Environmental

South Korea's amendment decree of the Rules on the Packaging Materials and Packaging Methods will come into force by 1st July 2020, affecting producers and importers of small electronics and re-packaged products. The amendment comes after consultations in January 2019 regarding 'Measures Against Overpackaging', which are part of the implementation plan ...

The UK Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which leads the UK Plastics Pact, is collecting data by 26th June 2020 in order to track progress towards the Pact's established 2025 targets. Target 1: Eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use packaging items.Target 2: All plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.Target 3: 70% ...

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...

​On 26th May 2020, Repak, Ireland's packaging EPR regime, issued some updates to its 2020 reporting guidelines for its members. Key changes are as follows: Plastic Reporting CategoriesBeginning for Half 1 2020 data, plastic reporting categories will be divided into the following sections and subsections:PlasticRecycled rigid plasticRecycled flexible plast...

​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...

In 2018, Australia announced four new National Packaging Targets to be reached by 2025:100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging;70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted;50% average recycled content in packaging; andPhase out problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic packaging.​The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation...

​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...

​Lorax EPI's US Managing Director Victor Bell was scheduled to present at the 35th Annual World Petrochemical Conference last month in New Orleans. While the in-person event has been postponed until next year, Bell has recorded his presentation, Introduction to Policy and Infrastructure, and it is now available for distribution.Here is a look at some of t...

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...

​Since the beginning of 2020, there has been a trend around the world to update labelling schemes for packaging sorting instructions. These updated schemes simplify and harmonise countrywide sorting instructions, emphasise the importance of consumer education regarding recycling and highlight the need for a clean recycling stream.​​Some examples of update...

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...

​With the rapid spread of COVID-19 comes a surge of uncertainty, a shift in legislative focus and a wave of temporary policies to maintain public health and minimise exposure to the virus.​​The general public is being directed to wash our hands more, avoid touching our faces and cough into elbows. People around the world are stockpiling plastic-wrapped to...

​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...