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EU readies new law to cut packaging waste from e-commerce
(EurActiv, 4 Nov 2022) The European Commission is preparing to unveil new legislation which for the first time envisages measures to limit packaging size as well as the amount of “empty space” in boxes shipped around Europe by online retailers.
The environmental impact of e-commerce has attracted scrutiny from EU policymakers concerned about the amount of packaging waste generated from growing online sales.
Brussels will seek to address this as part of a revision of its packaging and packaging waste directive, due on 30 November.
E-commerce in Europe grew by 13% to €718 billion in 2021, according to industry figures, confirming the sharp rise seen the year before during the COVID-19 pandemic when brick-and-mortar shops were forced to shut down for safety reasons.
But despite an overall trend towards light-weighting, the amount of packaging waste generated over the last decades has kept increasing, the European Commission said in a preliminary cost-benefit analysis of the EU’s packaging waste legislation.
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EurActiv, 4 Nov 2022: EU readies new law to cut packaging waste from e-commerce
