​Producers selling packaged goods in the EU will no longer be able to put the Green Dot on their packaging.We've all seen the Green Dot: a green circle made of two arrows, normally placed on the corner of packaging. But what does it mean?The original idea behind placing the Green Dot on packaging was to show that the producer had paid their EPR fees to a ...

​We've heard about it many times. Expanded polystyrene (sometimes called Styrofoam) food containers are some of the most frequently banned items in the US. Businesses have used biodegradable alternatives, with varying degrees of success. However, the sticking point for both individual and business compliance is that each place in the US can make its own l...

In a previous Lorax EPI blog from January, we stated that textile EPR reporting requirements would come into effect on 1st July 2024 in Latvia. This has now happened - this blog explains what you need to do to comply with textile EPR regulations in Latvia.Parties who place textile products onto the Latvian market for the first time. Companies must either ...

​As one of the biggest producer responsibility organisations (PROs) or schemes in Europe, Ecoembes is a leading player in the world of EPR. They are the main packaging scheme in Spain, and require producers who sell packaged products into Spain to report annually on multiple, different data points.At Lorax, we have studied this report for many years and h...

​No longer a distant missile, textile reporting has already landed in several European countries, and is continuing to spread across the EU.A previous Lorax blog on textiles from 2021 stated that the EU Waste Framework Directive currently only requires member states to set up separate collection for textiles by 1 January 2025. More is needed to put this i...

​What is better for the planet – reusing our water bottles and food containers, or recycling them to make new ones? We should make less plastic in general – but how do we manage the plastic we already have and the current needs of the consumer?The refill vs recycling debate has been going on for years, and producers have found different ways to meet custo...

​Big cities are where the highest concentration of population density is found, meaning they produce the majority of our pollution. However, this means they are the biggest source from whence we can reduce our environmental impact. They are hubs for education, innovation, culture, and sharing ideas. Explaining the concept of a circular economy and how to ...

​Common misconceptions around the terms 'compostable / biodegradable / recyclable'. Sometimes when packaging says its 'environmentally friendly' or 'green', it's not all it's cracked up to be! We've put together a quick list of things to be aware of when you buy packaging that claims to be 'compostable', 'biodegradable' or 'recyclable', and some different...

​This year has been groundbreaking for extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation in the United States. On June 3rd this year, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 22-1355 into law, joining California, Oregon and Maine as the first four US states to pass this form of legislation.Colorado's EPR law affects producers of packaging and cert...

​The French producer responsibility organization for packaging, CITEO, released specific and thorough labelling guidance for their members at the end of last year, to help producers follow the less-detailed requirements of the law. As explained in a previous Lorax EPI blog from last year, the French law requires producers to include component pictograms (...

​For companies that are new to the world of environmental compliance, it can be difficult to know where to start. A number of countries both in Europe and across the world require you to report the amount of packaging, waste electronics (WEEE) and batteries that you place on the market, as part of extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws. There will be...

Lorax EPI would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! With the new year comes new obligations. This blog explores some of the global environmental packaging legislation that came into effect on 1 January 2022.Labelling: France's mandatory labelling system has been updated to obligate use of the Triman logo on all packaging. Sorting instructions must be ...

​Extended producer responsibility (EPR) in Russia is governed by two main bodies: the Russian government and the Eurasian Economic Union, or EAEU. Member States of the EAEU include Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, and regulations made by this body affect all affiliated countries. The main EPR system in Russia is set by the Russian gove...

Due to changes in French law, there are now even stricter regulations regarding the labels on packaging in France. As a result, the main producer responsibility organisation, CITEO, has published labelling guidelines for their members, showing the mandatory labels to be used.France is introducing new sorting labels, and part of this change expands the use...

​According to a draft bill that is expected to pass soon, Sweden will be introducing extended producer responsibility legislation for textiles from 1 January 2022. The EU Waste Framework Directive requires all Member States to set up separate waste collection for textiles by 2025. This is corroborated in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, and Lorax EPI ...