About: Packaging waste
‘Flexible packaging’ – a test case for the EU’s recycling push
Lightweight soft packaging such as crisp packets or wrapping for chocolate bars are giving headaches to European recyclers who currently have little incentive to buy the collected material. The European Commission will seek to address this in July with its planned revision of the EU’s packaging and packaging waste directive.OpinionPromoted content
Growing inside Glass: In Conversation with the FEVE Secretary General
Packaging waste, sustainable shopping, climate change, and Coronavirus vaccines: the FEVE Secretary General reflects on past achievements and future challenges, as the UN names 2022 the International Year of Glass.
Recycling of packaging waste: the collection conundrum
The EU has a goal to increase packaging waste recycling, but reaching it will depend on whether local authorities increase and improve collection.
Brewers turn to blockchain for beer sustainability
To make the production of beer more sustainable, European brewing companies have started making use of blockchain technology. However, NGOs warn that single-use packaging still contributes to a large carbon footprint for many beverages.![Plastic ready to be recycled in the yard of a company specialising in ecological treatments. [Moreno Soppelsa/Shutterstock].](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/05/shutterstock-101127223.jpeg)
Plastic waste: what’s new is old
Companies doing business in Europe may soon have to ensure their packaging contains a minimum amount of recycled plastic. But getting their hands on quality recycled materials in sufficient quantity is currently difficult.
88,000 Eiffel Towers nowhere near enough…
The world has managed to recycle enough plastic since the 1950s to equal the weight of 88,000 Eiffel Towers. Pretty impressive. The bad news is this is less than one-tenth[1] of the 8.3 billion tonnes[2] of plastic produced over the...Despite pandemic’s disaster, brewers insist on EU climate goals
The EU beer industry has vowed to continue investing in sustainable practices in their brewing processes to meet EU Green Deal goals despite disastrous implications of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
EU Waste Regulation – Blazing a trail for circular consumer packaging?
Consumers appreciate recyclates in packaging as long as it doesn’t affect the quality, functionality and price of the product. But how do companies remain competitive in view of added costs for high-quality recycling and the low price of virgin plastics? Michael Laermann tries to find the answer.
French parliament to mull law to cut consumer waste
France's parliament will from Tuesday (25 September) debate legislation seeking to move the country closer to its ambition of a low-waste future, forcing electronics firms to use second-hand materials and cutting down on plastic refuse.
German associations call for binding reusable packaging quotas
Since the start of this year, a new packaging law that aims to reduce disposable plastics has been in force in Germany. But so far, the share of disposable plastics has actually seen an increase in the beverages sector and German associations criticise the lack of binding regulations. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Tough new EU recycling rules could be game-changer for packaging
In the coming years, EU citizens are set to see a change in the way they recycle waste at their homes and businesses – and in the way that recycling is measured.
Recycling metal packaging
New EU-wide recycling targets, adopted last year, will have a significant influence on the way people recycle things like beverage cans. EURACTIV looks at how difficult it will be to meet the new targets.
EU official: ‘Actual recycling could be lower’ with new methodology
When it comes to meeting the EU’s new recycling targets, metals will have a big head start. But EU member states could find it harder to reach future objectives under a new methodology being considered at the European Commission, says Maja Desgrées du Loû.
Paper, the forgotten forest destroyer
As the world awakes to the threat posed by palm oil and soy to our forests, it’s in danger of overlooking how paper and packaging drives industrial logging, mis-shapes millions of hectares of forest landscapes and creates monoculture plantations, writes Sini Eräjää.
Crunch time for crisp makers as EU waste targets loom
The European Commission has set an EU-wide objective for all packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030. But crisp packets are a particular headache for policymakers and the recycling industry because they are so tiny and lightweight.
Brussels plans new EU packaging rules to cut waste
The European Commission has started gathering views from EU member states, the packaging industry and online retailers ahead of a comprehensive review of EU rules on packaging waste, part of efforts to boost reuse and recycling rates by 2030.
The nitty-gritty of recycling
The EU now has a whole raft of rules, both finalised and pending, geared towards increasing the effectiveness and, perhaps more importantly, profitability of recycling. But beyond the headline targets, how are countries going to stick to the rules?
Tackling food waste: turning nemesis into a saviour
The function of food packaging has traditionally been limited to passive protection from external influences, but innovations are quickly changing its role. Packaging is getting active and intelligent, able to monitor and interact with food and environment and maintain food freshness for longer, writes Dr Milka Sokolović.
Packaging industry calls for policy reform to boost plastics recycling
A host of UK packaging organisations have called for more recycling collection points, tax reliefs for recycled content and a universal list of acceptable materials as part of a desired regulation reform to make it easier for consumers to recycle packaging waste. EURACTIV's media partner edie.net reports.
Europeans will have to recycle half of their waste by 2025
European households and businesses will have to recycle at least 55% of their municipal waste by 2025, according to stricter new rules passed by the European Parliament on Wednesday (18 April).
The future of packaging: It’s all about recyclability
The plastics industry is changing fast, and the way our food and products are packaged could look totally different in just a few years.
Circular economy? Not without the internal market!
Without oversight, the implementation of the circular economy package entails a huge risk of Member States going into different directions and introducing barriers to the internal market, warns Virginia Janssens.
Packaging and the environment
European countries are preparing to implement a brand new set of waste and recycling laws, following the conclusion of negotiations on the circular economy package in December. But there is more ahead, with the Plastics Strategy unveiled by the European Commission only one month later.