Europen update – major new members welcomed

11 November 2012


Europen acting managing director Virginia Janssens has described the 2014 targets review of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive as “core to Europen’s priorities” in the months and years ahead.

Janssens, who assumed her role at the European Organization for Packaging and the Environment in July 2012, also said that developments related to food waste and the preventive role of packaging, as well as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging waste, will continue to be an area of focus for the Brussels-based organisation.

The agenda at the twice-yearly Europen Council of Members meeting, held on 16 October, included addresses from BASF, Amcor and Carlsberg – newly signed-up Europen member companies, along with Braskem and Dow Chemical.

A status report of the EUROPENplus project on EPR was also presented. The project is expected to be finalised by the end of 2012, and will ultimately propose measures to enhance performance of the producers-owned compliance schemes to increase the level of recycling/recovery of post-consumer packaging waste.

A policy update on food waste has set out that Europen will give “further consideration” to:

  • Support and incentives for R&D in packaging innovation (eg food-saving packaging)
  • Greater use of available tools such as LCA and cost/benefit analysis
  • The need to quantify costs of packaging versus food waste costs in innovations such as smaller portion sizes, offering different volume sizes or larger resealable packs with sections

In response to a proposal by the French authorities for a new sorting logo for all recyclable products (and their packaging), Europen has written a letter of complaint, co-signed by other EU associations, to the European Commission, based on the internal market barriers such a measure would create and questioning its environmental justification.

“Although there have been detailed opinions from the European Commission and several member states, France nevertheless intends to introduce the measure,” the organisation states.

The official logo would be mandatory and would have to be marked not only on packaging, but on all items covered by a producer responsibility arrangement – except WEEE, which would continue to bear the crossed-out bin symbol.

The next scheduled Europen Council of Members meeting will be held on 14 March 2013.


EUROPEN acting managing director Virginia Janssens



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