Tighter rules on plastics: what could disappear from supermarkets

Less plastic packaging and waste, including that used for salad bags and fruit packaging. This is provided for in the new packaging regulation, which has received the first approval from the European Parliament in the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).

The regulation, proposed by the European Commission, aims to reduce containers, especially plastic ones (but not only), which have exponentially increased in recent years, becoming one of the main sources of pollution in the European Union. Critics accuse the proposal of jeopardizing the packaging sector, but also food safety, and increasing costs for businesses and consumers. This argument is mainly put forward by all Italian MEPs with few exceptions, who denounce the negative impact of this regulation on Italy, a leader in Europe in the packaging sector.

The text from the Environment Committee did not take into account Italian complaints, except for a few points, such as that concerning wine bottles. But even environmental organizations lament that the compromise reached in the European Parliament is less ambitious than initially anticipated by Brussels.

No to ultralight plastic bags

In the text voted on by the ENVI committee, the sale of ultra-light plastic bags (below 15 microns) is prohibited, unless necessary for hygienic reasons or provided as primary packaging for loose foods to help prevent food waste. MEPs have also set specific waste reduction targets for plastic packaging (10% by 2030, 15% by 2035, and 20% by 2040). Legislators believe that the plastic part in the packaging should contain minimum percentages of recycled content depending on the packaging type. B y the end of 2025 the European Commission is also required to assess the possibility of proposing specific targets for biologically sourced plastic, considered a key resource for decarbonizing the European economy. Although to be defined at a later stage, MEPs request the setting of a minimum number of times containers can be reused. According to the proposal, restaurateurs and final distributors of beverages and takeaway food should offer consumers the option to bring their own containers.

Less dangerous chemicals in containers

A key element concerns the request to ban the use of intentionally added "forever chemicals", as they call them. We are talking about PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and bisphenol A, often used to make packaging flame retardant or waterproof, especially those for food made of paper and cardboard. These substances are extremely difficult to dispose of in the environment and have been associated with a series of harmful health effects. Elected representatives have also called for EU countries to ensure that 90% of the materials contained in packaging (plastic, wood, ferrous metals, aluminum, glass, paper, and cardboard) are separately collected by 2029. But which products are affected by the regulation?

Wine producers are safe

After the vote, Coldiretti, the main Italian agricultural organization representing farmers, hailed as a success the exemption from the obligation to reuse wine bottles, as envisaged in the original version presented by the EU executive. In the approved text, additional commonly used packaging is affected by bans. "Rules are confirmed for fruit and vegetables with the limit now set at 1 kg, with the risk that bagged salads, baskets of strawberries, packs of cherry tomatoes, and oranges in nets weighing less than the limit are removed from supermarket shelves," Coldiretti denounced in a press release. According to the Italian agricultural organization, these rules pose a series of problems, both for hygiene, sanitation, conservation, and waste, and for the negative effects on consumption. The most affected products would be fourth-range products, namely bagged salads as well as packaged fruit. Coldiretti highlights that these packaging "are part of the habits of the Italians," who would be induced to consume less fruit and fewer vegetables because of the new rules.

Tons of waste

The packaging regulation has been the subject of intense debates for months, given the increasingly significant role the sector plays in the European and Italian economy. In 2018, the packaging industry generated a 355 billion-euro turnover in the EU. At the same time, this industry is a steadily increasing source of waste. Total waste in the EU passed increased from 66 million tons in 2009 to 84 million tons in 2021. The latest Eurostat data revealed a new record level of packaging waste: 188.7 kg per capita in 2021. This is 10.8 kg more than the previous year. In the past few months both non-governmental organizations and some MEPs have been complaining about the strong interference from various lobbies. Just to give a few examples, those representing companies directly involved in paper and plastic packaging production, those representing the agri-food sector, which makes an increasingly extensive use of packaging, and finally those representing the catering sector, especially the fast-food world, reluctant to abandon single-use items. Marco Musso, working for the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), has denounced the continuous attempts to weaken the legislation. "The final text supported by the ENVI committee is weaker than the original proposal due to unprecedented pressure exerted by the major polluters of the single-use packaging industry," highlighted the expert in European policies.

Italian pressures

NGOs are not the only ones complaining about this influence. Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe group), chairman of the ENVI committee, warned about the pressures "daily" exerted by Italian deputies during the parliamentary process. According to him, this attitude, defined as "strong ideological opposition," stems from the fact that Italy has a "huge problem with reuse" and does not intend to encourage it. It was mainly the center-right that opposed the legislation, fielding three Italian negotiators: Massimiliano Salini from the European People's Party (EPP), Pietro Fiocchi from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR – Brothers of Italy), and the League's member Silvia Sardone from Identity and Democracy (ID).

Who defends the plastic supply chain?

At the end of the vote, despite several amendments promoted by the packaging industry, the League expressed its dissatisfaction with the regulation. "Banning single-use products of this kind means eliminating entire supply chains without any scientific demonstration of the better environmental impact of reuse," wrote in a note the League's MEPs Silvia Sardone (the regulation's shadow rapporteur), Gianna Gancia, and Annalisa Tardino. According to them, "single-use solutions are the most sustainable options because they involve less water and energy consumption, safeguarding hygiene and safety," the note says. "This document though does not take into account the industrial specificities of our country and undermines the efforts of our companies, damages strategic sectors of the Italian economy, and penalizes our exports and the needs of the agricultural, industrial, and commercial world," the League MEPs added, committed to defending the interests of companies producing plastic packaging, which are widespread in Italy, especially in Emilia Romagna.