The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) begins applying across the European Union today. The same packaging rules will now apply in every Member State. This is one of the most significant changes to European packaging policy in decades.
With the eyes of the world now focused on the World Cup matches in the US, Canada and Mexico, we thought we would serve up a little food for thought.
TOMRA has joined Recycling Europe, Plastics Recyclers Europe and Zero Waste Europe in calling on the European Commission and co-legislators to recognize the circular economy as a central pillar of the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA).
What does a city that has cracked the reuse puzzle actually look like? Recently, 80 of Europe's leading sustainability experts traveled to Denmark to find out — and what they found promises to accelerate plans across the continent.
Alongside a strong coalition of businesses and NGOs, TOMRA has been active in promoting an ambitious Global Plastics Treaty with clear targets and harmonized regulation across UN countries. Our hopes were that the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee would finalize and adopt an agreement at the end of INC-5.2 in Geneva in August, but unfortunately, no agreement was reached.
One year in, the world’s first city-wide platform for reusable takeaway packaging in Aarhus, Denmark demonstrates that it is possible to combine convenience on the go with more circular practices. The most heavily circulated REUSEABLE cups have so far completed an impressive 33 loops of reuse.
Knowing whether plastic packaging should be placed in the separate bin for plastic recycling or thrown into the mixed waste bin is not always easy.
As plastic pollution continues to soar, extended producer responsibility (EPR) is becoming an increasingly important policy tool to mitigate this crisis. Through EPR, the operational logistics and costs of managing waste are placed firmly on the producers of that waste, creating a financial incentive for them to create and manage their products and packaging in more sustainable ways.
Today, only 9% of plastic finds its way back into the production cycle after it has been thrown away — a far cry from the target the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive has set (50% of plastic to be recycled by 2025 and 55% by 2030). In anticipation of the third round of negotiations for the UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution, where delegates from around the world will gather in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss the terms of the Treaty, TOMRA has published 10 recommendations for consideration.
If current trends continue, the OECD predicts that the amount of global mismanaged waste could skyrocket from 79 million tonnes (22% of all waste) in 2019 to 153 million tonnes (15% of all waste) by 2060. Of that mismanaged waste, 22 million tonnes is plastic entering our environment - a number that could surge to 55 million tonnes by 2060.
System integrity is critical to a trusted, reliable, and effective system. Learn more about the final design principle in this series.
EPR schemes ensure that companies take responsibility for the collection, sorting, and recycling of the packaging they place on the market, from start to finish.
High-performing EPR schemes are built on a combination of five design principles, with convenience being a fundamental pillar that most directly impacts a consumer’s role in the system.
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