In line with our letter sent to Commissioners on 30 November 2023 regarding substances of concern in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR)1, we are now calling on negotiators to maintain the ambition of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) within the PPWR.
In particular, we ask the negotiators to:
- Introduce restrictions in the cases of significant risks to human health or the environment with wording aligned with the ESPR, and
- Introduce bans on PFAS and BPA in packaging.
After yet another container loss, the shores of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria
(Spain), along the Atlantic coast, are under siege from a relentless tide of
microplastics. Those small particles washing ashore are plastic pellets, which are
the raw material used to manufacture all plastic items.
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. The focus of decision-makers should remain firmly on the key objective of the PPWR,
which is reducing packaging waste and improving the environmental performance of this increasingly wasteful sector.
