Does it now mean: back to the stove? Maurizio Marchesini probably wouldn’t go that far in his criticism. But the Italian industry lobbyist says quite clearly that Europe is trying to turn back the clock with the fiercely contested packaging regulations. The packaging of edibles has ultimately revolutionized the way we shop. Just as during the economic miracle, the emergence of electrical household appliances gave a boost to women’s employment. So Marchesini now says: “With a drastic restriction on packaged foods, we would turn our lifestyle back by 50 years.”
The EU Commission’s green deal is once again causing trouble. This time it is a new packaging regulation that is causing a stir in Europe. It is also part of Ursula von der Leyen’s ambitious climate agenda, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The aim of the regulation is to put a stop to the growing mountains of waste and the widespread throwaway mentality. However, a bitter lobby battle is raging over the project. Views on the regulation also differ among the Brussels institutions. Negotiators from the EU Parliament, Council and Commission will meet on Monday to agree on the final form of the provisions. The future of bagged salad, shrink-wrapped tomatoes and Traminer in disposable wine bottles is then debated.
No country opposes the packaging regulation as vehemently as Italy. “A wrong path is being taken that is not based on scientific findings and, above all, does not serve to achieve climate protection goals,” says Marchesini, Vice President of the Italian industry association Confindustria. “What we are challenging is the EU’s ideological approach, which damages the production system and has devastating economic and social consequences,” says the Bologna-based manufacturer of packaging machines for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Many of the rules of the Grean Deal have already been relaxed
The active lobbying effort had an effect. When the waste reform presented by the EU Commission was submitted to the European Parliament in Strasbourg for adoption last November, MPs had to vote on a flood of 525 amendments. Most came from the Italian side. The version that was then passed with a large majority differed greatly in some key points from the Commission’s original regulation with its 65 paragraphs. On Monday, a version acceptable to all EU institutions will be negotiated in the trilogue process. It would then come into force immediately without the member states having to translate it into national law.
In the meantime, von der Leyen’s big Green Deal project has been badly torn apart. The regulations for building renovation have been relaxed. The planned environmental regulations for agriculture were quickly withdrawn by the EU Commission. Not even the decision to phase out combustion engines from 2035 seems to be set in stone.
Does the garbage brake also tip now? The EU Commission saw an urgent need for action because the amount of climate-damaging packaging waste in Europe increased by 20 percent between 2009 and 2020. On average, each person throws 180 kilos of packaging into the bin every year. In Germany there are almost 50 kilos more per capita. But at least everyone wants to stick to the plan to gradually reduce the 80 million tonnes of packaging waste. The amount is expected to fall by five percent by 2030 and by 15 percent by 2040 compared to 2018. Even stricter targets apply to plastic. There is also agreement that disposable bottles of shower gel and shampoo should disappear from hotel rooms. Baggage wrapping with plastic film should be put to an end at airports. The sachets for mayonnaise and ketchup could soon disappear from fast food outlets.
The big argument is essentially sparked by a question of faith: What is better for the environment, reusable systems or recycling? The Commission wants to prescribe reuse across Europe as the only silver bullet towards the ecological transformation of the economy. In doing so, it is jeopardizing a success story in Italy that has made the country an admired pioneer in, of all things, the green economy.
Over the past 25 years, the Mediterranean country has become Europe’s champion in the circular economy. A young growth industry has established itself around waste recycling. Italy experienced a boom in the creation of innovative companies and the creation of tens of thousands of jobs. 83.4 percent of household waste and hazardous waste were recycled in 2022 – and the trend is rising sharply. This puts Italy more than 30 percentage points above the EU average.
What was previously considered an amazing strength of Italy is now set to give way to a change in strategy in Brussels. The EU Commission has postulated a new, binding waste hierarchy. It prioritizes waste prevention, followed by reusing used packaging. After that, recycling waste comes in third place. The new waste paradigm should be enforced with bans on single-use packaging and strict reusable requirements. Its opponents deny that it is more climate-friendly, as the Commission claims.
In any case, the Italians feel betrayed. The country has just received 2.1 billion euros from the European reconstruction fund to reduce the structural north-south divide in waste recycling. But now the flourishing industry fears for its existence. “Recycling is suddenly being scorned as greenwashing,” says economist Antonio Massarutto from the University of Udine. Especially now that the industry has learned to recycle efficiently and turn it into a business. The mechanical engineer Marchesini warns that the weakening continent cannot afford to turn back. “This will cause further damage to Europe’s competitiveness,” he says.