{"id":9971,"date":"2025-10-01T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T05:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/?p=9971"},"modified":"2025-10-01T08:46:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T05:46:37","slug":"proposed-increase-of-eu-plastic-packaging-levy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/proposed-increase-of-eu-plastic-packaging-levy\/","title":{"rendered":"Industry Concerned Over Proposed Increase of EU Plastic Packaging Levy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The European Commission has <a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/?uri=CELEX%3A52025PC0574&amp;qid=1753797262498\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">proposed<\/a> raising the EU-wide levy on non-recycled plastic packaging waste, in order to account for inflation, which has eroded the real value of the current charge. Introduced in 2021 as part of measures to balance the budget after Brexit, the levy has already generated an estimated \u20ac 7.2 billion in revenue.<\/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\/proposed-increase-of-eu-plastic-packaging-levy\/#Commission_Proposes_Adjustment_for_Inflation\" >Commission Proposes Adjustment for Inflation<\/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\/proposed-increase-of-eu-plastic-packaging-levy\/#Industry_Groups_Oppose_Increase\" >Industry Groups Oppose Increase<\/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\/proposed-increase-of-eu-plastic-packaging-levy\/#Call_for_a_Dedicated_Fund\" >Call for a Dedicated Fund<\/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\/proposed-increase-of-eu-plastic-packaging-levy\/#Legislative_Context\" >Legislative Context<\/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\/proposed-increase-of-eu-plastic-packaging-levy\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Commission_Proposes_Adjustment_for_Inflation\"><\/span><strong>Commission Proposes Adjustment for Inflation<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Under the new plan, the EU-wide <strong>levy on non-recycled plastic packaging waste<\/strong> will be raised <strong>from \u20ac 0.80\/kg to \u20ac 1\/kg<\/strong>, starting in<strong> 2028<\/strong>. It would also be linked to inflation through annual adjustments. In addition, other existing financial mechanisms, such as VAT base caps and lump sum reductions, would be discontinued in favor of a simpler structure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Industry_Groups_Oppose_Increase\"><\/span><strong>Industry Groups Oppose Increase<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Leading trade organizations, including <em>European Plastics Converters<\/em>, <em>Plastics Europe<\/em>, and <em>Petcore Europe<\/em>, have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.plasticsconverters.eu\/post\/joint-press-release\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">voiced<\/a> <strong>strong concerns<\/strong> about the proposed increase, arguing that many EU Member States are <strong>not yet fully prepared<\/strong> to implement the levy system effectively.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Their position is that a higher fee risks <strong>discouraging much-needed investment<\/strong> in recycling and waste management infrastructure. Instead of driving environmental progress, the adjustment may push Member States to seek <strong>alternative revenue sources<\/strong> that do not directly support sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-9966\" src=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Industry-Concerned-Over-Proposed-Increase-of-EU-Plastic-Packaging-Levy-1024x576.png\" alt=\" Industry Concerned Over Proposed Increase of EU Plastic Packaging Levy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Industry-Concerned-Over-Proposed-Increase-of-EU-Plastic-Packaging-Levy-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Industry-Concerned-Over-Proposed-Increase-of-EU-Plastic-Packaging-Levy-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Industry-Concerned-Over-Proposed-Increase-of-EU-Plastic-Packaging-Levy-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Industry-Concerned-Over-Proposed-Increase-of-EU-Plastic-Packaging-Levy.png 1280w\" 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=\"Call_for_a_Dedicated_Fund\"><\/span><strong>Call for a Dedicated Fund<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The groups emphasize that <strong>the levy should not be treated as a general revenue stream<\/strong> for the EU budget. Instead, they call for the proceeds to be ringfenced and reinvested in a dedicated fund, aimed at supporting circular economy initiatives within the plastics sector.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Such a fund would provide vital financing for the development of <strong>improved collection, sorting, and recycling systems<\/strong>. It would also help integrate recycled materials into new products and sustain industry <strong>competitiveness<\/strong> amid challenges such as high energy costs, compliance demands, and ongoing plant closures across Europe.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Legislative_Context\"><\/span><strong>Legislative Context<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Industry representatives point out that the sector is already <strong>under pressure<\/strong> to meet ambitious recycling and circularity targets set by EU legislation. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation requires recycled content levels of 10-35 % in all plastic packaging by 2030, alongside full recyclability standards. Other regulatory measures, including the Waste Framework Directive and Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation, reinforce the push toward circularity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Against this backdrop, industry bodies argue that additional financial burdens from higher levies risk <strong>undermining the resources needed to meet these targets<\/strong>.<\/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\">While the European Commission sees the levy increase as a necessary correction to inflation, industry groups insist the priority should be ensuring funds are directly used to accelerate the transition to circular plastics. The debate highlights the tension between fiscal policy and environmental objectives, with the future competitiveness of Europe\u2019s plastics sector hanging in the balance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Commission has proposed raising the EU-wide levy on non-recycled plastic packaging waste, in order to account for inflation, which has eroded the real value of the current charge. Introduced in 2021 as part of measures to balance the budget after Brexit, the levy has already generated an estimated \u20ac 7.2 billion in revenue.&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9967,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,543,541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","category-advocacy-enforcement-en","category-industry-trends-reports-en","category-28","category-543","category-541","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9971","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\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9971"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9992,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9971\/revisions\/9992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.packlab.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}