In the January 2013 announcement of The European Organization for Packaging and the Environment's updated report on packaging waste data, acting managing director Virginia Janssens stated: "In 2010, just under 18.7 million tonnes of used packaging were sent for final disposal in the EU 27 member states."
For the purposes of packaging waste, "disposal" generally means that the material was either put in landfill or burned without energy recovery.
Seeking also to put the figures into context compared the increasingly prominent issue of food waste globally, Janssens added: "It has been estimated that 89 million tonnes of food were wasted in the EU 27 in 2006."
Relative benefit
The Europen analysis shows that the amount of 'non-wood' packaging placed on the market in the original EU-15 member states rose by 5.6% over the period 2000-2010, compared to a concurrent rise of 17.5% in household consumption expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks, an ageing population and a trend throughout Europe toward smaller households - all factors said to contribute to the purchase of a greater number of packaged goods overall.
Europen says the difference in the two figures shows that: "Packaging waste is clearly decoupling from economic growth."
The net effect across the EU-27 on amounts of packaging put into circulation was a reduction from 160kg per capita in 2005 to 157kg in 2010; in the EU-15 it fell from 183kg per capita to 176kg, while in the new member states it increased from 79kg per capita in 2005 to 84kg in 2010.
Other key statistics in the Europen report show that:
76% of the packaging placed on the market in the EU-27 was recovered in 2010, against 67% in 2005
recycling rose from 55% in 2005 to 63% in 2010
the amount sent for 'final disposal' fell from 33% in 2005 to 24% in 2010
in the EU-15, recovery increased from 70% in 2005 to 79% in 2010, with recycling rising from 57% to 65%, and the amount sent for disposal falling from 30% to 21% in 2010
Defining issue
The EU Commission Decisions setting out the format for reporting on packaging and packaging waste require member states to report on the amount of packaging placed on the market under the heading "packaging waste generated".
This term, Europen explains, is therefore used to describe packaging placed on the market in all official EU documents: "This in turn means that official reports often state that 'the amount of packaging waste is increasing', whereas the true position is that (slightly) more packaging is coming onto the market each year, but less and less of it ends up as waste."
"The Eurostat data clearly demonstrate the achievements of our industry, in line with the EU Resource Efficiency objectives," Virginia Janssens states, adding: "It also reflects how the packaging supply chain has used less and less material to get products to the consumer in good condition.
"In the context of overall sustainability, packaging should be regarded as part of the solution, and as a net contributor to achieving the broad sustainability goals of resource optimisation and waste minimization."
