ECO design
Part II
Ecodesign and current legislation.
In our country, the obligations of the introducer? ( introducer?) of packaging to the market are mentioned in Article 11 of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Management Act of 13 June 2013).
We can find in it that:
“The introducer of packaging is obliged to reduce the quantity and negative impact on the environment of substances used for the production of packaging and packaging waste produced ” as well as the provision that:
“The packaging introducer is also be obliged to limit the quantity and the negative environmental impact of the substances used in the manufacture of packaging and the packaging waste generated in such a way that the volume and mass of the packaging are limited to the minimum necessary to fulfil the function of the packaging”
The article clearly identifies the packaging responsible party.
At the European level, expectations about the characteristics of packaging are determined by Directive 94/62/EC, which literally speaks about eco-design in the provision:
“Packaging shall be designed, manufactured and placed on the market in such a way as to allow for reuse and recovery, including recycling – in accordance with the waste hierarchy – and to reduce its impact on the environment when disposed of packaging waste or residual packaging waste management activities.”
In 2018, with Directive (EU) 2018/851, legislators communicated an intensification of the drive towards a circular economy, i.e. closed loop economy (GOZ). The directive speaks of very ambitious targets for waste recovery and recycling and extending the responsibility for recycling processes to manufacturers who put packaging on the market. In order to meet these requirements and minimise future recycling fees for marketed packaging, manufacturers need to start taking eco-design seriously.
Designing for recycling will no longer be just a fad or a marketing gimmick, but a prerequisite for meeting legal requirements and optimising the cost of their sales.