{"id":9936,"date":"2025-09-17T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T05:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=9936"},"modified":"2025-09-19T10:44:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T07:44:22","slug":"poland-epr-packaging-law-faces-industry-pushback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/poland-epr-packaging-law-faces-industry-pushback\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland EPR Packaging Law Faces Industry Pushback"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Poland\u2019s Ministry of Environment is preparing to roll out a fully state-run Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, sparking pushback from major packaging industry groups including EUROPEN, Cepi, Flexible Packaging Europe, and Pro Carton. The organizations warn that the proposed model risks undermining both the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD) and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/poland-epr-packaging-law-faces-industry-pushback\/#How_the_Draft_Legislation_Would_Work\" >How the Draft Legislation Would Work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/poland-epr-packaging-law-faces-industry-pushback\/#Industry_Fears_Legislative_Overlap\" >Industry Fears Legislative Overlap<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/poland-epr-packaging-law-faces-industry-pushback\/#Questions_Over_Fee_Structure\" >Questions Over Fee Structure<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/poland-epr-packaging-law-faces-industry-pushback\/#Industry_Calls_for_Alignment_with_EU_Rules\" >Industry Calls for Alignment with EU Rules<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/poland-epr-packaging-law-faces-industry-pushback\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_the_Draft_Legislation_Would_Work\"><\/span><strong>How the Draft Legislation Would Work<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The draft <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.pl\/web\/klimat\/projekt-ustawy-o-opakowaniach-i-odpadach-opakowaniowych-uc100--droga-do-zmniejszenia-ilosci-odpadow\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>Act on Packaging and Packaging Waste<\/strong><\/a> would implement the \u201cpolluter pays\u201d principle across Poland. Under the plan, the<em> National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFO\u015aiGW)<\/em> would oversee the system and collect fees from businesses based on the type and weight of packaging they place on the market.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The contribution starts at <strong>8 % of the product fee rate in 2026<\/strong>, rising to <strong>20 % in 2027<\/strong>, with full implementation targeted for 2028. The revenue is intended to fund municipal collection, processing, and recycling, to make <strong>producers financially responsible for their packaging footprint<\/strong> while reducing the waste management burden on local authorities.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Industry_Fears_Legislative_Overlap\"><\/span><strong>Industry Fears Legislative Overlap<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite its intentions, the system has been met with sharp criticism. Industry groups argue that a centralized, state-run scheme could conflict with EU legislation, create <strong>heavier administrative burdens for businesses<\/strong>, and <strong>increase costs without boosting recyclability<\/strong> at scale.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Concerns also focus on <strong>market access risks after 2035<\/strong>, with fears that many packaging types could face exclusion <strong>regardless<\/strong> of whether they meet PPWR\u2019s design-for-recycling rules.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-9927\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/vecteezy_grocery-shopping-at-the-supermarket-retail-consumerism-and_70073389-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"Poland EPR Packaging Law Faces Industry Pushback - Grocery shopping at the supermarket retail consumerism and food abundance\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/vecteezy_grocery-shopping-at-the-supermarket-retail-consumerism-and_70073389-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/vecteezy_grocery-shopping-at-the-supermarket-retail-consumerism-and_70073389-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/vecteezy_grocery-shopping-at-the-supermarket-retail-consumerism-and_70073389-768x578.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/vecteezy_grocery-shopping-at-the-supermarket-retail-consumerism-and_70073389-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/vecteezy_grocery-shopping-at-the-supermarket-retail-consumerism-and_70073389-2048x1543.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Questions_Over_Fee_Structure\"><\/span><strong>Questions Over Fee Structure<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another sticking point is the <strong>basis for calculating fees<\/strong>. The draft ties percentages to penalties applied to recovery organizations that miss recycling targets, something critics say is <strong>misaligned with actual waste management costs<\/strong> and in breach of the WFD.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are also concerns that <strong>funds could be redirected to the state budget<\/strong> instead of directly supporting recycling infrastructure. In addition, the lack of clarity until 2028 creates <strong>business uncertainty<\/strong> and runs counter to the <strong>eco-modulation principle<\/strong>, which is being applied across the EU to incentivize recyclability.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Industry_Calls_for_Alignment_with_EU_Rules\"><\/span><strong>Industry Calls for Alignment with EU Rules<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europen-packaging.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Joint-Industry-Statement-on-State-run-PROs-May-2025-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">joint statement<\/a> from the signatories urges Poland to <strong>rethink its approach and design an EPR system that fully aligns with EU requirements<\/strong>. They call for a model that supports <strong>recyclability at scale<\/strong>, remains consistent with the PPWR, and avoids regulatory fragmentation across the Single Market, rather than bringing <strong>heavy financial and administrative burdens<\/strong> for operators and falling short of the EU\u2019s circular economy goals.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Beyond EUROPEN and Cepi, the letter was co-signed by a wide range of packaging associations including the European Paper Packaging Alliance (EPPA), European Carton Makers Association (ECMA), Aluminium Closures Group, Steel for Packaging Europe (SfPE), UNESDA &#8211; Soft Drinks Europe, FEVE (European Container Glass Federation), and EAFA (European Aluminium Foil Association), Petcore Europe, FEFCO (European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers), Metal Packaging Europe, FEPE (Federation of European Producers of Envelopes and Light Packaging), Elipso, and Natural Mineral Waters Europe (NMWE).<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Poland\u2019s draft EPR system risks clashing with EU law, adding costs, and slowing progress toward recyclability. Instead of reinforcing circular economy targets, critics argue it could fracture the EU packaging market and penalize compliant businesses. The debate underscores a wider challenge for Europe: ensuring that national EPR schemes strengthen, not undermine, the EU\u2019s collective push toward circularity and competitiveness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Poland\u2019s Ministry of Environment is preparing to roll out a fully state-run Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, sparking pushback from major packaging industry groups including EUROPEN, Cepi, Flexible Packaging Europe, and Pro Carton. The organizations warn that the proposed model risks undermining both the EU Waste Framework Directive (WFD) and the Packaging and Packaging Waste&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,543,545],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-advocacy-enforcement-en","category-packaging-legislation-en","category-28","category-543","category-545","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9936"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9940,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9936\/revisions\/9940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}