The European Parliament has adopted its position on new EU-wide rules on packaging. Today’s vote during the plenary session concluded with 426 votes in favour, 125 against, and 74 abstentions.
At the end of October, the proposed amendments to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) were voted on by European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). Now the full house has adopted the amendments, meaning that Parliament is ready to start talks with national governments on the final form of the law once the Council has adopted its position.
The amendments to the PPWR set overall packaging reduction targets of 5% by 2030, 10 % by 2035 and 15 % by 2040. The goals are higher for plastic packaging, with MEPs voting for specific targets to reduce plastic packaging, 10% by 2030, 15% by 2035, and 20% by 2040. MEPs also called for a ban on the use of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) and Bisphenol A in food contact packaging.
“Parliament is sending out a strong message in favour of a complete overhaul of the EU packaging and packaging waste market,” said Rapporteur Frédérique Ries. “This legislation is essential for European competitiveness and innovation, and aligns environmental ambitions with industrial reality. Together with effective reuse and recycling policies, we make sure that packaging is safe for consumers, by adding a ban on harmful chemicals in food packaging, in particular PFASs”.
Compromise amendments 8, 10, 12, and 25 are of particular importance to the plastics industry. Amendment 8 reduces the minimum recycled content target for contact sensitive packaging, a move that was criticised by industry body Plastics Europe.
“It is unfortunate that the decision by the Environment committee to reduce the recycled content targets for contact sensitive packaging has not been reversed in Plenary," said Virginia Janssens, managing director at Plastics Europe. "This is a missed opportunity to use the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation to boost the development of the market for recycled plastic packaging in Europe.”
Compromise amendment 10 says by January 1, 2030, 50% of all packaging from economic operators, including online platforms, making large household appliances should be reusable. Cardboard will be included within the reuse targets.
Compromise amendment 12 sets restrictions on the sale of single-use packaging and setting forth a ban on single-use packaging in restaurants, regardless of material. The restriction on single-use packaging will ban plastics packaging for fresh products or grouped packaging, like very light weight plastic carrier bags, shrink wraps, and collation films.
Zero Waste Europe called the Parliament’s vote a ‘position for the wrong century’, saying that the proposal suffered ‘a major blow with extensive derogations proposed by the [European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy Committee] and by a delegation of Italian MEPs’. The derogations include excluding disposable plates and cups from dine-in restaurants, single-use packaging for fruit and vegetables, and single-use sauce and sugar tubs and sachet from the list of unnecessary packing formats. It also exempts member states with over 85% recycling rate for specific packaging from complying with reuse targets. The association also criticised Parliament for failing to make mixed waste sorting mandatory.
Compromise amendment 25 set a December 31, 2025, deadline to publish a report assessing the possibility of laying down targets for the use of bio-based plastic feedstock on packaging, counting towards mandatory recycled content targets. In particular, the Commission wants to consider meeting up to 50% of the recycled content targets by using bioplastics.
European Bioplastics said it welcomed the ‘less prescriptive approach’ for biobased and compostable bioplastics in packaging. However, it accused the Parliament of sending ‘mixed signals’ to the sector by failing to include bioplastics in the targets for recycled content at this point.
European Plastics Converters said the Parliament vote 'discriminates plastics packaging', pointing to special reduction targets for certain plastic packaging, exemptions of composite packaging from recycling quotas, and bans on single-use stretch films as 'unfounded tailored measures against plastics, which seem to be based predominantly on emotional motives'.
This article was updated on Nov. 23 and again on Nov. 27 to include reactions from industry bodies.