Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation

Well designed reuse systems as a driver of packaging waste prevention

Open letter

To the Members of the European Parliament and the Ministers of the Council of the European Union

We, the signatories of this letter (civil society organisations and reuse businesses across Europe), are concerned that misinformation and intense lobbying from the single-use packaging industry and the take-away sector are undermining the need for reuse as a driver for waste prevention, resource conservation and climate protection in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

This regulation represents a critical opportunity for the much-needed transition towards more circular packaging systems at a time where it is crucial to tackle emissions, pollution and resource use in all sectors. […]

We believe the European Union, through the revision of its packaging rules, should focus its efforts to reduce resource use. For this, the path we need to follow is one that avoids all unnecessary extraction, production, and recycling of products and materials. For these reasons, we call on you to:

1. Support the European Commission’s sectoral reuse targets, including for the takeaway
   sector;
2. Critically assess evidence comparing reuse and single use packaging, challenge opaque
   methodologies and results, vested interests and unrealistic assumptions;
3. Set economic incentives for reuse packaging systems (e.g: dedicated fund from ExtendedProducer Responsibility schemes).