to conventional plastics, especially in the ocean,” the Alliance states. “Direct substitution of conventional plastics with bio-based and biodegradable plastics is purposefully confusing consumers and amounts to greenwashing.”

In the view of the Rethink Plastic Alliance, one of the most positive actions is the promise to develop new measures on making products more sustainable. The Alliance welcomes this “long-overdue legal framework, in particular the commitment to scale up reusable tableware, packaging and cutlery in food services.”

“Prevention, reduction and reuse, despite being at the top of the EU waste hierarchy, have been overlooked for too long. We now welcome that they are rightly given priority for food services, but they must be at the core of all future concrete measures to foster the redesign of plastics and packaging, as well as their production and distribution systems. This is not only a condition for achieving a true, toxic-free circular economy, it is also necessary to deliver on the EU’s climate agenda,” comments Justine Maillot, Policy Coordinator of the Rethink Plastic Alliance.

The Rethink Plastic Alliance concludes by warning that if investments are directed towards infrastructure for “new” plastic production as well as chemical recycling, “this will simply extend business as usual into the future.”

By Joshua Poole