Companies that produce and/or use packaging face significant regulatory challenges. One of the main ones is ecomodulation, incorporated by Royal Decree 1055/2022 of December 27, on packaging and packaging waste, which has been in effect since January 2024. Another is the European ban on single-use plastic packaging from 2030, as established by the Single-Use Plastics Directive 2019/904 and the new European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. Thus, from 2030 onwards, non-recyclable packaging will have no place in the European market.

Do you know how many of the packages you manufacture or use will be affected by the new regulations? To help companies diagnose and adapt their packaging to meet the new legislative requirements, inèdit has launched a new service: the Packaging Recyclability Diagnostic service, targeted at manufacturers, packagers, distributors, and the hospitality sector.

What does the Packaging Recyclability Diagnostic service involve?

• – We analyze whether your company’s portfolio of packaging (primary, secondary, and tertiary) complies with current sustainability and ecodesign legislation.
• – We help you understand how SCRAPs apply ecomodulation and how it will impact your company.
• – We propose corrective and improvement measures according to your company’s ability to prevent and reduce the use of raw materials for primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging.
• – We seek more sustainable and recyclable packaging solutions that comply with regulations and optimize operations in your packaging processes or points of sale.
• – We train internal teams on sustainability, recyclability, regulations, and practical recycling and infrastructure.

What is Ecomodulation?

Royal Decree 1055/2022 establishes guidelines aimed at promoting the ecodesign of packaging, which should be lighter, more recyclable, and incorporate post-consumer secondary raw materials. These guidelines serve to adjust the financial contributions that companies make to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes based on new criteria. Previously, fees were applied according to packaging material, weight, and units placed on the market. Under the new regulations, additional attributes related to recyclability, material recovery, and the reintegration of packaging materials into the market have been added. This is known as ecomodulation.

The two main objectives of ecomodulation are, on the one hand, to promote the incorporation of post-consumer recycled raw material and, on the other, to increase packaging recyclability. In this second point, relevant attributes include the color of the packaging, the materials it’s made of, the label size, and other accompanying elements, such as caps.

The Ban on Single-Use Packaging in Europe

According to the European Union, each European citizen generates 190 kg of packaging waste annually. To address this, recently approved regulations include targets for reducing packaging waste by 5% by 2030, 10% by 2035, and 15% by 2040. These regulations specifically mandate reductions in plastic packaging waste. As of January 1, 2030, single-use plastic packaging and all non-recyclable packaging will be prohibited in Europe, mainly affecting packaging for unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables, food and drink packaging served and consumed in cafes and restaurants, individual portions (e.g., for condiments, sauces, cream, or sugar), small packages of personal hygiene products, and lightweight plastic bags (less than fifteen microns).