“Europe aspires to lead the world in circularity, yet the European Commission seems to be opening doors to weaken key files that form the backbone of the European circular economy ,” states Aline Maigret, Head of Policy at Zero Waste Europe.
ZWE stressed the importance of simplification being strictly limited to genuine administrative improvements, in order to ensure that core policy objectives continue to be fully pursued. These measures should not open the door to removing targets or diluting essential environmental requirements.
Key concerns for the Circular Economy:
Packaging regulation (PPWR)
While we welcome the Commission’s commitment to enforcing the much-needed ban on PFAS in food contact packaging under the PPWR, this ban must however apply to both intentionally added and unintentionally present PFAS. We support a “guidance document” that would help both Member State authorities and industry stakeholders in enforcement and achieving compliance with the rules and limits set in the regulation. The current lack of standardised methods for measuring the vast number of PFAS in packaging creates some enforcement challenges, but this definitely should not be an excuse to delay or change the scope of the ban.
We are concerned however about the presence of PPWR in the omnibus process as this risks creating confusion about reopening or further weakening its provisions, such as those already referred to by the Commission for the food and beverage sector. The reuse and recycling sectors urgently need regulatory certainty and stronger data transparency to guide future-proof public and private investment — especially for developing and upgrading infrastructure that supports the achievement of the reuse targets (binding or not).
We are also worried about the potential “additional flexibilities” for
- other packaging formats, “particularly where hygiene and food safety concerns may hinder compliance with the targets”. Claims related to safety and hygiene are frequently used to delay or weaken measures such as reusable packaging, despite limited evidence to support such concerns.
- the use of un-recycled plastics” backtracks on ensuring that packaging is designed for recycling and actually recycled. At a moment when the industry is seeking support from the Commission, this message delivers the opposite.
