How inclusive are the European Green Deal's new rules on packaging? Very little, according to some experts. With the proposal, the European Commission aims to reduce packaging waste per capita in each member state by 15% by 2040, with an overall reduction of about 37% in the EU, but it does not take into account the massive food waste that will be generated.
"Forecasts have been made with no supporting research studies. The approach is purely political, not scientific," said Rocco De Lucia, owner of Siropack Italia, a manufacturer of automatic packaging machines. "This proposal will seriously compromise food safety and lead to an increase in consumer prices, resulting in declining purchasing power for the lower income class."
Rocco De Lucia and Barbara Burioli expressed their dismay to the Italian Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida (on the right)
The new rules clearly contradict the European Parliament resolution of 19 January 2012, paragraph 12: Strategies for a more efficient food supply chain in the EU (2011/2175(INI). "It is necessary to consider and promote measures aimed at addressing food waste at source. The optimal and efficient use of food packaging can play an important role in preventing food waste and at the same time in reducing the overall environmental impact of a product, and not least through eco-friendly industrial design, which can include measures such as varying packaging quantities to help customers buy the right quantities and avoid overconsumption of resources. Providing advice on how to store and use the products can also play an important role and designing the packaging in such a way that the products can be stored and stay fresh longer."
After 11 years, that same packaging, which was praised at the time, is in the dock for being accused of consuming resources and damaging the environment.
The new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) aims to eliminate all packaging for fruits and vegetables (plastic or paper) for sizes under one and a half kilograms.
"It is a surreal position, the result of an ideological position with no scientific basis, conceived by people who do not have an understanding of what it means to be in a supply chain," continued De Lucia. "These decisions will lead to an increase in food waste and environmental pollution. It is a clear example of environmental, social, economic - and, in my view, even ethical - unsustainability that disregards the Parliament's resolution of 11 years ago."
However, the function of packaging has not changed since 2012, guaranteeing consumers across Europe, including in regions where fruits and vegetables are not grown, their food safety and shelf life. All this is made possible by a concept perfected over the years, which in the case of plastic weighs less and consists of at least 70% recycled and recyclable material. Sustainability is not obtained through the legal abolition of packaging, but through its conscious use and care for recycling, areas in which Italy has proven to excel.
"We expressed our disbelief to the Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida, on the occasion of his participation at the Unibo campus in Cesena in the event 'Towards the Second UN Summit on Food Systems,' so that our country's EU delegates can work for a review of this unfortunate law," concludes De Lucia.
For more information: 
Siropack Italia S.r.l.
Via Balitrona 22/C
47042 Cesenatico (FC)
+39 0547 671116
info@siropack.it
www.siropack.it