A proposal for a revised Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation which the European Commission has tabled builds on the performance of the EU industry’s recycling model for paper and board packaging. The paper industry now calls for a science-based evaluation of recyclable and reusable options.
Recycling is today the first source of fiber for the pulp and paper sector and ‘circularity’ is part of a business model that places Europe as the global recycling champion. In the EU, paper and board packaging are recycled more than all other materials. Paper and board also already far exceed legal recycling targets set for 2025, which are the most stringent among all materials. Nevertheless, paper producers and recyclers have pledged to reach a 90 percent recycling rate by 2030, which is higher than the current legal requirement of 85 percent. To achieve this, one prerequisite would be to improve the separate collection of paper and board throughout Europe.
The paper and board industry recognizes that recyclable and reusable options are complimentary. The EU could also achieve higher circularity by supplementing its successful recycling model with reuse systems. But the performance of reuse systems will now have to match that of the paper and board industry’s recycling model. Notably, targets set in the new proposal should concentrate on markets where circularity performance needs to be improved, and decisions to go for either recyclable or reusable packaging should be based on independent science-based proof of their respective environmental benefits.
