​The EU is in the process of significantly altering its packaging legislation, thanks to recently published laws including Directive 2024/825 Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition and the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), and a large number of proposals including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the Green Claims Directive. W...

​Having been relatively stable for many years, EU packaging legislation is currently undergoing a number of significant changes. The EU is currently either considering or has recently passed proposals including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), the Green Claims Directive and the Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Framework. In this b...

​In our last blog, we covered the general concept of EPR. Its benefits for governments are clear, as it shifts the costs of waste management away from taxpayers onto the companies that profit from the products and packaging that end up in the waste stream. It should also encourage producers to consider the sustainability of their goods and packaging, de...

​When talking about extended producer responsibility (EPR), most people will focus on packaging, waste electronics and electrical items (WEEE) and batteries. But many countries have (or are planning) EPR requirements that extend far beyond these three categories.Canada in particular has a significant number of EPR requirements linked to the automotive in...

​As anyone who has tried to design a packaging solution that can be placed in multiple markets will know from bitter experience, European labelling legislation is complex and occasionally contradictory. Does the EU's proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation offer some hope for the future?At the moment, there are no mandatory EU-wide labelling re...

​With increasing numbers of countries starting to mandate the use of recycled material in plastic packaging (see our previous blog for more details), where will we get enough recycled plastic from?Mechanical: using heat and shear to convert waste material into recycled material of the same type;Physical (or dissolution): using solvents or other chemicals ...

​Countries around the world are considering the best way to fund waste management. It is becoming increasingly common for governments to believe that producers should finance the significant majority of the costs of waste management - but should this be through a plastics tax or extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees - and what's the difference?Some...

​Many companies are aware of the requirement to report their packaging waste to a compliance/stewardship scheme and pay for the costs incurred. But increasing numbers of countries also require producers to register with a national authority - and potentially report data or undergo period audits.​​In Europe, this requirement stems from the EU's Packaging ...

​​This blog is part of a wider series from Lorax EPI, taking a deep dive into the current and future landscapes for packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations on a global scale.This blog focuses on Europe - where the concept of EPR first really took hold in the 1990s. The majority of European countries (whether or not members of the EU)...

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) was first introduced ​in the 1990s.​ The main objectives of EPR legislation are typically to ensure that the cost of waste management is covered by the businesses that are producing the waste, and to incentivise good environmental design decisions.​ Packaging EPR is becoming ​increasingly common​ around the world, w...

​Virtually every EPR compliance scheme in the world requires some form of regular reporting - maybe only once a year, but potentially every month. Some reports are relatively simple, but others can be significantly more complicated. So what information do schemes want?At the most basic level, schemes need the same information:Number/type of product plac...

​Countries (and regions) around the world are considering how best to reduce packaging waste. Typically, they are applying one or more of three options: bans, EPR fees or taxes and ​levies. A ban is straight-forward enough, but what's the difference between EPR fees, taxes and the EU plastics levy?EPR feesA fee paid to cover the cost of waste management...

​Like many topics, the concept of extended producer responsibility comes with an often confusing range of acronyms and highly specific terminology. But what does it all mean? In this post, we look at some of the most frequently used terms and phrases.​Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)The concept of producers being responsible for the waste generate...

First developed in the 1990s in Germany, the Green Dot does not (as is commonly believed) indicate that packaging is recyclable. Instead, it indicates that its manufacturer has contributed financially towards the cost of waste management - see my previous blog​ for details of this and other commonly used signs and symbols. ​Several years ago, many countr...

​France's 2020 Circular Economy law (the Loi AGEC) has resulted in many changes to their packaging, WEEE and batteries requirements - including substantial alterations to labelling regulations.Triman and sorting instructionsFrom 1 January 2022, the Triman logo will be obligatory on all household packaging except beverage glass (currently only mandatory fo...

​Following a few months of silence, the UK government has now published more information about the plastics tax. So what do we know about it?Following the publication of draft legislation ​on November 12th, we now know that some things have changed from the proposal contained in ​the March consultation (covered in a previous blog post).​ Key details tha...

​In the past five years, the European Commission has placed ever increasing emphasis on the need for the circularity of resources, and has published / amended a number of Directives to reflect this. ​In 2018, the European Council adopted the Circular Economy Package, which included amendments to the Waste Framework Directive (2018/851), the Landfill Direc...

​​2020 seems to be the year for taxes on plastic: the UK​, Spain, Italy and Indonesia (to name but a few) have all published details of their plans in recent months. Now the EU has announced that it will be introducing a levy on plastic packaging. So what actually is going to be taxed, how much for, and when are they going to start?Indonesia​​The Indone...

​Countries around the world either have, or are implementing producer responsibility regulations for products including packaging, batteries, tyres, antifreeze and electronics. Obligated producers need to register either with a government agency (most often the country's Environment Agency) or a producer responsibility scheme - or both! But what's invol...

​At the beginning of 2020, France passed a comprehensive new law to amend its Environment Code (see our earlier blog for more details), which among many other things introduced new labelling requirements. Since then, a draft decree has also been published, which provides more details about what producers will need to do in future.​From 2021, any packagin...

In recent months and years, we have seen countries around the world consider banning or taxing certain plastic products, such as bags, plates and straws (we have covered Italy​, Turkey​ and France in recent blog posts). However, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused many to question the safety of reusable alternatives, with some bans being postponed or over...

​Packaging, particularly plastic packaging, is often marked with a number of labels which the consumers may believe are linked to whether or not they can be recycled. Some are mandatory, others are optional, and some countries are changing the law around recycling labelling (see our earlier blog post​ on some of these changes).​ But do you know what som...

​The Lorax EPI blog has focused a lot in recent months on the steps being taken by governments around the world (e.g. in France, China, Turkey and South Korea) to reduce plastic and other packaging waste. However, manufacturers and NGOs are voluntarily making commitments of their own. We recently discussed the launch of the European Plastics Pact, but w...

Like many other countries, especially in the EU, the Italian Parliament is currently considering a range of measures to establish a more environmentally friendly and sustainable system. In the same vein as the recent French bill on the circular economy (see our recent blog), the Italian Parliament is also considering a draft legislative decree to transpos...

Having been the world's main recipient of plastic waste for thirty years, China banned the import of most residential waste in 2017 (reducing imports from 581,000 metric tonnes in February 2017 to just 23,900 metric tonnes in February 2018). This has had a significant impact on other countries around the world, which are having to find alternative method...

The European Commission has just published a new Circular Economy Action Plan​, which builds on the European Green Deal that was published in December 2019. The Action Plan aims to drive environmental sustainability into the mainstream​, separating economic growth from resource consumption.​​Some of the key topics covered in the Action Plan include:​​​​E...

​The UK has launched a consultation on the finer details of its Plastic Packaging Tax, confirmed as going ahead in the Chancellor's Budget 2020 speech last week.​Some elements of the tax have been confirmed, and are not subject to consultation:The tax will be implemented from April 2022;It will be charged at a rate of £200 per tonne of plastic packaging m...

​Last week, the first regional Plastics Pact was launched in Europe. Governments and businesses from across the European Economic Area (EEA) have joined together to commit to reducing plastic waste and move towards creating a circular economy for plastics. Signatories of the European Plastics Pact commit to a number of shared goals, including:Designing a...

​​Eco-modulation is a concept which is being talked about (and implemented) increasingly frequently by governments and stewardship/EPR schemes. But what is it? At the most basic level, eco-modulation is the concept of penalising the use of materials that are less environmentally friendly, and rewarding the use of those which are better - for example, thr...

​Plastic is everywhere - in packaging, children's toys, furniture, and the houses we live in. The first fully synthetic plastic (Bakelite) was invented in 1907, and since then it has become a fundamental part of daily life in the Western world. Governments around the world are introducing legislation limiting or penalising its use (like ​Singapore, Chin...

Following an amendment to Turkey's Environmental Act (link in Turkish) that came into force on January 1, 2020, certain products are now subject to a Recycling Contribution Fee (GEKAP).The GEKAP has been introduced to help reduce waste, by obliging producers to pay a fee proportionate to the weight of the products they place on the market. Affected produ...

​France has just introduced extensive new legislation ​(link in French) on waste management and the circular economy (the concept of ​​​designing the economy to minimise waste and pollution and to keep resources in circulation). Among many other measures, the new legislation introduces additional EPR schemes for products including waste from food vendors,...

​China has recently published details of its plans to significantly reduce plastic pollution within five years. ​ The new legislation will introduce bans on ultra-thin plastic bags and the production and sale of disposable PS foam tableware. Other products that will be affected include plastic straws, disposable...

​The UK Government is trying again to get its Environment Bill passed into UK law.The Bill introduces a wide range of measures, including the establishment of a new Office for Environmental Protection, changes to the current system of producer responsibility and the ability to impose charges for single use plastic items (e.g. disposable cups) in addition ...

​Governments around the world are passing legislation restricting or banning the use of certain types or forms of plastic. Many more countries are discussing doing so, and there are several voluntary initiatives worldwide to supplement existing legislation. Many of the bans and initiatives which have been in place for a while have resulted in significan...

​The Republic of Korea has published an amendment ​to its Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling Resources (link in Korean), in reaction to China's ban on imports of foreign waste which has resulted in local waste collection companies refusing to collect certain types of refuse. As a result of the amendment, companies operating in Korea must underta...

​Did you know that new regulations on​ WEEE and packaging will come into effect in Singapore from 2020? The Resource Sustainability Act 2019 will affect companies operating in Singapore who produce or import electronic and electrical equipment (including batteries), as well as those who supply goods in packaging.​Obligated companies will need to register...