Reaction to European Parliament Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation vote

Virginia Janssens, Managing Director of Plastics Europe, said:

"Today's European Parliament Plenary vote is an important milestone in the transition to a circular plastics economy.
Overall, the adopted text is ambitious and will require practical implementation.

Establishing mandatory recycling content targets for the packaging sector in legislation gives a clear signal to the industry that the demand for recycled plastic will increase and stimulate investments in recycling technologies as well as the development of recyclable products.

Similar measures now need to be applied to other sectors that use plastics - including the building & construction, and automotive sectors - as part of a wider policy and regulatory framework that drives demand for circular feedstock and enables a positive investment and innovation climate in Europe.

However, we see a need for a careful review of the impact of the reuse targets and affected formats, especially in transport packaging.

Despite the lack of material neutrality undermining the original aims of the PPWR to reduce packaging waste, we support the adoption of the PPWR in a timely matter. Now, the focus should shift to the secondary legislation required to implement the Regulation in a timely, practical, and realistic way. We will continue to work in partnership with policymakers, value chain partners, and other stakeholders to ensure the Regulation is successfully implemented as a key enabling policy that accelerates plastics' circularity journey."