MEPs debate and adopt their position for negotiations with EU governments on new rules to reduce, reuse and recycle packaging in the EU. The report by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety includes proposals to make packaging easier to reuse and recycle, to reduce unnecessary packaging and waste, and to encourage the use of recycled content. This news item shows extracts from the debate and extracts from the votes on Packaging and packaging waste.

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

vote

shipments of waste (T)

plastic waste (T)

reduction of the environmental impact of plastics (T)

Delivery EE2024 (T)

Packaging and packaging waste: extracts from the debate (21/11); and extracts from the votes

SOUNDBITE (English), Nils TORVALDS (Renew, FI), on behalf of Rapporteur, It establishes a clear line in favour of innovation, allowing a five-year derogation for innovative packaging and providing a horizontal exemption for almost the entire text for micro-enterprises with fewer than ten employees. In addition, as one of the Rapporteurs main priorities, the report has added health dimensions to the environment aspects of the dossier with the addition of a ban of businesses to chemicals, the forever pollutants and Bisphenol A in food packaging.

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Packaging is a key sector where we can empower citizens to participate in the circular economy and help create new business opportunities. The measures we propose they will deliver cost savings to consumers and benefits for the environment.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Massimiliano SALINI (EPP, IT), The risk we are running here in this extremely complicated and cumbersome regulation will end up covering just 2% of the total volume of waste, It is not serious for us to devote so much time and money to regulations covering a sector which an item of the food sector has already achieved an enormous amount.

SOUNDBITE (German), Delara BURKHARDT (S&D, DE), We can make packaging more sustainable. We can have a whole program for recycling because from 2030, all packaging must be recyclable and more recycled material must be in plastic material. We can we can avoid bisphenol and forever chemicals which come in contact with our food.

SOUNDBITE (Danish), Karen MELCHIOR (Renew, DK), With this law, we can make sure we can have harmonisation of packaging rules, reduce our use of single use packaging. I would know to go through all the glass in the parks of Copenhagen because there aren't enough requirements, all the single use takeaway packaging. I don't want to go through Europe with deposit bottles in my packaging because these packaging, the deposit systems are mutually recognised.

SOUNDBITE (English), Grace O'SULLIVAN (Greens/EFA, IE), We cannot recycle our way out of this mess. If you are a single use, plastic cup is recycled into a single use plastic bag is not sustainable. If your plastic junk is wrapped for swapped for cardboard junk is not sustainable. And if we continue to generate levels of waste at current rates, that is by definition unsustainable. So colleagues, we have to pull the brakes on our throwaway society.

Cutaways of the vote on Packaging and packaging waste (4 shots)

Final vote on Packaging and packaging waste (426 for, 125 against, 74 abstentions)