November 22nd could be D-day for the packaging industry of which Italy is the leader. Not just in Europe. But on November 22nd, the day on which the EU Parliament will be called to approve or reject it in plenary session the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation it could also be the Caporetto of our GDP.
In the first case, MEPs could send the text approved by the Environment Committee (Envi) signed by Renew back to the sender. In the second, obviously, let the practice slide. Unlike the much more balanced texts approved before the summer break by the Agriculture and Industry commissions, the Belgian report Frédérique Ries it would, in fact, confirm, and at times even worsen, the original approach of the European Commission’s proposal, risking placing the EU Parliament in very dangerous positions for the national production and distribution system.
An indecent proposal for Italy
This is a proposal which, if approved in its current formulation, would cause heavily negative effects on national production chains and consumers as well as being contrary to the sustainability objectives it declares it wants to pursue. It would kill the recycling industry, shifting the entire sector (especially Agrofood) to the logic of reuse. Not to mention, in addition to the economic damage, also the food waste that it would end up causing.
“This proposal, in fact, completely overturns the strategy used so far for the reduction of packaging waste, moving from the principle of recycling – which has characterized this strategy in recent years – to that of reuse”, we read in a letter sent to all group leaders of the European Parliament. Letter which continues as follows: “In recent years, our country has become a global point of reference in innovative recyclable materials and has already achieved objectives in terms of recycling that are higher than the vast majority of other countries: the overall recycling rate of packaging in Italy reached 73.3% in 2021, exceeding the 70% objective set for 2030, placing our country ranks second in Europe for packaging recycling per capita”. What is certainly striking are the words and content of the letter which summarize the wall towards which our economy risks crashing.
But it is the list of signatories that is surprising
We go from Coldiretti at Filiera Italia, passing through all the union acronyms and arriving at the entire Coop supply chain. For the first time the production world is teaming up and putting their logos on the same page. Together they turn to the Italian parties present in Brussels, asking them to vote not based on ideology or group affiliation but to vote for their country. Confindustria itself, whose signature does not appear at the bottom of this letter, has already done so Uniplast to convey more or less the same concept.
LUIGI SCORDAMAGLIA ITALY SUPPLY CHAIN
A more unique than rare mobilization
A fact that makes the fear of the entire production system clear. The letter was followed last night by a meeting in a well-known restaurant in Brussels: companies and politicians gathered with the aim of finding a solution. “This is a fundamental meeting which was attended by the Italian rapporteurs of the measure as well as 40 Italian MEPs belonging to all political forces and which has some very clear objectives”, he comments Luigi Scordamaglia, CEO of Filiera Italia.
“The first objective is to recreate the transversal axis of Italian MEPs regardless of political affiliation. In this case the agricultural and industrial, private and cooperative world of production does not only want to protect its own interests but together with the representation of the main distribution chains and all three national unions represents the entire world of work”.
Incomprehensibly, in the various proposals made so far, no one “has ever mentioned that Italy is a leader in totally biodegradable bioplastics and that these can constitute an element of strength to involve also in the subsequent phases of the discussion Countries aligned on different positionsrepresenting unquestionably sustainable solutions,” continues Scordamaglia.
Objective number three
The third objective inherent in the letter is to request exclusion from reuse as well as wine (already obtained), also beer and juices and to “no longer place any limit on the weight of fruit and vegetables”, concludes Scordamaglia, “to be packaged”. A further request was to exclude from reuse all those countries and supply chains that have already achieved 85% recycling.
It is clear that an opposite decision would destroy the fresh produce sector of which Italy – it is worth repeating – is the global leader. Thus, if the tension over the negotiations rises on the one hand, uncertainty remains on the other. At the level of Parliament there is the concrete possibility that a large part of the EPP aligns itself with the right and therefore ends up acting as a balancer by stopping the green socialist madness. However, the great unknown of the Council remains. At the recent Ecomondo meeting, government representatives reiterated Italy’s opposition. The point that is Rome is alone. Only a few days left. But alliances with other countries are urgently needed in order to undermine the position of France and Germany. What’s at stake should be clear to everyone.