On Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, the first webinar, organized by the Paper and Graphic Federation in collaboration with Comieco, was held to learn more about the decree implementing the European directives on thecircular economy. The event follows the Federation’s advocacy during the process at the national legislature.
Presented by Comieco Director General Carlo Montalbetti, the webinar featured four key speakers:
- Laura D’Aprile, Director Circular Economy, Ministry of Environment and Land and Sea Protection.
- Marco Ravazzolo, Environment Manager, Industrial Policy Area, Confindustria.
- Claudio Busca, General and Institutional Affairs Manager, Comieco.
- Massimo Medugno, Paper and Graphics Federation, General Manager Assocarta.
The regulatory environment
Art. 3 of Leg. 116/2020, published in the Official Gazette on 11.09.20, determined the implementation in Italy of the European Packaging Directive no. 2018/852. The legislative decree came into force on 09/26/20.
The ‘red thread’ animating the Directive focuses on reducing the environmental impact of packaging and is part of the broader fight against plastic materials and waste in terms of non-reuse or recycling of packaging. On this topic we also recommend reading this post: Plastic Tax and End of Waste, what they are and what is happening in the plastic and paper markets.
Webinar highlights: what’s changing now and scenarios going forward
The main theme that emerged during the online event was packaging management and how progress can be made toward circular economy goals by focusing strongly on waste prevention and material reuse.
The appeal to the virtual audience is for more attention to be paid to choices in design, thus from the very early stages of the life cycle of a standard product or customized packaging solution.
In this regard, the definition of reusable packaging has been updated:
“A package or packaging component that has been conceived, designed, and placed on the market to endure during its life cycle multiple shifts or rotations within a reuse circuit for the same purpose for which it was conceived.”
But what are the targets for reuse and recycling of packaging in the near future?
- By 12/31/2025 at least 65% by weight of all packaging waste.
- By 31.12.2030 at least 70% by weight of all packaging waste.
The paper industry plays a strategic role in the country’s circular economy because:
- More than 5 million tons of paper are recycled each year from Italian mills (about 10 tons per minute!)
- the recycling rate of paper packaging exceeds 80 percent, already exceeding the recycling targets set by European Directives 2018/851 and 2015/852.
- the supply chain in 2019 generated a turnover of €24.9Bn, or 1.4 percent of GDP, employing 171,780 people in 18,300 companies.
As anticipated by the Federation in the release Paper, Green Deal and Recovery Fund of 10/23/20, “paper could replace 25 percent of fossil-based packaging, and with new capacity being started up, recycling could grow even further, from the current 10 tons per minute to over 12.”
Nowadays, as a result of recent European and national regulations, the concept of EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) is very important: Federation companies, through participation in the packaging management system, fulfill a producer responsibility system. Hand in hand with accountability is the issue oflabeling: All packaging must be properly labeled in accordance with the applicable UNI technical standards and in accordance with the determinations adopted by the Commission of the European Union, in order to facilitate the collection, reuse, recovery and recycling of packaging, as well as to give correct information to consumers about the final destinations of the packaging. Producers are required to indicate the nature of the packaging materials used.