The

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

Packaging and packaging waste directive 94/62/EC (1994) deals with the problems of

packaging waste Packaging waste, the part of the waste that consists of packaging and packaging material, is a major part of the total global waste, and the major part of the packaging waste consists of single-use plastic food packaging, a hallmark of throwaway ...

and the currently permitted heavy metal content in

packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a co ...

. The Directive obligates member states to meet targets for the recovery and recycling of packaging waste. The Directive covers all packaging placed on the Community market. Targets are set as a percentage of packaging flowing into the waste stream. The Directive: * sets targets for

recovery Recovery or Recover may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * Recovery (novel), ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book * Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry Film and television * R ...

and plastic recycling * requires the encouragement of the use of recycled packaging materials in the manufacturing of packaging and other products * requires packaging to comply with 'essential requirements' which include the minimisation of packaging volume and weight, and the design of packaging to permit its reuse or recovery * requires the implementation of measures to prevent packaging waste in addition to preventative measures under the 'essential requirements', which may include measures to encourage the re-use of packaging In November 2022, the European Commission proposed an EU regulation to replace the directive, along with a ''communication'' to clarify the labels ''biobased'', ''biodegradable'', and ''compostable''.

References

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External links

Packaging and packaging waste
on the EUR-Lex Summaries of EU Legislation
Directive 94/62/EC of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste
on EUR-Lex
Procedure 2022/0396/COD
for the 2022 proposed regulation on packaging and packaging waste on EUR-Lex Packaging European Union directives Environmental law in the European Union