Purpose: |
Ensure that packaging is the best it can be with respect to the environment |
Addresses waste management in general, with specific targets concerning packaging waste |
Reduce volume of plastic which ends up in oceans |
Increase collection and recycling rates of plastic packaging with targets for 2030 |
Promote better packaging designs and move towards circular economy |
Economic incentive to increase amount of plastic recycled, & stimulate a circular economy |
Make the products entering the EU market more sustainable |
Main regulations: |
Packaging should be:
- Free of dangerous chemicals
- Designed for reuse, recycle or recovery
- Clearly labelled
- Made of bio-based materials where shown beneficial from life cycle perspective
- Use high proportion of renewable energy
|
- Prevent waste from ending up in landfills:
- Promote reuse and recycling
- Create transparent producer responsibility
- Increase reliability of data
|
- Ban specific plastics that leave behind microplastics
- Labelling and design requirements for single-use plastics
- More producer responsibility
|
By 2030:
- All plastic packaging must be recyclable or reusable
- 50% of plastic waste must be recycled
- Sorting and recycling capacity to increase fourfold compared to 2015
|
- Increase recycling and reuse rates
- More simplicity in packaging design (less material mix)
- EU-wide packaging labels
- Promote use of bio-based and biodegradable materials
|
- 0.8 euro per kilogram tax on non-recycled plastic waste
- Uses data already being provided by member states
|
- Promote products that are reusable, repairable, recyclable and energy efficient
- Target removal of dangerous chemicals in electronics, textiles & furniture
|
Who does it affect? |
Member states, Packaging producers and importers |
Member states, packaging producers & importers |
Member states, & packaging producers & consumers |
Member states & packaging producers |
Member states & packaging producers |
Member states & packaging producers |
Packaging producers & importers |
Timeline: |
Initially put in place 1994, with changes made in 2018 |
Initially put in place 2008 (part of larger directive from 2018) |
Put in place 2019 |
Put in place 2018 with targets for 2030 |
Put in place 2020, with packaging specific targets for 2030 |
In place since June 2021 |
Planned to be put in place in end of 2021 |