The holiday season has also been archived for this winter. We all attended big lunches and dinners, bought and wrapped gifts for our loved ones and ourselves. Besides many good memories, what are we left with? A mountain of waste and packaging to dispose of! Not surprisingly, a recent analysis by Transport & Environment [1] reports how this Christmas brings a +133 % spike in pollution caused by the logistics of transporting goods.

Although we all try to pay attention to how to dispose of this packaging by sorting it as best we can, by now this is no longer enough: according to the April 2022 report by ECCO [2] in 2020 almost 100 kg per person of plastic was consumed in Italy: we are the second in Europe and that is nothing to be proud of. About 40 percent of this plastic is turned into packaging, which will end up in supermarkets and then in our homes especially at parties and banquets. Sadly, much of this plastic waste will never be recycled [3]. We have covered this issue previously, talking about how some packaging should be redesigned from scratch.

The European Union (“EU”) is trying to put a stop to this with the Circular Economy Package. The Circular Economy Package [4] and the new EU Packaging Regulation [5], approved in late November 2022, wants to improve the entire sector, from disposable to bioplastic packaging. Included in this regulatory package are targets related to reducing and reusing packaging, leading to limiting single-use as much as possible. Europe Direct’s Florence page has created an excellent list of questions and answers on the topic that we recommend reading.

In Italy, the legislation has been widely criticized by Stefan Pan [6], Confindustria’s delegate for Europe in an interview with Sole 24 Ore, who speaks of disastrous scenarios for Italy’s excellent recycling supply chain caused by this new legislation. FederDistribuzione and CONAI are also of the same opinion, expressing fears of the fallout on Italian industries.

Not surprisingly, during the press conference for the presentation of the circular economy regulatory package, European Commission Vice President in charge of the Green Deal Frans Timmermans spoke in Italian to reassure on the objectives of the legislation. You can listen to him in this excerpt from the press conference:

So on the one hand we have Europe trying to give clear directions on how to proceed and on the other the industrial lobbies struggling to adapt but will have to do so anyway.

“Reuse is not in competition with recycling” Frans Timmermans

But there are also other players on this chessboard: citizens, the media, associations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Among all the environmental organizations, GreenPeace launched a major initiative together with ilfattoquotidiano.it called “Plastic Carts” [7]. This initiative sought to assess actions to reduce the packaging of the largest supermarket chains in Italy. The report draws a tragic situation for almost all the chains involved.

This survey highlights another important fact: Law No. 141 of 2019, also referred to as the Climate Decree, allows supermarket customers to “use their own containers as long as they are reusable, clean, and suitable for food use,” but both citizens and merchants are not informed and prepared for this possibility [8].

Did you know that in Italy, thanks to Law 141 of 2019, you can use your reusable bulk containers in all supermarkets?

We cannot forget to mention the initiative “A Buon Rendere – molto più di un vuoto” [9] launched by the Associazione Comuni Virtuosi and other partners, which “aims to facilitate the transition to a circular economy in the packaging sector” by introducing a national deposit deposit system (DRS). In exchange for a deposit on the packaging of the beverage purchased (plastic or glass bottle or can), this system would allow some containers to be reused or at least improve recycling collection and the quality of recyclable material. The deposit system on beverage packaging has existed and worked for decades in countries such as Austria and Germany, and other countries have since adopted it as well.

As we have seen, the situation is constantly evolving thanks to both the European Commission and nongovernmental organizations, but also thanks to citizens who are not simply adapting to the status quo and are reacting with ideas and pressure aimed at a better future for everyone.

Related articles:

References:

[1] In Europa il Natale è carico di inquinamento: A dicembre +133% di emissioni dai mezzi per il trasporto merci. (2022, December 16). Transport & Environment. https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/in-europa-il-natale-e-carico-di-inquinamento-a-dicembre-133-di-emissioni-dai-mezzi-per-il-trasporto-merci/

[2] Gasbarri, V. (2022, June 8). La plastica in Italia. ECCO. https://eccoclimate.org/it/la-plastica-in-italia/

[3] Ansa, R. (2019, January 15). Plastica, il 40% della differenziata non viene riciclata. ANSA.it. https://www.ansa.it/canale_ambiente/notizie/rifiuti_e_riciclo/2019/01/13/plastica-il-40-della-differenziata-non-viene-riciclata_875f35a8-a50d-42e3-ae25-42ca5a6a0901.html

[4] European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, (2022). Research & innovation enables the transition to a circular economy, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/44587

[5] European Commission proposes new EU-wide rules on packaging. (2022, November 30). Representation in Ireland. https://ireland.representation.ec.europa.eu/news-and-events/news/european-commission-proposes-new-eu-wide-rules-packaging-2022-11-30_en

[6] Pan al Sole24Ore: la proposta di regolamento Ue sugli imballaggi ha un impatto devastante sull’industria. (n.d.). https://www.confindustria.it/home/notizie/PAN-AL-SOLE24ORE-LA-PROPOSTA-DI-REGOLAMENTO-UE-SUGLI-IMBALLAGGI-HA-UN-IMPATTO-DEVASTANTE-SULL-INDUSTRIA

[7] Greenpeace Italia. (n.d.). Carrelli di plastica. https://www.greenpeace.org/italy/rapporto/16765/carrelli-di-plastica/

[8] Gaita, L. (2022, December 18). Contenitori riutilizzabili portati dai clienti nei supermercati, la prova di Greenpeace: la legge non viene rispettata nel 56% dei casi – video. Il Fatto Quotidiano. https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2022/12/15/contenitori-riutilizzabili-portati-dai-clienti-nei-supermercati-la-prova-di-greenpeace-la-legge-non-viene-rispettata-nel-56-dei-casi-video/6905456/

[9] A buon rendere. (2023, January 4). A buon rendere – Molto più di un vuoto. A Buon Rendere. https://buonrendere.it/

Cover- and preview image: photosforyou, Pixabay, freely licensed for commercial use.