EU commits to banning single-use plastic for fresh produce

EUROPE – The EU has reached a provisional agreement to enact new legislation aimed at reducing packaging waste and banning single-use plastics, including those commonly used for supermarket produce.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and the current EU presidency, Belgium, reached consensus on targets to cut packaging by 5% by 2030 and 15% by 2040, with a mandate for all packaging to be recyclable by 2030.

Citing concerns over escalating packaging waste, particularly driven by the surge in online shopping and grab-and-go products, the EU emphasized the necessity of this legislation.

Without action, it warns that packaging waste could rise by 19% by 2030, with a staggering 46% increase projected for plastic packaging.

The proposed rules, if ratified, will supersede existing directives dating back to 1994 and encompass various items, from sauce sachets to disposable fast-food containers.

Notably, the legislation will also target the use of “forever chemicals” in food contact packaging, aiming to ensure consumer safety.

Additionally, the EU seeks to elevate re-use targets, setting goals for takeaway and beverage containers, while emphasizing the full life-cycle sustainability of packaging.

The proposal includes stringent measures to minimize the presence of harmful substances and enhance recyclability.

While hailed as a victory for consumer health by some, concerns linger, particularly regarding exemptions for certain types of packaging.

Campaign groups like Zero Waste Europe applaud progress on eliminating harmful chemicals but express reservations about exemptions favoring paper-based and composite packaging.

Industry voices, such as Freshfel Europe, voice discontent, labeling the ban as poorly conceived, discriminatory, and potentially illegal.

They challenge the necessity of banning packaging for fruits and vegetables, especially plastic packaging, suggesting impending legal challenges to the legislation.

In a move to reduce waste in Europe, the EU Commission also adopted its position on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) last November.

The proposed regulations encompass various measures aimed at reducing packaging, limiting specific types, and banning the use of harmful chemicals per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging.

In addition to general packaging reduction targets of 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035, and 15% by 2040, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are advocating for specific targets to reduce plastic packaging: 10% by 2030, 15% by 2035, and 20% by 2040.

However, many of the ‘unnecessary packaging items’ listed in Annex V of the original proposal had been revised in the final version.

Food contact articles such as single-use cups and plates in the dine-in sector were removed from the scope of the new regulation, as well as single-use packaging for fruits and vegetables and single-use sauce and sugar tubs and sachets.

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