EUROPE – The Committee on Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety (ENVI) within the European Parliament has endorsed revised regulations aimed at diminishing, reusing, and recycling packaging across its member nations.
European Parliament Members (MEPs) have given their approval to a report that mandates negotiations between the parliament and EU governments regarding packaging and its waste regulation (PPWR).
The parliamentary session garnered 426 votes in favor and 125 against, with 74 abstentions, regarding the adoption of the PPWR negotiations.
This proposed regulation aims to curtail packaging usage, limit certain types of packaging circulation, and outright ban substances like perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, known as ‘forever chemicals,’ along with Bisphenol A.
One of the primary goals of this revised proposal was to alter the initially suggested targets for packaging reduction: 10% by 2030, 15% by 2035, and 20% by 2040.
Frédérique Ries, the ENVI rapporteur for the European Parliament, remarked, “By voting to outlaw ‘forever’ pollutants from food packaging, the European Parliament has displayed its commitment to safeguarding the health of European citizens. My legislative report addresses the core concerns by setting more stringent waste reduction goals for plastic packaging.”
“Unfortunately, the plenary vote on the circular economy, especially on prevention, doesn’t align with reality. It overlooks the figures: a projected 30% increase by 2030 if immediate action isn’t taken.
“Among the 3Rs—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle—only recycling emerged unscathed. The demise of single-use packaging still remains a distant goal!”
Moving ahead, the parliament intends to initiate discussions with the national governments of EU member countries to finalize the legislation, post the European Council’s adoption of its position.
This recent step follows ENVI’s earlier discussions in October this year, aimed at elucidating the MEPs’ position on embracing the proposed PPWR.
UK to raise PPT rate in 2024
In a similar development, the UK government has proposed a forthcoming legislation adjustment to elevate the plastic packaging tax (PPT) rate, scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2024.
This announcement was part of the government’s Autumn Finance Bill 2023, unveiled on November 22.
Under the proposed plan, the PPT is set to rise to £217.85 (US$272.55) per tonne, aligned with the UK’s CPI, from April 1, 2024.
In its debut year during the financial year 2022-23 (FY2022-2023), the tax rate stood at £200 (US$250.61) per tonne. Subsequently, it increased to £210.82 (US$264.17) per tonne for FY2023-2024, commencing April 1, 2023.
The new rates, per the UK HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) update, will apply to all plastic packaging produced within the UK and imported into the country starting April 1, 2024.
HMRC’s policy paper clarified that this uptick in the PPT rate aligns with the CPI, thus preserving the value of price incentives for using recycled plastic. It further aligns with the government’s environmental objectives.
To sustain the encouragement of recycled plastic usage in packaging, the government is committed to releasing an evaluation plan by year-end and gathering additional evidence for determining the future trajectory of the rate and recycled plastic content threshold, as noted in the government’s Autumn Finance Bill statement.
Additionally, the government is contemplating the introduction of an escalator for the PPT rate and setting a minimum recycled plastic threshold in the foreseeable future.
The PPT was initially introduced by the UK on April 1, 2022, intending to create economic incentives for employing recycled plastic in packaging, thereby augmenting plastic waste collection and recycling rates.
This initiative strongly supports the government’s pledge to eradicate avoidable plastic waste by 2042.
In August 2023, HMRC disclosed its initial PPT statistics, revealing that the department accrued £276 million (US$345.85m) in PPT revenue during FY2022-2023.
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