Interesų grupė
Public Consultation to inform the review of the requirements for packaging and other measures to prevent packaging waste TIPA® provides fully compostable solutions for flexible plastic packaging in the food and fashion industries, and mimics conventional flexible plastic in terms of versatility, printability, transparency, and shelf-life. The company’s packaging solutions are currently being implemented worldwide by leading global brands across Europe, North America, Australia and South America. Alongside our trade association European Bioplastics (EUBP), we have made a number of suggestions to strengthen the revision of Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste (PPWD) and its Essential Requirements with a clear recognition of the role of bio-based and compostable materials in addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.
…clear recognition of the role of bio-based and compostable materials in addressing the global plastic pollution crisis. Beyond the EUBP response, which we fully support as one of their members, TIPA also responds directly to complement with a focus on flexible packaging solutions. The problem Over 40% of products in the EU are packaged in flexible plastic. Yet only 4% of such packages were actually recycled in 2019. Flexible plastics are very difficult to recycle due to technical and economic challenges, particularly when used to wrap food items. These films are necessary to ensure the safe and hygienic transport of products but are the number one polluting source in our oceans with a minimum of 5M tons (of 11M) discarded each year to sea.
…but are the number one polluting source in our oceans with a minimum of 5M tons (of 11M) discarded each year to sea. Without a massive increase in recycling of flexible plastic, the EU recycling target to reach 50% plastic recycling by 2025 and 55% by 2030 cannot be reached. Only increasing flexible packaging recycling in all forms, including composting/organic recycling will allow meeting the EU targets. Our solution Compostable products like TIPA® packaging provide a unique solution for flexible plastic packaging. Compostable packaging is designed to be discarded along with food waste and be treated in home or industrial compost facilities.
…packaging is designed to be discarded along with food waste and be treated in home or industrial compost facilities. As the recent Pew Charitable Trust/SystemIQ report “Breaking the Plastic Wave” acknowledged, substituting conventional plastic packaging with compostable materials is a key part of the mix, when it comes to reducing plastic pollution in the oceans and the soil. Compostable packaging brings benefits to agriculture and ecological improvement by helping to bring carbon safely back to soil and helping to avoid contamination of arable land used for production of our food. Ref. Ares(2021)145436 - 07/01/2021 Our position TIPA would like to see the EU take a global lead in making compostable solutions part of the mainstream waste management options. TIPA encourages the European Institutions to support a shift from conventional plastics to more sustainable options.
TIPA encourages the European Institutions to support a shift from conventional plastics to more sustainable options. Within the ambitions set by the Green Deal the EU has the opportunity to § develop a regulatory framework for bio-based and compostable bioplastics which creates a distinction between conventional and innovative, more sustainable packaging solutions (as foreseen by the new Circular Economy Action Plan) § ensure local authorities make provision for the collection of flexible compostable packaging films, alongside organic waste (as foreseen in by the Waste Framework Directive) Collection While EU already recognizes composting as organic recycling and allows for the inclusion of compostable packaging in bio-waste bin (WFD), Extended Producer Responsibility schemes need to acknowledge these materials as part of the packaging landscape and as packaging that needs to be treated…
…materials as part of the packaging landscape and as packaging that needs to be treated like any other waste stream. In countries like Italy and Ireland, compostable packaging is already collected via organic waste bins to great success. Labelling We support harmonised rules for the use of compostable claims to avoid confusion - with clear definitions and instructions on correct disposal directed at and comprehensible for consumers. Italian and Irish certification schemes by composters show the way of how compostable packaging finds its way into home composters or into bio-waste collections and the intended end-of-life in an industrial compost facility. Standards - Home Composting Standard A CEN standard on home compostability of carrier bags is currently being developed and should be published shortly.
CEN standard on home compostability of carrier bags is currently being developed and should be published shortly. We fully support the extension in scope of this standard to other application (like flexible packaging) and would welcome if the new standard were referenced in EU waste legislation. We fully support ban on such claims on biodegradation in an open environment, as incitement for littering and confusing consumers, support campaign against littering across the board. Standards - Revision of EN13432 CEN EN 13432 has global reach and is instrumental in ensuring the credibility of compostable packaging solutions. It is essential for the provisions of the standard to be up to date and in line with current safety and environmental discussions.
…for the provisions of the standard to be up to date and in line with current safety and environmental discussions. If the European Commission recommends opening the standard for revision with regard to strengthening requirements and tests, or alignment with EU chemical legislation, TIPA will be actively contributing to the discussion to make sure EN 13432 retains the high standard and reputation in Europe and far beyond. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Vital Contribution of Compostable Packaging to EU recycling Targets 40% of consumer goods packages in Europe have less than a 4% recycling rate - Flexible plastic packages 40% of consumers goods in Europe1. - Less than 8% of consumer flexible packaging was collected for recycling in the EU in 2019 2.
…goods in Europe1. - Less than 8% of consumer flexible packaging was collected for recycling in the EU in 2019 2. - High contamination rate of these packages along other challenges caused a further 50% loss in output yields, resulting in less than 4% recycling rate2. - 96% of consumer flexible packaging is currently incinerated, landfilled, or shipped overseas in Europe. Meeting the EU Plastic Recycling targets MUST include mechanical, chemical, and/or organic recycling of flexible packaging far beyond current state of play. - Flexible plastic packaging makes 45% of total plastic packaging placed in the market in the EU3. - The EU recycling target to reach 50% plastic recycling by 2025 and 55% by 20305 cannot be reached without a massive increase in recycling of flexible plastic.
…recycling by 2025 and 55% by 20305 cannot be reached without a massive increase in recycling of flexible plastic. - Only increasing flexible packaging recycling in all forms including mechanical, chemical and organic recycling will allow meeting the EU’s targets. Mechanical and Chemical Recycling of Flexible Plastic is expected to remain marginal in next coming years. - Of the estimated total 13-15M tons of flexible plastic placed in the market in Europe merely 15% were recycled 2. - Current challenges to mechanically recycle flexible plastic are multiple and encompass all stages of the process from collection to sorting, effective recycling and allocation of sufficient and robust secondary markets for such recyclates 2. - Meeting these challenges requires not only achieving unmet technological capabilities, but also a dramatic increase in infrastructure and heavy capital investment 2.
…unmet technological capabilities, but also a dramatic increase in infrastructure and heavy capital investment 2. - Technologies that have the potential to chemically recycle flexibles (such as pyrolysis) are in pre- commercial stage and are defined as polymer-to-fuel, therefore do not meet the EU definition of recycling 6. - It is highly unlikely that any of these challenges for mechanical or chemical recycling of flexibles will be effectively met by 2025 and 2030 beyond marginal increase in current recycling rates 2,6. Transforming key hard to recycle segments in packaging into organically recyclable/compostable packaging is imperative to meet the EU recycling targets. - 40% of flexible packaging (non- PE film) placed in the market today is impossible to recycle while the other 60% (PE film) is extremely challenging to recycle 2.3.
…in the market today is impossible to recycle while the other 60% (PE film) is extremely challenging to recycle 2.3. - One of the most challenging categories to recycle is food contaminated flexible packaging 2,6. - Entire segments in food packaging such as snack food, confectionary, dairy, meat and frozen food are predominantly packaged with such non-recyclable flexible plastic 8. - One of the key challenges to recycle such flexible food packaging is the very fact these packages are food contaminated 2,6. “It is doubtful whether chemical recycling will scale up quickly enough to make a meaningful contribution to EU packaging recycling targets for 2025 and 2030” Flexible Films Market in Europe, Eunomia - Food contamination dramatically lowers the quality of the recycled materials while the resulting recyclate cannot be used back to package food due to food safety regulation 2.
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