Featured Stories
-
Enhance Surface Performance with Corona Treatment in Printing and Laminating Applications
Converters working with plastic films like polyethylene or polypropylene often face poor surface receptivity. -
The Rise of Flexible Packaging: Why Stand-Up and Flat-Bottom Pouches Are Replacing Rigid Containers
The packaging industry is undergoing a fundamental shift as brands increasingly move away from rigid containers in favor of stand-up and... -
News | New Products
-
Anderson & Vreeland Welcomes Kevin Sakai as Technical Sales Manager for Canada Operations
Anderson & Vreeland, ULC. ("A&V"), a prominent distributor and manufacturer in the flexographic industry
-
UV Ray Appoints New Distributors in the Americas, Australia and Portugal
UV Ray has expanded local representation of its UV LED, dichroic mirror, and hybrid curing systems with the appointment of AGS (Australian Graphic Servicing Pty. Ltd.)
-
Minova Labels Chooses Vetaphone for its Lombardi Presses
Established in 2006 by Ivan Caldirola and his business partner, Minova Labels began life with a Gidue 430 8-colour press and added a second Gidue 630 10-colour press in 2010.
-
PACK EXPO Las Vegas Celebrates 30 Years of Innovation
PACK EXPO Las Vegas, one of North America’s most comprehensive packaging and processing events is celebrating a milestone
-
APR’s Inaugural Recycling in Action Month Draws National Participation, Boosts Public Confidence in Plastics Recycling
Thousands of Americans got a firsthand look at how plastics are recycled during the Association of Plastic Recyclers’ (APR) inaugural Recycling in Action month
-
Flint Group NC-Free innovations honored at FIA UK Awards
Flint Group, a leading supplier of inks and coatings for the global print and packaging sectors, is proud to announce that its nitrocellulose-(NC) free ink innovations
-
FPA Testifies at U.S. House Subcommittee Hearing on Recycling and Economic Development
Felton Urges Federal Support for Investment in Recycling Infrastructure, Innovation, and National Labeling Standards to Help Achieve Full Circularity for Flexible Packaging and Films
Expert Advice
The European Directive on Packaging and Packaging waste
- Published: May 01, 2002, By Corey M. Reardon, AWA Alexander Watson Assoc.
Environmental concerns led the European Commission to establish a set of rules for waste management in the European packaging industry. The reduction of landfill, and parallel increase in re-use, recycling, and incineration, were the prime aims of the Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC). Individual EU member states were required to implement it by 2001, but even today, most member states are not ready.
Difficulty arises with materials such as release liner. Since it is technically not applied to the package, does a release liner constitute packaging waste or not?
Most of Europe classifies release liner as an integral part of a self-adhesive label stock laminate and therefore “packaging waste.” This has not been the case in the U.K., but recent U.K. government and industry discussions point to a change to the more general European view that release liners are an intrinsic part of packaging.
Although industry associations including FINAT and EPSMA lobby strongly for an appropriate waste management platform, no solution has presented itself so far.
Whatever the final solution, it will have an indelible impact on the packaging industry and on supply side characteristics throughout the value chain — not just in Europe but eventually elsewhere. Environmental issues certainly are not going to disappear from anyone's agenda.
AWA Alexander Watson Assoc. is a leading international market research consultant company for the converting and packaging industries.
