The European Commission’s New Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 on recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foods replaces the previous Regulation (EC) No. 282/2008.

What does this new regulation mean for recyclers ? Will it level the playing field and help develop the market for recycled plastics further beyond rPET which is already quite widely used in food packaging today ?

Who will be auditing recyclers outside EU with food grade approval to assure compliance on  origin, collection methods and quality control ?

From 10 July 2023, plastics containing recycled plastic manufactured with a suitable recycling technology may be placed on the market.

What are these suitable technologies ? Where will chemical recycling stand ? Will chemically recycled plastics account towards the targets ?

Beyond PET, it is expected that availability of other types of recycled plastic polymers will increase on the market in the coming years, which will benefit from the EU legal framework now in place for such innovation.

While EFSA is more prevalent in Europe, FDA is more widely used internationally .Obtaining an EFSA positive opinion , the process, including traceability of feedstocks is challenging for some suppliers and is not a requirement of FDA. Many states in the US have different recycled content mandates, and there is a need to  drive market demand and push for harmonisation.

How about the UK ? Will the new EU regulation compel changes in the UK standards ?

Join us in Porto at our 4th Recycled Packaging for Food Contact conference that brings experts in the field to dive deeper into these regulations and the impact it will have on the packaging sector.