Risks and opportunities created by the proposed revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive were spelt out to EU Commission officials and members of the European Parliament last week. At a dinner in Brussels organised the the UK's Packaging Federation, Ian Dent, the federation's CEO, asked what environmental benefits can or should be gained from the review of the Directive. The EC has proposed a 2006 packaging waste recovery target of 60-75% and a recycling target of 55-70%, with recycling targets by weight per material of 60% for glass, 55% for paper/board, 50% for metals and 20% for plastics. Dent said changes to the existing requirements should be kept to a minimum, concentrating on recovery targets rather than introducing specific material targets.
