INCPEN
Members (not including Trade Association Group colleagues) have access
to view the full legislation library. Please contact Alison Skuse
for access.
|
|
Netherlands - Industry proposes return of DRS containers to 'Circular Hubs' rather than to retail - 21 Jan 2022
Since Jul-21 a mandatory DRS has been applied to plastic
beverage bottles. From Jan-23 the DRS will also cover metal cans.
Industry and packaging PRO StaV have now proposed an operational DRS
mechanism that relies on ‘Circular Hubs’ rather than retailers as
return-route for DRS containers. Environmental groups oppose the plan,
fearing that it would make the return inconvenient. Meanwhile the
Government is considering a collection target for beverage cartons to
discourage switching to non-DRS subjected packaging
Background
In Oct-20, State Secretary Ms. Van Veldhoven (succeeded) proposed the
imposition of a mandatory DRS on cans unless industry achieved a litter
reduction rate of 70% and a collection rate of 90% in 2021. On 3-Feb-21,
following the release of municipal data concluding that the required
waste reductions would be impossible to achieve, State Secretary Van
Weyenberg (incumbent) announced his decision to activate the mandatory DRS on cans. A May-21 Decree 228/2021
subjected metal beverage packaging for all beverage types with a volume
of 3L to a mandatory deposit from 2023 and to a 90% collection target
from 2024.
The imposition of the DRS for metal cans follows a similar procedure to
that for plastic bottles: In the context of the SUPD’s Art.9 collection
targets for plastic beverage bottles (77%/90% by 2025/2029), Ms Van
Veldhoven felt it necessary issue a Mar-20 Decree that imposed – from
Jan-22 – a 90% recycling target and a mandatory DRS for all beverage
plastic bottles below 3 liter. In Apr-21 she decided to bring the
enforcement date of the DRS for plastic bottles forward to Jul-21.
Note: From 2003 to 2015, a mandatory DRS applied to all
plastic soft drink and water bottles above 0.5 liters. After the expiry
of the DRS obligation, StaV encouraged producers to continue the DRS by
charging very high recycling fees (EUR 7,500 per ton POM, or about EUR
0.25 per bottle) on plastic beverage bottles that did not participate in
a DRS. Plastic bottles that did were only charged EUR 20 per ton, about
1/20 of fee for other plastic packaging.
Industry proposes return of DRS containers to ‘Circular Hubs’ rather than to retail
On 14-Dec-21, packaging PRO StaV, the food retail association CBL and
the food and drinks industry federation FNLI released a joint ‘Action
plan for a future-proof deposit system for metal beverage packaging’.
The organisations expect the DRS design and the financing particulars to
be ironed out in H1-22 and the DRS to be soft launched in H2-22. The
Plan is supported by State Secretary Van Weyenberg.
A particularity of the plan is that it does not foresee any in-store
retail return points for packaging subject to the DRS. Supermarkets have
been reluctant to participate in the DRS, arguing that a DRS imposes on
them a disproportionate amount of responsibility and costs. Although
many continue to take-back of empty plastic beverage packaging within
their stores (mainly through reverse vending machines), some are
exercising their right not to do so. * Recall that the Apr-20 Decree
122/2020 introducing the DRS on plastic beverage containers also
removed the requirement for supermarkets with a sales area >200 sqm
to take-back deposit packaging. Supermarkets have, however,
indicated that they are willing to provide emergency (temporary) return
services for cans in the event of a delay in the establishment of
adequate return infrastructure.
Rather than retail return points, the Plan foresees a network of 3,000
primary return points located ‘near’ (proximity undefined) supermarkets.
These return points would be gradually be opened to take back other
packaging materials, and then referred to as ‘Circular Hubs’.
This indicates a gradual shift away from supermarket-operated return
points for plastic deposit packaging and towards independent
producer-arranged return points for all deposit packaging. Currently [only] Estonia has such a system in place.
The 3,000 “Circular Hubs” would be supplemented by around 5,000
voluntary return points and an additional 300 points at ‘high traffic’
locations.
Environmental groups push for re-instatement of retailer’s take-back obligation
Environmental groups (namely Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Natuur &
Milieu, Plastic Soup Foundation, Plastic Soup Surfers, the North Sea
Foundation and Greenpeace) believe the industry proposal inadequate for
meeting the 90% collection target arguing that
- 89% of consumers favor returning cans at the POS;
- the
~3,000 permanent return locations for cans compare to 5,500
supermarkets which currently take-back plastic bottles, while the number
of cans is almost 2.5 times that of plastic bottles;
- there are almost no examples of DRS’ being established without the participation of the retail sector (except in Estronia);
- the
successful establishment of return infrastructure within the (short)
implementational time-frame is doubtful, as it is highly dependent on
agreements and permits from property owners and municipalities.
The groups thus are lobbying Parliament and the new Cabinet to
re-instate the obligation for the retail sector to take-back all deposit
bearing packaging.
Collection target considered for beverage cartons to discourage switching to non-DRS subjected packaging
On 17-Nov-21, in a letter to Parliament, State Secretary Van Weyenberg
announced that, in light of a rising number of producers reportedly
switching from plastic containers to beverage cartons – to avoid
participation in the DRS – that the Department of Waterways and Public
Works (Rijkswaterstaat) will monitor increases in the incidence of
beverage cartons in the municipal waste stream to decide whether
additional regulatory measures are needed.
It is likely that a recycling target will likely be imposed on beverage cartons from 2023.
|
|
Sweden - Municipalities unhappy with proposal for municipal control over packaging collection - 12 Jan 2022
A comprehensive 240+ page government memorandum proposes to
shift the operational responsibility for the collection of household
packaging and printed paper waste from producers to municipalities to
improve collection, while producers would retain the financial
responsibility for collection and treatment. Municipalities are
unsatisfied with the proposal arguing further clarification and more
flexibility on the regime’s design is needed.
On 5-Nov-21, the memorandum, entitled "An Improved Packaging Collection - New Roles for Municipalities and Producers", was sent to 143 stakeholders (municipalities, authorities, retailers, recyclers) for comments ending 7-Feb-22.
The memorandum is an attempt to move beyond the political disagreement
about whether municipalities or producers should have operational
control over packaging waste collection – a discussion ongoing for over 6
years.
It contains 8 legislative proposals summarised as follows:
- The municipalities
- will
take over the operational responsibility for collecting packaging waste
from households and businesses whose packaging waste is collected
together with household packaging waste;
- must
collect waste paper and cardboard, plastic, glass and metal packaging
from households close to the property (curbside). Other types of
packaging - for example wood, ceramics and textiles - as well as bulky
packaging must be collected in easily accessible places;
- must
also collect sorted packaging waste in specially prepared places for
the public where a lot of packaging waste is generated;
- must hand over collected packaging waste to the PROs, based on their market share of each material;
- must
provide trans-shipment stations and have routines for calculating and
checking that the correct amount of waste is handed over to the
respective producer responsibility organisation (PRO).
- The
producers must finance the collection and treatment and cover the
municipalities' costs for trans-shipment and information to households.
New arrangements are laid out for competing PROs to operate alongside
each other. The EPA will be responsible for determining market shares
and ensuring that materials are divided fairly.
- If
there is no approved PRO, the municipality must ensure that the
packaging waste that falls under the municipality's collection
responsibility is treated.
Municipal control over waste packaging collection will be phased in from
2024 and from 1-Jan-26, all municipalities must have their own
collection systems in place. Until municipalities transition away from
PRO-operated collection systems, PROs would continue to manage waste
packaging collected at their own ‘bring sites’.
As regards non-household waste packaging, PROs will continue to be
responsible for collecting packaging waste from businesses that is not
collected together with household packaging waste (non-household).
The largest PRO will be responsible for operating collection
points in each municipality.
A decision on a new revised regulation, based on the memorandum's proposal, is expected to be made in June 2022.
Municipalities want more say in the regime’s design
The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR) rejects the Government's proposal. A press release issued by SKR on 17-Dec-21 reveals concerns over:
- the implementational complications and difficulties of newly establishing curb-side collection infrastructure;
- the ‘unrealistically short’ implementation schedule (to be phased over 2024-2026);
- doubt that municipalities will receive full cost coverage for packaging collection;
- the
over-detail and inflexibility regarding how the system should be
designed and operated, with the argument that if municipalities are to
be given ultimate responsibility, it should be them that designs the
system;
- the high expense of running the system - as currently proposed;
- a risk and impact assessment as regards the consequences on urban planning is lacking.
Packaging PRO FTI – the largest packaging PRO which handles almost all
household (and a large portion of non-household) packaging waste – had
previously rejected the concept of full municipal control over the waste
packaging regime, but has since warmed to the idea given a thorough
‘reality-addressing’ framework is in place. The newly appointed CEO of
FTI Helena Nylén has welcomed the proposal for taking into account the
organisation’s views expressed during its development, while stating
that it contains ‘significant shortcomings’.
The Swedish Waste Management recycling association (Avfall Sverige)
generally supports the concept, as well as the proposed
compensation/financing mechanism, but agrees with SKR in that:
- certain aspects of the financing mechanism (as well as other elements of the proposal) need further clarification; and that
- the methodology for calculating collection costs needs further fleshing out.
Background
The 2014 Packaging Ordinance (2014:1073) required for the first time
that packaging PROs were to be licensed from 2016. This deadline was
delayed several times due to political disagreement about whether
municipalities or producers should have operational control over
collection.
In Jul-18, a revision of the ordinances required PROs to provide
curbside collection of all packaging materials for 60% of residential
properties by 2021 and 100% from Apr-25 as a licensing condition. The
deadline for obtaining the license was moved to Jan-21.
In Jun-20 the Swedish EPA rejected license applications from PRO FTI and
another party as both 'will not meet the requirements to be able to
collect from 60% of the residential properties in 2021' and because both
appear to be similar, meaning that they don't 'complement each other
but rather duplicate each other's systems'. The EPA was to recommend
changes to regulatory requirements for PROs to the Government.
In Oct-20, the deadline for PROs to be licensed was postponed to Jan-23.
In Feb-21, the government tasked the MoE with submitting proposals for a
new Ordinance with the aim of creating conditions that would allow
achieving the material recycling targets of the EU Circular Economy
Packaging and its EPR requirements.
|
|
- OEP sets out draft strategy and enforcement policy; The
newly-formed Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has this week
launched a consultation on how it intends to carry out its role to
protect and improve the environment by holding government and public
authorities to account.
- Tetra Pak launches cap using certified recycled polymers; Tetra
Pak and Elle & Vire have worked together to produce the first
carton packaging in the food and beverage industry to incorporate a cap
using certified recycled polymers.
- Young inventors set to lead the UK to net zero; Innovate
UK, the UK’s innovation agency, has announced the winners of this
year’s Young Innovators’ Awards as the next generation help the UK with
the race to net zero. The Young Innovators Awards recognise young
people from every region and nation of the UK with great business ideas
who have the potential to become successful entrepreneurs and future
leaders in innovation.
- £6 million National Lottery funding to support UK communities to reduce waste; The
grants come from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest
funder of community activity in the UK. They include £150,000 to
Circular Fashion Economy, in Norwich, to expand its successful
clothing-swap shop concept across Norfolk, and £150,000 to Groundwork
South and North Tyneside to create a ‘repair and reuse’ culture within
the local community. Communities’ Reduce, Reuse and Recycle in Edinburgh
is also benefitting from £150,000 in National Lottery funding –
enabling it to support local people to reduce their waste and
consumption habits while diverting items from landfill.
- WRAP and Behaviour Change to work on sustainability & public habits; WRAP
has joined forces with not-for-profit social enterprise Behaviour
Change to focus on the impact of individual consumption on climate
change.
- NASA launches ‘Sustainable Reprocessing in Space’ challenge; The
United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has
launched a challenge to help solve to the issue of conserving and
reusing resources for its future space missions.
Future journeys into the ‘final frontier’ will require better use and
recycling of the limited resources astronauts will have at their
disposal after leaving Earth’s orbit; the journey to Mars and back would
currently take two to three years and what crews take with them will be
all they have.
- Smurfit Kappa supplies new ‘Better Planet’ pack to foodservice outlet; Smurfit
Kappa has developed new packaging for fast food following collaboration
with independent packaging consultant Juozas Baranauskas.
- Study looks at potential for CO2 reductions within European waste sector; A
joint study compares two projections for waste management performance
and recycling and landfill targets across the EU27 and the UK, with an
aim of assessing the sector’s potential for CO2 reduction. The
study suggests ‘significant’ avoided CO2 emissions for the following 10
waste streams: paper, glass, plastics, ferrous metals, aluminium, wood,
textiles, waste tyres, biowaste, and residual waste/WDF (non-separately
collected waste and rejects from waste treatment/waste derived fuels).
- Pro Carton relaunches website with focus on sustainability; Pro Carton has relaunched its website with a refreshed look under recently appointed general manager, Winfried Muehling.
- UK government proposes digital tracking to crack down on waste crime; Proposals
set out in two new consultations aim to ‘clamp down’ on waste crime and
support people and businesses to manage waste correctly. The
reform will see increased background checks for firms who move or trade
waste, as well as setting out to make it easier for regulators across
the UK ‘take action against rogue operators’, the UK government says.
- Storopack launches protective paper sheet cushioning; Protective packaging specialist Storopack has launched paper sheets to replace traditional plastic bubble cushioning.
- Trewin Restorick to step down as Hubbub CEO; Trewin
Restorick has announced plans to step down as CEO of the environmental
charity Hubbub this Summer. The move comes eight years after Restorick
first co-founded the charity in 2014, alongside directors Gavin Ellis
and Heather Poore. It follows a stellar run of accolades, with the last
two years seeing Hubbub awarded Charity of the Year at the Charity Times
Awards, while Restorick was named Leader of the Year at the Global Good
Awards and presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the
BusinessGreen Leaders Awards.
- Südpack switches to green electricity; German
films specialist Südpack Group has switched entirely to green
electricity supply for its key production, administration and logistics
sites.
- Fortress Technology launches new x-ray machine for food packs; Food inspection specialist Fortress Technology Europe has launched the NEW RAPTOR X-RAY.
- Report: ‘Throwaway global economy’ is fuelling climate change; The
‘throwaway global economy’ is fuelling climate change, according to a
new report from Circle Economy, showing more than half a trillion tonnes
of virgin materials have been consumed since the 2015 Paris
Agreement. The report from the impact organisation states world
leaders are ‘missing the opportunity’ to achieve deep cuts in emissions
by adopting circular economy strategies that reduce demand for
resources.
- EPBP and RecyClass announce strategic collaboration; The
European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) and RecyClass have joined efforts
to further support value chain actors in making the right design
decisions in PET bottle production.
- A Circular Economy Network launched in The Gambia will help drive green growth; On
14 January 2022, the British High Commission in Banjul hosted the
launch of a new Circular Economy Network in The Gambia. Led by UK waste
management NGO WasteAid, and funded by the UK’s Chartered Institution of
Wastes Management, the Circular Economy Network will help improve the
way resources and wastes are managed in The Gambia, preventing pollution
and supporting livelihoods in a green economy.
- Call for improved recycling facilities at parks & beaches; Parks and beaches are the most in need of improved recycling facilities, according to new research by Every Can Counts.
- ‘Outdated and repetitive’ curriculum ‘failing’ to prepare young people to tackle climate change; Educators
and chemical sciences professionals say curriculum content for climate
change and sustainability is ‘falling far short’ of delivering the
knowledge and skills needed by the workforce of the future.
- Study reveals ‘UK’s best areas for recycling’; Waste
and recycling management expert BusinessWaste.co.uk has revealed the
best local councils for recycling in 2021 based on the percentage of
household waste sent to recycling, reuse, or composting.
- 4.2 million old electricals ‘abandoned’ in UK over Christmas; Research
conducted by Recycle Your Electricals has revealed that nearly 40% of
UK adults bought nearly 40 million items of household tech from Black
Friday to Christmas, resulting in 4.2 million unwanted electricals being
‘abandoned’. Some 2.2 million of these abandoned electricals are
hoarded away, according to the research, with 2 million of them thrown
in the bin. If we donated these items to those in need, the value would
be £136 million, it says.
- Kite launches compostable greaseproof paper for takeaway packs; Kite
Packaging aims to revolutionise takeaway packaging with the
introduction of its compostable greaseproof paper, the latest in its
range of eco-conscious food packaging solutions.
- UK government launches scheme for technologies producing hydrogen from biomass; The
UK government has this week (Wednesday 12 January) launched a new
programme to help develop innovative technologies to produce hydrogen, a
clean energy source, from sustainable biomass and waste.
Backed with £5 million in government funding, the new Hydrogen BECCS
Innovation Programme will set out to support the development of
technologies to produce hydrogen generated via BECCS (bioenergy with
carbon capture and storage).
- DS Smith announces commitment to 1.5°C temperature alignment; DS
Smith has announced its ambitious commitment to align its global
operations to a 1.5°C scenario as set out in the Paris Climate
Agreement.
- New UK facility enables in-house testing for lead acid and lithium-ion battery recycling processes; Technology
Minerals has announced it has opened its first laboratory suite at its
new battery processing facility in Wolverhampton, UK.
- Biffa secures multi-million-pound recycled plastic deal; Plastic
recycling giant Biffa has signed a multi-million-pound a year
partnership with one of the UK’s leading bottle manufacturers.
- ‘Acute skills shortage’ could squander green jobs opportunity, says think tank; More
support for businesses, higher education institutions and individuals
is needed to ensure the UK workforce is ‘ready to transition to greener
jobs and industries this decade’, says think tank, Green Alliance.
- Smurfit Kappa announces $33m investment in Fortaleza, Brazil; Smurfit Kappa has announced an investment of over $33m in Brazil to expand the capacity of its plant in Fortaleza.
- ‘Postcode lottery’ means 98% of leftover paint incinerated or sent to landfill – Royal Society of Chemistry; Households
across the UK are stockpiling enough paint to coat the Forth Rail
Bridge 212 times, posing major sustainability and environmental issues,
as revealed by new research from the Royal Society of
Chemistry. Despite spoiling in a matter of months if stored
incorrectly, 73% of UK adults have admitted to stashing away pots of
unused or partially used decorating paint – 43% of which is more than
three years old.
- Faerch launches ‘fully circular’ pack solution for foodservice market; Food
packaging supplier, Faerch, is launching Evolve by Faerch into the
existing Plaza range as an off the shelf product offer.
- Veolia announces its first electric vehicle battery recycling plant in UK; UK
resource management company, Veolia, has announced its first electric
vehicle battery recycling facility in the UK, which will have the
capacity to process 20% of the UK’s end of life electric vehicle
batteries by 2024.
- Industrial packaging specialist switches to 100% renewable power in Chile; Industrial
packaging products specialist Greif has recently completed the switch
to 100% renewable power at its Pudahuel steel plant in Chile.
- Study reveals most to least wasteful English areas;
Sustainable living expert Bower Collective’s latest study ranks each towns’ and cities’ waste habits.
- Constantia Flexibles announces first certified compostable product; Constantia
Flexibles’ EcoPressoLid, a lidding material for coffee capsules, has
been awarded ‘OK Compost Industrial’ by TÜV Austria.
- Waddington Europe launches mono-material recyclable meat tray;
Thermoforming packaging specialist Waddington Europe, a division of
Novolex, has introduced an innovative recyclable tray for meat, fish and
poultry products.
- Darnley’s Gin unveils new refill pouches; Darnley’s Gin has launched refill pouches, which can be posted back to the brand’s headquarters for recycling.
- Glass industry decries lack of government action on energy price crisis; The
UK glass industry is once again calling on government to support UK
manufacturers against spiralling energy costs after “a complete lack of
action from ministers” has left businesses fighting to stay afloat.
- Morrisons replaces ‘use by’ with ‘best before’ on milk packaging; Morrisons
is replacing ‘use by’ dates with ‘best before’ dates on most of its
own-brand milk in a bid to reduce food waste.
- Funding awarded to suite of low carbon heat network projects; Following
the publication of the Heat and Buildings Strategy, funding has been
announced to a suite of low carbon heat network projects. Heat
networks have been identified by the UK government as a ‘key technology’
and the Strategy placed particular emphasis on the use of heat pumps in
the delivery of low carbon heat, according to Triple Point Heat
Networks Investment Management.
- Mindful Chef and Waitrose launch first supermarket co-branded recipe box; Healthy
food brand Mindful Chef has partnered with Waitrose to offer the first
supermarket co-branded recipe box service in the UK.
- New research reveals the biggest obstacle to living sustainably in the home;
With news around sustainability dominating the media more and more, new
research from GoodMove has revealed that a whopping 60% of Brits report
sometimes making sustainable decisions, with a further 26% reporting to
actively live a sustainable lifestyle.
- ‘World’s first refillable toothpaste dispenser’ in development; A
British eco-friendly dental brand is developing the world’s first
refillable toothpaste dispenser with biodegradable refill capsules,
after receiving a Smart Innovate grant of £150,000.
- Half of Britons vow to use less plastic in 2022; New polling reveals that 49 percent of UK adults will make a New Year’s resolution to use less plastic in 2022.
- Greene King sets up recycling scheme for plastic tubs; Pub chain and brewer Greene King is working with Co-crea8 to collect plastic tubs for recycling.
|
|
|
|
