Environment and sustainability – April 2025
EU rules and regulations
The EC has adopted the 2025-2030 working plan for the Ecodesign Regulation (ESPR). The plan provides a list of priority products, including steel and aluminium. The EC has launched a consultation on the Digital Product Passport (DPP), part of the ESPR. The EC has opened a consultation on clarifying and simplifying the scope of the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and has published updated guidance and FAQ. The EC has also launched a consultation on the Bioeconomy Strategy. The Council has given its final green light on the ‘Stop-the-clock’ directive postponing the dates of application of certain corporate sustainability reporting (CSRD) and due diligence (CSDDD) requirements. The Council and the EP have reached a provisional agreement on the proposed regulation on preventing the loss of plastic pellets to the environment. According to PRE, the EU plastic recycling industry is at a breaking point. Among other things, recyclers are grappling with cheaper imported materials and high energy and waste costs. According to a study (12.22 MB) by ZWE, EPR schemes are failing to deliver on circularity and strategic autonomy.
Rules and regulations in the different countries
Asia: The UN reports that the Jaipur Declaration 2025-2034 was adopted during the 12th Regional 3R and Circular Economy Forum in Asia and the Pacific. Hong Kong: The government has launched the Packaging Reduction Charter. Over 100 companies have already joined. Japan: Keller and Heckman reports that the government has published draft sustainability standards for PET bottles. NL all info is in Dutch unless stated otherwise: In March the state secretary sent the house a compilation letter on the circular economy and on 9 April a letter about the worrying situation of plastic recyclers, that is also illustrated in the 2024 Annual Review (in English, 2.62 MB) of the Dutch Waste Management Association (in English). On 16 April, the Circular Economy debate took place. Beforehand, MPs received a compilation letter with the 2024 litter monitor (6.78 MB) and the monitoring (532 kB) of beverage packaging in litter in 2024. In the letter he also announces the abolition of the consumer surcharge for on-the-go plastic containers and cups as of 1 January 2026. The enforcement had already been discontinued. Data from the Urban Plastic Soup-project (in English), led by WUR (in English) and others show that food packaging is among the top three contributors of plastic pollution in Amsterdam’s waterways. The impact of the Circular Materials Plan (CMP) is not adequately assessed in the environmental impact report (11.88 MB), according to the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (75 kB) in its advice (863 kB) to the State Secretary. The commission also finds that the quality is not good enough. For example, the report contains incorrect information about plastic packaging. KIDV has published a Recycle Check for beverage cartons. Portugal: The DRS for single-use beverage packaging is set to be launched in 2026. SDR Portugal will serve as the scheme administrator and Sensoneo has been selected as the IT provider. US: California: CAA reports that Governor Newsom has directed CalRecycle to restart regulations for SB 54 on EPR. CalRecycle reports that, as the 25% recycling rate has not been met, SUP EPS packaging is now prohibited. Research (2.24 MB) commissioned by CMI shows that used beverage cans move from recycling bin to newly formed cans in less than 60 days on average.
Research
HolyGrail 2.0 trials on real post-household rigid packaging waste confirm that digital watermarking enables high-precision sorting. In collaboration with Anthesis, WBCSD has analysed regulatory packaging data requirements to identify pathways toward a global data standard. You can download the report after filling in your details.
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