MEPs back drastic cut in packaging waste but NGOs say law watered down

The European Parliament approved on Wednesday new rules aiming to dramatically reduce packaging waste in the EU by several million tonnes.

Transcript

00:00 The European Parliament approves new rules aiming to drastically reduce packaging waste

00:06 in the EU by several million tons.

00:10 Once the legislation is in place, it will enhance the reuse, collection and recycling

00:14 of packaging and many other single-use packaging items will disappear, like lightweight plastic

00:19 bags.

00:21 According to the head of the Parliament`s Environment Committee, Pascal Canfin, the

00:24 law will change the mindset of the packaging industries and could diminish 20 or 30 percent

00:29 of the 80 billion tons of packaging waste produced every year in Europe.

00:35 It is probably one of the text which is the most lobbied.

00:41 I give you one example, McDonald`s is lobbying to keep the single-use model.

00:49 The single-use model is that you use just once all what is necessary to have your food.

00:57 The alternative to this is precisely the proposal we push for, meaning that when you are in

01:02 a McDonald`s or KFC or Burger King restaurants on site, not take away, on site, then why

01:11 should you use to drink your Coke a single-use cup and not just a glass?

01:17 Why?

01:18 The legislation bans unnecessary packaging and will force industries to make all packaging

01:23 recyclable by 2030.

01:26 And by 2035, all packaging must in fact be recycled in Europe.

01:32 The EU will also set mandatory quotas for the reuse of different packaging, for example,

01:37 beverage bottles.

01:40 Some member states ask for derogations to defend the interests of their packaging industries.

01:44 In France, many feared for the traditional wooden container used to hold Camembert cheese

01:49 and for oysters.

01:51 These packaging in the state are biodegradable, they are made of light wood and therefore they

01:58 do not pose any problem to the environment.

02:00 And behind all this, there is a whole food tradition, there is a whole industry, naturally,

02:07 an important industry for France.

02:08 It represents thousands of jobs, it obviously represents all the structures that must be

02:14 absolutely preserved.

02:16 In the end, the French Camembert box was saved by MEPs, but the need to reduce waste still

02:22 remains.

02:23 [sound of machine]

02:30 [SWOOSH]