Industry associations express their strong support for the European Union’s
ambitions for a circular economy. The EU Commission proposal to transform Directive 94/62/EC on
Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWD) into a Regulation and the choice to maintain an internal
market legal basis (Article 114 TFEU) is a step to achieve that.
Circular economy solutions require the scale for investment and their roll-out, so that the transition is
cost-effective and fast to serve the society best. A robust EU single market is key to achieving the free
movement of packaging materials and packaged goods. Packaging is an essential part of a product
supply chain, from the production to the consumption stage, and the packaging value chain plays a
central role in contributing to a resource-efficient and circular economy. For instance, by optimising resource use, minimising product and food waste and by protecting products all along the value chain.
Additionally, ensuring that packaging waste is duly collected and makes its way into recycling allows
valuable raw materials to come back in the value chain and be used across the Single Market. A
strengthened market for secondary materials and a strong and resilient EU single market represent
fundamental enablers of circularity, which will create greater economies of scale and underpin the
investment needed to realise a circular and climate-neutral economy in Europe. Its continued
functioning remains crucial to Europe’s global competitiveness and green transition.
Read full statement here
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