INCPEN
Members (not including Trade Association Group colleagues) have access
to view the full legislation library. Please contact Alison Skuse
for access.
|
|
France - Draft decree on consumer information about environmental characteristics under consultation - 12 October 2021
The draft - under consultation to 5-Jan-22 – specifies how
producers of various products and packaging must inform consumers about
10 ‘environmental qualities and characteristics ‘, as well as modulated
recycling fees. In addition, to combat greenwashing it prohibits the use
of the words “biodegradable”, “environmentally friendly”, or similar
terms.
The draft decree was submitted to TRIS for stakeholder comments by 5-Jan-22. The draft aims to
- provide better information to consumers by proposing to require producers to provide information about
- 10
environmental qualities and characteristics [left column of table
below] of their products or packaging [middle column in table], as
stipulated by Art. 13* of the Feb-20 AGEC Law.
- the premiums and penalties paid for environmental performance (‘modulated recycling fees’)
- combat green-washing by proposing to prohibit the terms “biodegradable”, “environmentally friendly” or similar terms.
The information obligation would apply to producers or importers whose turnover with the affected products is above EUR 50 million p.a..
Unless otherwise required by an Order, the information is to be made
available to consumers in a dematerialized format, accessible at the
time of the purchase at least on a dedicated web page and including an application programming interface.
|
|
Spain - Long anticipated draft suggests to comprehensively regulate all packaging - 07 October 2021
One and a half years after a pre-consultation, the draft of a
new Royal Decree on Packaging was released for public comment ending
23-Oct-21. The extensive (40K words) draft is likely to contain the most
circular economy measures for packaging in a single text worldwide. Its
provisions go beyond those explicitly required by the CEP, for example
by introducing minimum recycled content targets for all plastic
packaging and linking those on plastic to substantial eco-modulation
incentives, introducing various informational requirements to ensure
better consumer information and tackle free-riding, newly subjecting
commercial and industrial packaging to EPR and applying reuse quotas to
it (reuse quotas are also applied to beverage packaging).
The draft Royal Decree on Packaging and Packaging Waste (‘the Draft’)
was released on 28-Sep-21 for public comment ending 23-Oct-21.
With 40,000 words, the proposed text is almost 6 times as long as
the 1997 Packaging Decree (7K words) which it would replace. The Draft
follows a pre-consultation in Mar-20, and is aligned with the yet-to-be
adopted draft Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils.
The Draft Packaging Decree aims to transpose the CEP amended (2018/852)
EU Packaging Directive, to increase the volume of waste packaging
recycled and to tackle free-riding, an ongoing problem in Spain which
affects all waste streams subject to EPR.
The Draft’s Impact Assessment does neither foresee additional public or consumer spending, nor significant negative impacts for industry.
New labelling and information requirements are expected to be the most
onerous and to affect around 15,000 companies. Exemptions for small
producers are not foreseen.
Below we summarize key measures proposed by the Draft grouped under the following topics:
- Producer definition and registration: New register for packaging producers and online marketplaces considered producers
- Informational requirements: Display of registration number, recycling fees; marking;
- Eco-design: Minimum post-consumer recycled content (PCR) targets - not only for beverage containers
- Modulated
recycling fees: Substantial subsidies for recycled plastics if
PCR targets exceeded; penalties for disruptive packaging
- Targets for separate collection: Distinguished for household, industrial and commercial packaging
- Packaging
waste prevention measures: Waste reduction objectives, mandatory re-use
quota for beverages and industrial/commercial packaging
- DRS: To be mandatory for SUP bottles if collection target missed in 2023/27; newly mandatory for reusable packaging
- Packaging
waste financing and management: Clear obligations for all parties;
Commercial and industrial packaging newly subject to EPR
- Requirements on PROs: Few changes
Producer definition and registration - new register for all producers, online marketplaces considered producers
Obligated ‘packers’ (fillers) include:
- Distance sellers:
They cannot register directly and must appoint an authorised
representatives (ARs) based in Spain. If an AR is not appointed, the EU
based intra-community importer or acquirer is obligated (Art. 17).
- Online marketplaces:
The product owner (seller) as well as the ecommerce platform will be
considered as ‘packer’ of primary and secondary packaging of packaged
goods traded within Spain. For packaged goods from sellers established
outside of Spain, ‘the e-commerce platform will act the packer’ (Art 3.
e).
- A distributor owning a brand (distribution brand) is considered ‘packer’ of branded goods when the packer cannot be identified (Art 3. e).
- Stores that supply service packaging to end users are considered ‘packer’.
Retailers and distributors including distance sellers may not market packaged products from un-registered producers (Art. 30).
A packaging producer register will be added to the
Product Producers Registry (the register currently only holds data from
producers of plastic carrier bags and tires). Packers/fillers of all
packaging types will have to register within 3 months from the
enforcement date of the Decree and present a certificate of individual
or collective compliance (Art. 15).
Informational requirements - display of registration number and recycling fees; marking; eco-design documentation
The producer registration numbers must be shown on
‘invoices and any other documentation that accompanies the commercial
transactions’ of packaged products: For household packaging, the
registration number must be shown from POM ‘up to the point of sale to
consumers’ [but not the retail invoice, though this is ambiguous]; for
industrial packaging, from the POM stage to the sale to the end-user
(Art. 15.3).
Producers complying through a PRO must show recycling fees separately on invoices.
The fee is to be shown ‘product by product’, unless the recycling fee
does not exceed 1% of the final product price, in which case the total
amount may be shown (Art. 23.5). [The obligation applies only to the
producer at the POM stage, not other entities in the distribution chain]
Household packaging must be marked to indicate
- the waste fraction with which it should be disposed of. This should be indicated for each separable component. [a specific sorting label is not mentioned];
- the symbol of the associated DRS and/or PRO, ‘where appropriate’ [obligation ambiguous];
- its reusable or compostable characteristics (Art. 13.4).
In addition, any packaging may be marked with the
- percentage of packaging material ‘available for quality recycling’ (Art. 13.2) if this is certified by an accredited 3rd party*.
- percentage of recycled material contained (Art. 13.2) if this is certified by an accredited 3rd party*.
- material identification markings of Commission Decision 97/129/EC.
* Intra-community manufacturers and importers (or acquirers)
of packaging or packaged products must keep documentation and
information available for evaluation and verification of compliance with
the essential and other eco-design requirements (minimum recycled
content rates, recyclability, reusability, etc.) (Art. 12.3).
Marking containers with brands or logos that may mislead consumers about recyclability will incur penalties.
Eco-design: Minimum post-consumer recycled content (PCR) targets - not only for beverage bottles
Recycled content requirements are proposed to apply to
- beverage bottles – in line with the SUPD’s Art. 6 – from 2025: 25%, calculated as the average of all PET beverage bottles POM;
- all plastic packaging from 2030: 30%, calculated as the average of all plastic packaging POM (extending beyond the SUPD);
- selected plastic packaging from 2030:
- 35% for plastic jars, carafes and similar containers of up to 5L, including their caps and lids;
- 15% for cans, jars, tubs, trays, baskets and other similar plastic items;
- 25% for plastic films used in primary packaging applications, including bagging, liners, peel caps, or wrappers;
- 50% for plastic films used in secondary packaging, such as shrink wrap, liners, sacks, bubble wrap and envelopes;
- 60% for wholesale pallets, boxes and storage containers and other similar plastic items (Art. 11).
Modulated recycling fees: Substantial subsidies for
recycled plastics if PCR targets exceeded; penalties for disruptive
packaging
PROs will be required to modulate recycling fees through high-amplitude bonuses or penalties, depending on whether design criteria (defined in Annex VIII) are met.
- Bonuses (discounts):
- Discounts
of EUR 50 (PET) to EUR 550 (PS) per tonne of PCR* must be awarded to
plastic packaging that exceeds minimum PCR requirements by at least 10%;
* EUR/ton discount of recycled plastic used: PET - EUR 50 / ton;
LDPE - EUR 400; HDPE (rigid) and PP - EUR 450; HDPE (flexible) - EUR
200; PS and EPS - EUR 550
- A
minimum discount of 10% is to be granted to packaging (and components)
labelled with the percentage of material ‘available for quality
recycling’;
- Penalties are set as a percentage of the base recycling fee, for example:
- +50% for paper and cardboard printed with inks containing added mineral oils;
- +100% for opaque PET (mineral load> 4%) in bottles, jars and rigid plastic.
Targets for separate collection: Distinguished for household, industrial and commercial packaging
The Draft stipulates recycling targets (in Art. 10) that are aligned
with those of the Packaging Directive. They must be met only on the
national level. In addition, the draft Decree proposes separate
collection targets for all packaging: These are to be met by PROs on a
state and region level in 2035, 2030 and 2035 and are set as follows:
- Overall separate collection targets apply to
- household packaging: 65% in 2025, 75% in 2030 and 85% in 2035 (Art. 29.2)
- at nominally 10% higher rates for commercial packaging (Art. 36.2) and for industrial packaging (Art. 42.2)
- Material specific separate collection targets
are set for household packaging only. The rates are a nominal 5% higher
than the recycling targets. Beverage cartons have their own target, set
at the same rate as the targets for glass (70%, 80%, 90%).
[Packaging waste prevention measures: Reduction objectives, re-use quota for beverage, industrial and commercial packaging
Measures to promote waste prevention Include the following:
- The waste packaging generated is to be reduced by 13% by weight in 2025 and 15% in 2030 compared to 2010;
- Retailers may
not present fresh fruits and vegetables in batches under 1.5 kg in
plastic (applicable from 30 days after entry into force of the Decree),
and those with a sales area over 300 m2 will be obligated to inform
customers of the environmental impact of certain packaging, the
availability of different packaging types, etc.
- All packaging is to be 100% recyclable by 2030;
- Reuse quotas (as a % of units supplied) will have to be met by
- the hotel and catering (HORECA) sector at the following levels
- waters: 50% in 2025 and 60% in 2030;
- beer: 80% in 2025 and 90% in 2030;
- soft drinks and juices: 70% in 2025 and 80% in 2030;
- others: 50% in 2025 and 60% in 2030;
- household beverage producers at a rate of 10% in 2025 and 20% in 2030
- packers/fillers of commercial and industrial packaging at a rate of 40% in 2025, 50% in 2030 and 60% in 2035.
DRS: To be mandatory for SUP bottles if collection target missed in 2023/27; newly mandatory for reusable packaging
The draft transposes the separate collection targets for plastic beverage containers stipulated
by the SUPD: 2025: 77%; 2029: 90%. Should producers fail to
achieve a rate of at least 70% in 2023 or 85% in 2027, a mandatory deposit-refund scheme (DRS) for
single-use plastic beverage containers (up to 3L) will be launched
within two years. The deposit amount is set at minimum of EUR 0.1 per
unit.
The draft Decree requires reusable packaging to be managed through a DRS (Art. 46) [Note: Currently a DRS is in place for water, soft drinks and beer in the HORECA sector].
Packaging waste financing and management: Clear obligations for
all parties; commercial and industrial packaging newly subject to EPR
Packers/fillers of all types of packaging are newly required to finance
- the total costs of separately collecting and managing packaging waste;
- 50%
of the costs of managing waste packaging arising in the mixed MSW
stream [Note: This waste is currently managed and financed almost
entirely by municipalities];
- the costs of prevention and awareness measures/campaigns.
Household waste packaging may either be fully managed by
producers through their PROs or jointly with municipalities. If
municipalities intervene or opt to manage household waste packaging
themselves, agreements must be concluded between the two parties (Annex X
lays out the contractual conditions, Annex XI the financing criteria).
Such agreements may be made with the autonomous communities to cover all
municipalities within the community [Note: Provision is made for
contractual dispute resolution under Law 60/2003].
Commercial and industrial packaging are newly* subjected to EPR obligations.
Commercial packaging waste arises in the service sector (commercial,
wholesale/retail, HOREACA, offices and markets); industrial packaging
waste in industry, farms, livestock, forestry or aquaculture.
Obligations vary between the two. Worthy of note:
- For
industrial packaging, alternative financing agreements are permitted
between PROs and end-users (waste management responsibility may be
delegated to the latter).
- Commercial
packaging that arises as waste in MSW must be financed by producers as
household packaging. If municipalities manage such packaging, agreements
with producers must be in concluded.
* Currently, only packaged phytosanitary products are subject to
EPR, while end-users are obligated for other industrial/commercial
packaging.
Requirements on PROs: Fine tuning
The authorisation of PROs is increased from 5 years to 8
years. The authorisation procedure remains largely unchanged but
application requirements are more extensive (Annex VI) [Note:
Applications are submitted to the competent body of the autonomous
community where its registered office is located and authorisations
valid for the entire national territory].
Transparency controls are proposed to combat conflicts
of interest and encourage non-discriminatory conditions and annual
report data is to be audited by independent accredited entities [Note: The CEP’s minimum requirements on PROs are transposed in the draft Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils].
Separate collection targets (% of waste generated)
|
|
- The Royal Mint to recover precious metals from electronic waste; The
Royal Mint has signed an agreement with Canadian clean tech start up
Excir to introduce a ‘world first’ technology to the UK, which will
enable it to safely retrieve and recycle gold and other precious metals
from electronic waste.
- US environmental study claims risk from phthalates in food packaging; A
new study by a US peer-reviewed journal claims phthalates (PFAS)
chemicals found in plastic food packaging and other consumer goods are
causing tens of thousands of deaths annually in the
USA. Phthalates, also known as plasticizers, are a group of
chemicals that make plastic more durable.
- Research by giffgaff suggest 72% of UK adults have ‘no idea’ what e-waste is; YouGov
research commissioned by mobile telephone network, giffgaff, suggests
that 72% of the UK have no idea what e-waste is and 68% think the
government should be doing more to raise awareness of it nationally.
- Bulldog skincare launches recycling scheme for tubes and blades; Men’s
skincare brand Bulldog has recently launched a recycling scheme
enabling consumers to send their used razor blades and white tubes back
to be recycled into new tubes or recycled to energy.
- UK’s ‘path to net zero’ set out in new emissions strategy; The
Net Zero Strategy sets out how the UK government intends to deliver on
its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The Net Zero
Strategy sets out an economy-wide plan for how the UK government intends
to support British businesses and consumers in making the transition to
‘clean energy and green technology’ – lowering the Britain’s reliance
on fossil fuels by investing in sustainable clean energy in the UK,
reducing the risk of high and volatile prices in the future, and
strengthening the UK’s energy security.
- Duo celebrates milestone for e-commerce mailing bag; Manchester-headquartered
packaging manufacturer and consultancy Duo is marking a production
milestone for its Optipac mailing bag solution. Developed by a team
at Duo’s Manchester headquarters, the Optipac was produced to provide
e-commerce retailers with a parcel bag to create fulfilment efficiencies
and convenience for businesses and their customers.
- UK Global Investment Summit: Viridor to invest £1 billion in carbon capture; Resources
and waste management company, Viridor, and majority owned by KKR, have
announced plans to help the UK accelerate its decarbonisation agenda
through an international partnership for next-generation carbon capture,
utilisation and storage technology (CCUS).
- Clothing and textile businesses show progress on the road to net zero; WRAP
today (19 Oct) publishes the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan final
report as the culmination of eight years of collaborative action by
sector leaders. In parallel, the Textiles 2030 progress report sets out
the practical actions already underway in the successor agreement for
the sector to halve GHG emissions in line with the Paris Climate
Agreement. The Sustainable Clothing Action Plan 2020 Commitment (SCAP)
united fashion brands, retailers, charity retailers, textile recycling
companies, academia, governments and other stakeholders to reduce the
impact of clothing in the UK.
- Robinson CEO named finalist at Great British Businesswoman of the Year awards; Helene
Roberts, chief executive of plastic packaging firm Robinson, has been
named as a finalist in two categories of the Great British Businesswoman
of the Year awards.
- Biffa continues to raise awareness of Modern Slavery ahead of Anti-Slavery Day; Biffa
is continuing to fight modern-day slavery by highlighting a known human
trafficking route from Africa to the UK. In the latest, and final cycle
ride in a series of challenges by Ride For Freedom, it hopes to
highlight how widespread modern-day slavery is and stamp out the crime.
Currently worldwide, it is estimated there are more than 40 million
modern slaves.
- Kellogg’s expands recycling points for Pringles across UK; Kellogg’s has expanded its partnership with TerraCycle to create 500 new collection points for its Pringles tubes.
- First-ever winners of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize announced; The
Earthshot Prize this week revealed the first-ever five Prize Winners of
the most prestigious environment awards in history at a glittering
ceremony held at London’s Alexandra Palace. Each of these five
Winners will receive £1 million prize money and a global network of
professional and technical support to scale their ‘remarkable
environmental solutions to repair our planet and accelerate their
impact’. The five Winners include cutting-edge technologists,
innovators, an entire country, and a pioneering city.
- Loop featured in BBC Earthshot Prize documentary; TerraCycle
and Loop founder/CEO Tom Szaky spoke about the global reuse platform
during an episode of The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet.
- International E-Waste Day: 57.4m tonnes expected in 2021 will outweigh China’s Great Wall; On
International E-Waste Day 2021, experts and producer responsibility
organisations are calling on households, businesses and governments to
‘get behind’ efforts to get more dead or unused plug-in or
battery-operated products to facilities where they can be either
repaired or recycled to recover a king’s fortune in valuable materials
and reduce the need for new resources. This year’s collective
worldwide waste electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) will total an
estimated 57.4 million tonnes – greater than the weight of the Great
Wall of China, Earth’s heaviest artificial object.
- Survey: Confusion about sustainable packaging revealed; A
new series of interviews with British shoppers reveal a clear lack of
understanding when it comes to environmentally friendly packaging.
- Suez given green light to fill and restore 400,000m3 of landfill in Dorset; In
a unanimous vote, the Strategic Planning Committee for Dorset Council
has recommended that SUEZ recycling and recovery UK is granted planning
permission for an additional ten years in which to fill Beacon Hill
landfill and complete an extensive restoration project.
- McLaren Packaging signs up to United Nations Race to Zero campaign; Port
Glasgow-based McLaren Packaging, a specialist supplier to the Scotch
whisky industry, has signed up to the United Nations Race to Zero
campaign.
- EU’s residual waste policy needs ‘radical improvement’ – Zero Waste Europe; New
research published this week (12 October) by Zero Waste Europe suggests
that a ‘radical improvement’ of the EU residual waste policy is needed
to make it fit for a circular, carbon-free economy.
- France announces fruit and veg plastic packaging ban; In
a bid to reduce plastic waste, France is banning plastic packaging for
nearly all fruit and vegetables from January 2022, the environment
ministry announced this week.
- ‘Adapt or die’, says Environment Agency; The
climate emergency can only be successfully tackled through greater
focus on adapting to the inevitable climate impacts that we are already
seeing, the Environment Agency has warned today (13 October) as it urged
world leaders to step up to that challenge at COP26.
- Taghleef shrink film designed for today’s sorting and recycling systems; Taghleef
Industries has announced the launch of SHAPE360 shrink films range,
featuring a new and updated SHAPE360 TDS, the leading-edge solution for
TD shrink sleeve labels.
- Low carbon construction products achieve Scotland’s first end-of-waste status; Recycling
and waste management solutions business Levenseat has become the first
Scottish company to secure ‘end-of-waste’ status for its new stream of
low carbon aggregates products. The Lanarkshire-based company
achieved the accreditation from Scotland’s environmental regulator SEPA
for its newly developed products, which provide a sustainable and lower
cost alternative to virgin aggregates used in construction projects.
- Iceland continues to reduce plastic footprint with series of plastic pack cuts; The
nine products will see either plastic-free of heavily reduced packaging
replace the current packaging, resulting in a reduction of plastic of
36.6 tonnes.
- Biffa partners with charity to help combat homelessness in Scotland; UK
waste management company Biffa is launching a partnership with Simon
Community Scotland (SCS) to tackle homelessness in the country. SCS
is a Scottish charity that provides help and support to homeless people
via their street teams, drop in support and advice centres, and 24-hour
helpline. SCS work across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Central Scotland.
- Digital kerbside DRS pilot proves popular with Welsh residents; A
pilot digital kerbside Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Wales has proved
successful, with over 70% of participants returning all items.
- Almost one-third of Europe’s largest listed companies have pledged to reach net-zero – study; Corporate
commitments to net-zero accelerated over the last two years, with
almost one-third (30%) of Europe’s largest listed companies now having
pledged to reach net-zero by 2050, according to a new study by
Accenture.
- Chanel unveils fragrance bottle caps made with bio-based Sulapac material; The Les Eaux De Chanel collection is topped with a bio-based cap, which Chanel has developed in partnership with Sulapac.
- Plans for UK’s first £165m ‘plastic park’ submitted; Peel
NRE has submitted a planning application for the ‘Plastic Park’ to be
developed at Protos, the company’s strategic energy and resource hub
near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. It will cluster together processing and
treatment technologies with an aim of getting ‘the most value’ from
plastic waste.
- Ranpak invests in German packaging innovator for grass-based packs; Paper-based packaging firm Ranpak has announced an investment in Creapaper in Germany.
- Clothes made from recycled plastic bottles ‘adding to fashion’s waste crisis’; Polyester
clothes made from recycled plastic bottles are ‘adding to fashion’s
waste crisis’ and ‘flooding the natural environment with plastics’,
according to campaigners.
- 100% recyclable paperboard lid for takeaway cups introduced; A
long-term collaboration between Finnish start-up company, The Paper Lid
Company and Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, has led to the
development of a 100% recyclable paperboard lid for use with takeaway
cups.
- High engagement for Wales’ first digital kerbside DRS pilot; Results
from Wales’ first digital kerbside deposit return scheme (DRS) pilot,
which ran in Conwy, North Wales over the summer, suggest consumers are
‘highly engaged’, with 97% of registered households returning at least
one bottle over four weeks.
- Weetabix reveals progress on recyclable packaging target; The
cereal manufacturer said that 99% of its packaging will be widely
recyclable by the summer of next year and claimed that it is “leading
the pack of its industry peers”. Key changes for Weetabix this year
include transitioning the Protein line of its Weetabix On the Go
breakfast drinks to the widely recyclable PET bottles it introduced last
year. The company said it has invested in extensive trials to ensure
the clear PET bottle is able to keep the nutritional properties of the
drink from deteriorating in sunlight. It’s said that the new bottle will
be 51% recycled content (rPET), reducing its carbon footprint by 7%.
- UK carbon capture plans could be underpinned by waste sector, new research suggests; New
research from Eunomia Research & Consulting suggests that using
carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology on Energy from
Waste (EfW) facilities could be some of the cheapest use of CCUS of any
industrial sector, underpinning the UK’s Net Zero strategy, thanks in
large part to the location of many facilities close to potential CCUS
clusters and port hubs.
- Pact Retail Accessories joins the UK Plastics Pact to help retailers eliminate plastic waste; Pact
Retail Accessories has now become a member of the UK Plastics Pact,
with a shared vision to ‘eliminate plastic waste’. The UK
Plastics Pact, led by WRAP, is the first of a global network of
commitments, enabled by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics
Economy initiative.
- New food labelling legislation comes into effect; ‘Natasha’s
Law’, new legislation requiring food retailers to display full
ingredient and allergen labelling, comes into effect today (1 October).
- Project using drones and data to tackle litter in Bournemouth reveals “game-changing” results; What
is being called the ‘most scientifically’ and ‘robust’ litter survey
ever undertaken in the UK has revealed ‘groundbreaking results’ set to
impact how litter is tackled in the future, according to the behaviour
change charity, Hubbub.
|
|
|
|
