Circular Economy Package

The Circular Economy Package provides an ideal opportunity to further transition to a resource efficient and competitive Europe and to drive further recycling and recovery of packaging waste. It also enhances industry’s ability to carry out its legal Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD). New opportunities lie ahead with the review of the EU PPWD.

EUROPEN remains supportive of the objective to move further towards a circular economy and is willing to work constructively with the Commission on a new legislative proposal in 2015. Future EU legislation should be clear, proportionate and effective, safeguarding the Internal Market and enabling innovation and growth for the packaging value chain in Europe.

This dedicated section provides a platform to communicate EUROPEN’s latest news & views related to the Circular Economy Package.
  • Since its adoption in 1994, the PPWD has been a key driver of the steady increase in packaging recycling and recovery rates
  • The last decade has seen an effective decoupling of packaging waste from economic growth
  • EU-27 data shows year-on-year increase: 64.6% of packaging recycled and 78.5% recovered in 2012
  • Today's EU Waste Review – key opportunity for better regulation and implementation of PPWD
  • EPR remains a cost-effective policy tool to help achieve packaging recycling and recovery targets
  • Minimum performance requirements for packaging EPR schemes should be introduced in the PPWD
  • PPWD's Essential Requirements should remain the leading set of legally-binding EU packaging design requirements
  • A clear and enforceable harmonised method for measuring and reporting packaging recycling rates is needed
  • EUROPEN remains supportive of the objective to move further towards a Circular Economy
  • Future EU packaging legislation should effectively favour innovation, sustainable growth and global competitiveness

“The packaging supply chain, as represented in EUROPEN, is using less and less material to get products to the consumer in good condition. In the context of overall sustainability, packaging should be regarded as part of the solution, and as a net contributor to achieving the broad sustainability goals of resource optimisation and waste minimisation” Virginia Janssens, Managing Director, EUROPEN

EUROPEN in the news

  • Circular economy? Not without the internal market!, 6 February 2018
    http://bit.ly/2nNWbQu
  • The Circular Economy Strategy: What goes around, comes around, 22 August 2015
    http://bit.ly/1JMMFF5
  • EUROPEN welcomes EU's focus on extended producer responsibility, 9 July 2015
    http://bit.ly/1L63EBW
  • The role of packaging and a call to safeguard its sectoral regulatory approach (page 16), The Parliament Magazine, 29 June 2015
    bit.ly/1TZD0Nx
  • Europen calls for clearer EU legal framework for EPR, PackagingNews, 24 April 2015
    http://bit.ly/1GxesnR
  • EUROPEN Calls for Strengthened EU Legal Framework, packagingeurope, 24 April 2015
    http://bit.ly/1DBKETF
  • Meeting Summary: EP ENVI Committee Meeting – Public hearing on the Waste Legislative Package, 22 January 2015
    http://bit.ly/1CsgaHw
  • New waste management paper looks at priorities for circular economy, PIE – Plastics Information Europe, 5 January 2015
    http://bit.ly/1z596iz
  • Packaging industry calls for new waste targets proposal without delay, European Environment & Packaging Law, 19 December 2014
    http://bit.ly/1xWOZRT
  • INTERVIEW: Minimum EPR requirements and realistic targets essential, says EUROPEN, European Environment & Packaging Law, 16 December 2014
    http://bit.ly/14uSbbv