TRADE SHOW REVIEW PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 11/23 www.petpla.net 30 Review PETinar – EU Directives: Are you fit for 2024? by Ruari McCallion A lot of legislation has been recently implemented or is about to become law, from the Tethered Caps Directive to recycling requirements and the circular economy. The EU has set ambitious targets for use of water resources, end of life criteria and waste management but many EU member states are not on track to meet various environmental targets, according to a report published in June 2023. PETINAR We were privileged to hear from Dr Wolfgang Trunk (PhD), Team Leader with the EU’s Directorate General for the Environment – Circular Economy – Unit B3: From Waste to Resources, and Sjoerd van Laar, Product Manager, Full Container Inspection, at Heuft Systemtechnik. The PETinar was moderated by Ruari McCallion, Editor at PETplanet, who opened with comments on background and context, and welcomed the two speakers. Dr Trunk addressed waste and packaging legislation and highlighted in particular the inefficiencies in the EU’s current approach, which had been revealed in the Early Warning Report published in June 2023. He said that the findings are another incentive for new packaging laws that are meaningful, efficient, ambitious and will represent a change in the current situation. New and revised regulations His presentation focused on two key pieces of EU legislation concerning PET circularity: the proposed revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR), details of which were published in November 2022; and the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD - EU 2019/904), which came into force in July 2021. He compared the actual volumes of recycled packaging waste in 2018 (51.7 million tonnes) with those proposed for 2030 (54 million tonnes). He stressed that, under the new Regulation, there will still be a need to invest in further recycling capacities, particularly in plastics, from just under 10 to a over 12mt. Targets and EPR Recycled content (RC) in PETbased food contact material, including plastic beverage bottles, must have 30% recycled content from 2030, and 10% in other contact-sensitive plastic packaging. Non-sensitive plastic packaging should include 35% recycled content from 2030, with increased inclusion rates for 2040. There are several exemptions, particularly in medical and pharmaceutical areas, and review clauses for the Commission to consider. The new approach to ensure recyclability by 2030 is quite detailed, with design for recycling criteria from outset and, subsequently, driving to ensure at-scale recycling. The onus to prove compliance with RC and recyclability requirements is on the operator or producer; EPR (extended producer responsibility) fees modulation rules are based on recyclability performance grade and recycled content for plastic packaging. Capacity In the case of PET alone, Dr Trunk said that meeting these RC targets will require an estimated additional 950,000t recycling capacity by 2030 and 2,330,000t by 2040, over and above existing capacity, across contact sensitive, non-contact sensitive and beverage bottle segments. Beverage bottles alone will require additional 670,000t by 2030 and 1,470,000t ten years later. The Commission retains general powers to vary requirements in the case of problems with availability, prices, or adverse effects on health, security of food supply or the environment. PET bottles account for round 97% of SUP beverage bottles and are generally recycled mechanically. Non-PET plastic bottles may require chemical recycling; the Commission will develop an implementing act for methodology and verification, which might include chain of custody models. Enforcement These sustainability requirements at product level are enforced at member state level via their market surveillance authorities. Heuft Systemtechnik Sjoerd van Laar, Product Manager, Full Bottle Inspection, Heuft Systemtechnik GmbH, addressed the impact on closure inspection systems of implementation of tethered caps. Heuft, which was founded in 1979, is based in Burgbrohl, between Koblenz and Bonn in Germany. It has around 1,200 employees and operates from 18 locations around the world. It now makes inspection systems for food and pharma companies, as well as beverage manufacturers and bottlers. Heuft systems cover the process from returned crate and empty bottle inspection and the beginning of the line, during filling and closing, labelling and final inspection. Van Laar’s focus in his presentation was on inspection at filling and closing in particular. Dr Wolfgang Trunk, European Commission, DG Environment Sjoerd van Laar, Product Manager Full Container Inspection at Heuft Systemtechnik
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