Ahead of the proposal of the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste legislation, #WeChooseReuse reiterates the call for reuse and prevention to be at the core of EU packaging legislation.
An open letter signed by Rethink Plastic alliance, #WeChooseReuse and latest #WeChooseReuse partner ANEC sends one last strong signal to EU decision-makers that they must prioritise the prevention of waste and reuse of packaging in the upcoming PPWD revision, expected on the 30th November 2022.
The #WeChooseReuse campaign has continually called for ambitious and strong legislation on reuse and European decision-makers have been urged to ensure the PPWD:
- Reverses the trend of packaging waste growth - 20% in 10 years -, and then drives significant reduction in packaging waste by setting ambitious waste prevention targets. Member States with exceptionally high levels of waste (over 180 kg of packaging waste per capita annually) should face the greatest responsibility;
- Provides security for the development of reuse systems by setting legally binding reuse targets for key sectors, including food retail, takeaway food, all beverages, cosmetics and cleaning products, and e-commerce;
- Provides clear guidance and harmonisation for reusable packaging formats and the systems that are needed to operate these to ensure they are effective at scale and avoiding cases of “fake reuse”, where single use packaging continues to be used but is labelled as reuse or refill ; and
- Removes unnecessary packaging notably multi-packs, which increase food waste, and single use packaging in the HORECA sector.
Read the full open letter here.
