As of today, stricter rules for packaging apply in the EU - in order to reduce the amount of garbage. After the elimination of plastic cups and straws, certain packaging is now also being eliminated.
The European Union has set itself the goal of all packaging in the Community being recyclable by 2030, with minor exceptions. This goal is to be achieved on the basis of a 124-page directive with 71 articles. Many of them will be felt very specifically by consumers, with the first changes coming into force today.
New limits for artificially produced chemicals that do not decompose will apply to food packaging. They can also be a health problem, as some can cause cancer and damage the liver.
However, the ARD notes that the changes will cause tension more among manufacturers than among consumers - as the tasks of companies regarding packaging waste are becoming more complicated.
Manufacturers are unhappy: it is too complicated
"It is simply too complicated," Christoph Petri from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce told the ARD. He has been receiving inquiries from companies about the new rules every day and suggests that the entry into force of the directive be delayed. "Because on the one hand there are still grey areas, but also because for many companies this is completely new."
And indeed, the new rules that come into force today are only a small part of the EU packaging directive. More changes are planned in the coming years, which will require further adaptations by manufacturers and will not go unnoticed by consumers - regardless of whether they are buying online or in the supermarket.
Packages should be as small as possible
The EU intends to ban excessively large packages when ordering online - so that the lipstick you ordered does not arrive in a package the size of a shoebox. The general guideline is: the empty space should be a maximum of 50 percent.
In addition, certain types of packaging will be banned from 2030 - such as ketchup sachets in fast food restaurants, plastic nets for lemons in supermarkets and mini shampoo tubes in hotels.
The EU wants to significantly reduce the amount of packaging waste. According to Eurostat data, in 2023 each EU citizen produced 178 kg of such waste per year, and in Germany even more - 215 kg. Data for Bulgaria indicate that the amount of packaging waste produced was 81 kg per person.
Recycle as much as possible
Packaging that will continue to exist must be recyclable, explains the German public media. It is planned that from 2029 all member states will introduce a system for payment and subsequent return of plastic and metal liquid packaging - which has existed in Germany for a long time.
In addition, the aim is for glass to be recycled much more often and reused - for example, if oil or vinegar bottles are reusable, points out the ARD.