European Parliament sets targets to cut plastic packaging volumes, specific ban on BPA, PFAs

The European Parliament voted Nov. 22 for targets to reduce overall volumes of plastic packaging in the EU. The targets form part of a position adopted by the parliament on the EU's proposed rules to cut packaging waste.

Members of the European Parliament voted for the EU to reduce overall volumes of plastic packaging 10% by 2030, 15% by 2035 and 20% by 2040. This is above the total packaging reduction targets proposed by the European Commission in its Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation: 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040.

MEPs also want to ban the sale of very lightweight plastic carrier bags, below 15 microns, unless required for hygiene reasons or provided as primary packaging for loose food to help prevent food waste. They also proposed heavy restrictions on the use of certain single-use packaging formats, such as hotel miniature packaging for toiletry products and shrink-wrap for suitcases in airports.

They also proposed a ban on the use of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAs) and bisphenol A (BPA) in food-contact packaging.

"Recent events in Europe, and particularly in Belgium, concerning water pollution by PFA[s] chemicals show the urgent need for action," said the parliament's rapporteur Frédérique Ries. "By voting to ban 'forever' pollutants in food packaging, the European Parliament has shown that it seeks to protect the health of European citizens."

All packaging to be recyclable

The proposals would require all packaging in the EU to be recyclable by 2030, fulfilling a strict criteria that would be defined through secondary legislation. Certain temporary exemptions are foreseen, such as for wood and wax food packaging.

MEPs also want members to ensure that 90% of materials contained in packaging -- plastic, wood, ferrous metals, aluminum, glass, paper and cardboard -- is collected separately by 2029.

The MEPs' position constitutes the parliament's mandate for negotiations with EU national governments on the regulation. The parliament said in a statement that it is "ready" to start talks with governments on the final form of the law once the European Council has adopted its position.

Industry sees 'missed opportunity'

Europe's plastics industry has criticized the parliament's proposals. Industry association Plastics Europe called the vote "a missed opportunity to incentivize investments in circular plastics packaging." Accelerating the transition of "the European plastics system" to circularity and net-zero requires a policy and regulatory framework that drives demand for circular feedstocks, boosts investments in recycling technologies and stimulates the development of recyclable products, Plastics Europe said.

"The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is one of the most important elements of the plastics transition enabling framework," said Virginia Janssens, managing director of Plastics Europe. "So, although Plastics Europe welcomes a number of decisions taken by the European Parliament, we believe today's vote was a missed opportunity to strengthen this critical piece of regulation and create the incentives for the huge investments needed to make plastics packaging circular."

Creating the right market pull and regulatory conditions for circularity are essential for incentivizing the EU plastics system to significantly increase its drive toward mechanical and chemical recycling, according to Plastics Europe. These are vital for improving the quantity and quality of recycled plastics, reducing the reliance on fossil-based raw material input and accelerating the circularity of all parts of the plastics packaging system, it said.

Janssens also deemed it "unfortunate" that MEPs did not vote to reverse a decision by the parliament's environment committee to reduce the recycled content targets for contact-sensitive packaging. "This is a missed opportunity to use the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation to boost the development of the market for recycled plastic packaging in Europe," she said.

Plastics Europe said it is also "disappointed that MEPs failed to clarify sufficiently the role of bio-based plastics and recycled content as separate but complementary solutions that contribute to the plastics industry's sustainability journey and have failed to mandate that packaging which we will redesign to make fully recyclable is sorted prior to incineration and landfill."

Plastics Europe also expressed disappointment that MEPs voted for specific targets for plastic packaging. "This further threatens the investment climate in Europe for circularity of plastics packaging through arbitrary measures, including bans and reduction targets applying to plastics packaging only, without any impact assessment or demonstration of environmental advantages," it said.

"Whilst politically attractive to some stakeholders, arbitrary reduction targets or measures targeting plastics only are not the answer," Janssens said. "They will only encourage the substitution of plastics with other materials without any proven environmental advantages and will not solve the issue of single-use packaging. We instead call for an ambitious proposal that creates the positive investment climate required to enable the European plastics system to continue its sustainability journey."

The total volume of packaging waste in the EU increased from 66 million mt in 2009 to 84 million mt in 2021, according to the parliament. Each EU citizen generated 188.7 kg of packaging waste in 2021, a figure that is expected to increase to 209 kg in 2030 without additional measures, it said.

This story was first published by S&P Global Commodity Insights' Chemical Week.