On 30, Nov, The European Commission proposed new rules to further reduce the impact of packaging waste on the environment, following a ban on disposable plastic products. Disposable sugar packets and condiment packets commonly used in the food and beverage industry, as well as disposable packets used in hotels, are expected to be banned.

According to new proposals released by the European Commission on 30 Nov, 40 percent of the plastic and 50 percent of the paper used in the European Union is used in product packaging, and the average EU person produces nearly 180 kilograms of packaging waste every year.

Therefore, the European Commission proposed to promote the use of reusable packaging, eliminate unnecessary packaging, limit excessive packaging, clarify the information labeling rules of recyclable packaging, etc., and plan to realize the recycling of all product packaging by 2030 and reduce the total amount of packaging waste by 37% by 2040.

The proposal says some "clearly unnecessary" packaging will be banned, such as single-use packaging for food and drinks sold in restaurants and cafes; Disposable packaging of fruits and vegetables; Hotel special mini shampoo bottle and similar product packaging.

The Commission also stressed that the new measures would also apply to non-EU imports.

Although the new rules allow exemptions for some single-use packaging, such as packaging necessary to avoid water loss or damage to fruits and vegetables, while in the catering industry and hotel industry, many common disposable packaging will be out of the stage of history, such as sugar packet for customers to drink coffee at bars and restaurants, and mini shower cream & shampoo in hotel, etc.

The proposal sparked outrage in Italy's package-related industry

Ettore Prandini, president of the Italian growers' union (Coldiretti), said the new rules would have a negative impact on Italy's packaging industry. He stressed that higher production costs would directly affect the food industry and ultimately impose additional burdens on consumers already facing financial hardship. The federation said that eliminating separate packaging would make it difficult to trace the source of problem food and would make unpackaged food more perishable, greatly increasing the risk of waste.

Luigi Scordamagli, head of Filiera Italia, the Italian food industry association, said: "In general, such regulations have a negative impact on the environment. Cleaning product packaging will not only waste a lot of water, but also cause the spread of pathogens and serious food safety risks at this time of COVID-19 epidemic."

Europen, the EU's trade body, stressed that the new rules should be "evaluated against specific criteria for hygiene, health, food safety and other requirements."

However, the Commission noted that the single-use packaging industry needed investment in the transformation, which would have a positive impact on the overall EU economy and employment. More than 600,000 jobs could be created in packaging reuse alone, according to the commission.

The proposal now goes to the European Parliament and the Council for deliberations.