The fight for the environment in the EU: from Nespresso capsules to plastic bottles

After plastic straws, the EU Environment Commission has targeted Nespresso capsules and single-use plastic bottles in a bid to reduce waste and make packaging materials more environmentally friendly.

According to a draft document seen by Bloomberg, the commission will announce measures this week to clean up the packaging industry. The regulations aim to make packaging more sustainable, as it is one of the biggest uses of non-recyclable plastic and paper. Countries EU and their companies must ensure that containers used for everyday products can be easily recycled or decompose naturally.

“The circular packaging economy will help decouple economic growth from the use of natural resources,” the European Commission document says. “In recent years, packaging has grown faster than gross national income, leading to a rapid increase in CO2 emissions.² and other substances, as well as overexploitation of natural resources, loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution.”

The new rules will have an impact on industries such as food and chemical products. In the EU, around 40% of plastic and 50% of paper is used in packaging, with packaging design often making it difficult to reuse or recycle. The new measures cover everything from stickers on apples to single-use plastic bags. Companies will have to use as little packaging as possible, and countries will have to ensure that 65% of all packaging waste is recycled by the end of 2025. The adoption of the rules is scheduled for Wednesday.

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