This week, the EU Parliament voted on the revision of the law on packaging and packaging waste and set the mandate for further negotiations with the Council of Ministers. In her speech in plenary, MEP Manuela Ripa (ÖDP - The Nature Conservation Party) said:

"The law we are voting on now is better than the status quo, but it is still far too weak. The amount of packaging in the EU is constantly increasing. Our packaging waste has reached record levels. It is now our responsibility to find a solution that is good for people and nature."

In fact, it is expected that the mountains of waste in Europe will continue to grow in the coming years. This is because packaging waste is increasing rapidly. In Germany alone, we throw away 236 kg of packaging per capita and the Europe-wide forecasts for 2030 look bleak - almost 20% more packaging waste and even 46% more plastic.

For this reason, a revision of the EU Packaging Directive is urgently needed, says Manuela Ripa:

"More prevention and reuse of packaging before recycling are crucial to sustainably reduce the amount of packaging, reduce CO2 and other emissions, and stop the depletion of natural resources, the loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution. The mountains of waste in Europe must finally be tackled more consistently."

The EU Parliament is now calling for at least 80% of packaging to be recycled. And at least hazardous chemicals are to be banned from food packaging. There are also plans to reduce plastic packaging by ten percent by 2030, by 15 percent by 2035 and by 20 percent by 2040. However, the original report was significantly weakened by numerous amendments, and specific proposals put forward by the Greens/EFA Group on waste prevention and the reuse of packaging were removed. The 2030 targets for the reuse of packaging were also watered down. Negotiations with the Council of Ministers are now pending. Manuela Ripa comments:

"It is in our hands to reduce packaging and therefore waste. I will continue to fight for this together with my party ÖDP - the Nature Conservation Party and with my Greens/EFA group in the EU Parliament."

The ultimate goal remains a strong packaging waste regulation for Europe with strict targets for prevention and reuse that supports a more sustainable, efficient and environmentally friendly packaging economy.