The Battle for Sustainable Packaging: MEPs Clash on Proposed New Return System in Finland

MEP Elsi Katainen from the Center party believes that the demand for a parallel return system is unreasonable. She questions the need for a new system alongside Finland’s innovative bottle return system, which sees drink packages on deposit recycled as raw material. Meanwhile, Social Democrat Miapetra Kumpula-Natri of the Finnish food industry has learned about issues with the return system only after the proposal had left the parliament’s desk. The EU packaging waste regulation is set to give final approval in a vote on Wednesday, and it is unlikely that parliament will overturn the result of negotiations. However, the Finnish beverage industry hopes for a different outcome, as they fear this new regulation will lead to significant costs and two parallel bottle return systems.

MEP Mauri Pekkarinen from the Center party plans to vote against the regulation, expressing concerns about punishing progressive operators. His colleague, Elsi Katainen, is undecided but questions whether adding reusable packaging would require a separate system. In Finland, drink packages on deposit are recycled as raw material, and creating a parallel bottle return system could potentially be resolved through executive guidance. Despite some uncertainties, the regulation is seen as a step towards more sustainable packaging by reducing packaging waste and establishing reuse targets while limiting single-use packaging. Amidst differing opinions, MEPs will have to carefully consider their votes on the packaging waste regulation.