A plenary vote in the European Parliament is scheduled for November 20
On October 24, 2023, the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) voted on its position for the proposed European Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste. As reported by FRUCOM, the compromise text adopted by ENVI includes three provisions that are of interest to the nut and dried fruit sector. In the tables below, wording modified in the ENVI-approved draft is underlined.
Article 22, Annex V, row 1 – Restrictions on single-use plastic grouped packaging:
| Text proposed by the European Commission | ||
| Packaging format | Restricted use | Illustrative example |
| Single-use plastic grouped packaging | Plastic packaging used at retail level to group goods sold in cans, tins, pots, tubs, and packets designed as convenience packaging to enable or encourage end users to purchase more than one product. This excludes grouped packaging necessary to facilitate handling distribution. | Collation films, shrink wrap |
| Amendment | ||
| Packaging format | Restricted use | Illustrative example |
| Single-use plastic grouped packaging | Plastic packaging used at the point of sale to group goods sold in cans, tins, pots, tubs, and packets designed as convenience packaging to enable or encourage consumers to purchase more than one product. This excludes grouped packaging necessary to facilitate handling in business-to-business distribution. | Collation films, shrink wrap |
Article 22, Annex V, row 4 – Restrictions on single-use packaging for condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar and seasoning in HORECA sector:
| Text proposed by the European Commission | ||
| Packaging format | Restricted use | Illustrative example |
| Single use packaging for condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar, and seasoning in HORECA sector | Single use packaging in the HORECA sector, containing individual portions or servings, used for condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar and seasoning, except such packaging provided together with take-away ready-prepared food intended for immediate consumption without the need of any further preparation | Sachets, tubs, trays, boxes |
| Amendment | ||
| Packaging format | Restricted use | Illustrative example |
| Single use packaging for condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar, and seasoning in HORECA sector | Single use packaging in the HORECA sector, containing individual portions or servings, used for condiments, preserves, sauces, coffee creamer, sugar and seasoning, except in the following cases: (a) such packaging provided together with takeaway ready-prepared food intended for immediate consumption without the need of any further preparation; (b) in centres where individualised attention and service is required, such as hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes; (c) in case of farms and agricultural businesses that carry out direct sales activities in farmers’ markets regulated by national or regional law | Sachets, tubs, trays, boxes |
Article 26 – Reuse of packaging in transport
Paragraph 12:
| Text proposed by the European Commission |
| Transport packaging used by an economic operator shall be reusable where it is used for transporting products:
(a) between different sites, on which the operator performs its activity; or (b) between any of the sites on which the operator performs its activity and the sites of any other linked enterprise or partner enterprise, as defined in Article 3 of the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361, as applicable on [OP: Please insert the date = the date of entry into force of this Regulation]. This obligation applies to pallets, boxes, excluding cardboard, trays, plastic crates, intermediate bulk containers, drums and canisters, of all sizes and materials, including flexible formats. |
| Amendment |
| From 1 January 2030, 95% of the transport packaging used by an economic operator shall be reusable where it is used for transporting products:
(a) between different sites, on which the operator performs its activity; or (b) between any of the sites on which the operator performs its activity and the sites of any other linked enterprise or partner enterprise, as defined in Article 3 of the Annex to Commission Recommendation 2003/361, as applicable on [OP: Please insert the date = the date of entry into force of this Regulation]. This obligation applies to pallets, boxes, excluding cardboard, trays, plastic crates, intermediate bulk containers, drums and canisters, of all sizes and materials, including flexible formats. |
Paragraph 13:
| Text proposed by the European Commission |
| Economic operators delivering products to another economic operator within the same Member State shall use only reusable transport packaging for the purpose of the transportation of such products.
This obligation applies to pallets, boxes, excluding cardboard, plastic crates intermediate bulk containers, and drums, of all sizes and materials, including flexible formats. |
| Amendment |
| From 1 January 2030, economic operators, including online platforms, delivering products to another economic operator within the same Member State shall use only reusable transport packaging for the purpose of the transportation of such products.
This obligation applies to pallets, boxes, excluding cardboard, plastic crates intermediate bulk containers, and drums, of all sizes and materials, including flexible formats. |
A plenary vote in the European Parliament is scheduled for November 20, 2023.