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Costly and counterproductive proposal risks increasing waste
The EU is currently discussing the harmonisation of packaging labelling, with the aim of making it easier for consumers to sort their waste correctly. Unfortunately, the proposal risks being both costly and counterproductive – potentially leading to more waste.
On Wednesday, Helena and Avfall Sverige’s CEO Tony Clark published a joint opinion piece in Dagens Industri, highlighting that the European Commission’s proposal for a new harmonised labelling system risks being both ineffective and expensive. It would also replace an already functioning system, EUpicto.
The European Commission is right about the objective: we need a harmonised European system to help consumers sort waste correctly. This is essential to increase recycling rates and achieve the goals of a circular economy.
However, estimates suggest that a mandatory switch to a new EU system could cost Swedish municipalities and businesses up to SEK 230 million. Signage would need to be replaced, bins relabelled, information materials reprinted, staff trained, household communication campaigns rolled out, and packaging production adjusted. These costs would fall hardest on municipalities and on the small and medium-sized enterprises that the EU consistently claims to support.
Read the full opinion piece in Dagens Industri.
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