On 24th October, the European Parliament Environment Committee voted to adopt proposals on Packaging and Packaging Waste, ultimately aimed at the increased use of recycled materials for packaging circularity.
Specifically, the proposals seek to enforce “increased requirements for all packaging in the EU to be considered recyclable.” For instance, market players will have to adhere to the benchmark of 90% collection for recycling of materials in packaging, including plastic, metals, and paper, in addition to glass, by 2029.
While welcomed by many in the glass container industry, some sources are concerned that the new regulation fails to safeguard intellectual property rights on the design of glass containers, potentially stifling creativity and resulting in glass containers having a standard appearance.
If the situation arises where glass containers become increasingly standardised, however, some market players believe this could reduce production costs, with knock-on effects for consumers. One manufacturer stated, “there would be no need to switch the production line to change bottle shapes. The same procedure can also be used for inspection, hot/cold treatment, and packaging.”
Mintec will endeavour to provide details on this issue as more information emerges.