Implementation of PPWR

It is Europe’s slow season of August , when everyone is hot and on holiday. What better time than now for the European Union to mandate the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which is due to come into force on 12 August. It presents a challenge for retailers, for packagers and manufacturers. In a way, it is like the low emission zones around London. People complain, but once they get started and get going, the resulting lowered emissions and better environment make up for it.

I live near Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels in London, and that area is much cleaner than it used to be when I first moved there nearly 30 years ago. We all complained about the Silvertown Tunnel, but sitting traffic is down and thus emissions. The rise of electric cars and vehicles versus diesels, and zero emission buses being employed, have made a difference.

In our next issue, we discuss PPWR and other items with Craig Shakespeare of European packaging company Coveris. He notes, “For manufacturers, the focus is increasingly on future-proofing packaging investments by choosing solutions that can adapt to changing legislation while maintaining operational efficiency and protecting product quality. Shelf life and waste reduction also remain critical considerations, particularly in a category where preventing food waste is an important part of sustainability performance.”

These are all good points. As packagers of products, dairy processors have to look on from the cheapest to the most environmentally friendly, while still being cost-conscious. It is a tall order for the sector, especially as most people have dairy in their refrigerators. We are doing the best we can, lightweighting and making the caps and cartons all one colour here in the UK. In Europe too, the changes are afoot, although as some say, the rates are slower in some countries than others. Fair enough. It’s a 27-country union after all.

• Suzanne Christiansen, editor, Dairy Industries International. Keep in touch via:
  Email: suzanne@bellpublishing.com
  Twitter: @dairyindustries
  Linkedin: @dairyindustriesinternational

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