Environment and sustainability – March 2026
EU rules and regulations
The EC has adopted the Delegated Decision exempting plastic pallet wrappings and straps from the PPWR 100% reuse targets.
Directive (EU) 2026/470 on simplified sustainability reporting (CSRD/CSDDD) has been published after the Council gave green light.
The EC has launched a public consultation on simplifying administrative burdens.
The Council has approved conclusions on the new bioeconomy strategy.
CEN and the OPC Foundation have announced collaboration on Digital Product Passport (DPP) solutions.
RecyClass has updated its Design for Recycling Guidelines. In parallel, Recyclability Evaluation Protocols were revised.
Rules and regulations in different countries/states
Australia: The government has updated the circular economy strategy for packaging. Belgium: VVSG (in Dutch) reports that the Flemish government has approved (in Dutch) the consent decree on EPR for litter, but the other regions have not yet done so. Denmark: EPR draft legislation setting maximum fees for the collection of packaging waste has been sent to the EC. Finland: Draft legislation on compensation for municipalities paid by producers of certain SUPs in 2026–2028 has been sent to the EC. Italy: The EC has opened an infringement procedure for failing to correctly transpose the SUP directive and for breaching the rules on transparency in the internal market. Lithuania: The EC has opened an infringement procedure for failing to correctly transpose the Waste Framework Directive. One of the concerns is the EPR scheme. Luxembourg: Draft legislation relating to waste, packaging and the impact of certain plastic products on the environment has been sent to the EC. NL all info is in Dutch unless stated otherwise: The Implementation Programme VANG-Household Waste 2021-2025 has been extended by a year. According to a Position Paper (346 kB) by the Association for Producer Responsibility in the Netherlands (VPN), EPR is a powerful driver for a circular economy. UK: PackUK has confirmed that the disposal fees for Year 1 of the pEPR will not be changed to compensate the shortfall that was identified. US: Washington: CAA reports that the government has announced CAA as EPR organisation (PRO).
Research
Joint Research Centre (JRC) has published factsheets on mapping the transition of the EU glass manufacturing (652 kB) and the pulp and paper (947 kB) industry to carbon neutrality.
A recent Pro Carton report (summary, 4.38 MB) shows that the EU carton packaging industry has reduced its carbon footprint by 8% from 2021-24.
Research by Yale School of the Environment shows that biodegradable plastics could reduce ecotoxicity up to 34% by 2050, but without proper disposal and infrastructure they also could dramatically increase greenhouse gas emissions.
IOM3 reports on a study suggesting that microplastics may significantly contribute to climate change and potentially further affect ocean health in the form of ocean warming and ocean acidification. The study was led by Beijing Normal University.
An interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at UT Austin is developing an autonomous robot that can rove along beaches mapping out where microplastics are and what they’re made of. The goal is to replace some of the time- and labour-intensive work of human monitoring.
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