The Canadian government published a pollution prevention planning notice for plastic food packaging as part of ongoing efforts to address plastic waste and pollution (FPF reported). The proposed notice would require large Canadian grocery retailers (defined in the document as retailers that generate grocery retail sales in Canada over $4 billion annually) to formulate and apply a pollution prevention plan to meet reuse and recycle targets by eliminating unnecessary packaging, displacing single-use packaging with reuse-refill systems, and providing food-safe plastics designed to be reused, recycled, and composted in Canadian facilities.
The Government of Canada’s proposed objectives for the pollution prevention plan:
- “Reduce the environmental impact of primary food plastic packaging along the value chain to the greatest extent practicable through the elimination of unnecessary or problematic packaging and design for circularity” by 2035.
- 75% of “[f]resh fruits and vegetables are distributed and sold in bulk and/or plastic-free packaging” by 2026, and 95% by 2028.
- “All primary food plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable” by 2028.
- “Develop strategies, outside of fresh produce, to increase, by a certain percentage, the sale of products within a reuse-refill system, products free of plastic packaging, and/or concentrated products”, 20% by 2026, 50% by 2030, and 60% by 2035.
- “Non-reusable plastic food packaging contains post-consumer recycled content”, 10% by 2028, 20% by 2030, and 30% by 2035.
The government is currently seeking feedback on the proposal and would like to engage with operators of supermarkets, grocery stores, processing industries, sectoral associations, non-governmental organizations, and local governments. Key inputs that they are looking for are additional objectives and factors to consider, supply chain considerations, reporting and measuring success, and data on plastic footprint.
Find a list of other open consultations concerning anything food contact related on our consultations page.
On June 27, 2023, Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment drafted a similar law aimed at minimizing packaging waste and promoting reusable packaging. According to the draft document, the law will include the following points:
- Grocery stores will be obligated to offer at least one reusable option for each type of beverage.
- Consumers must be able to return reusable bottles, wherever beverages are sold.
- Vendors will be obligated to offer reusable takeaway packaging. Previously, this had only applied for single-use plastic packaging.
- Dine-in fast food restaurants must not provide single-use packaging.
- Reduction of the filling quantity with unchanged packaging size is inadmissible.
With these laws, the German government hopes to empower consumers and make it easier for citizens to use more sustainable food packaging. In a next step, the Ministry plans to draft laws to increase the recyclability of packaging and approve chemical recycling processes.
References
Government of Canada (August 1, 2023). “Consultation document: Pollution prevention planning notice for primary food plastic packaging.”
Government of Canada (August 1, 2023). “Share your thoughts: Development of a pollution prevention (P2) planning notice for primary food plastic packaging.”
Federal Ministry of the Environment (June 27, 2023). “Key points of the law for less packaging waste.” (in German).
Read more
Cision (August 1, 2023). “How can Canada reduce plastic food packaging? Have your say now.”
Global News (August 2, 2023). “Canada sets sights on next plastic waste target: food packaging.”
Emily Robinson (July 26, 2023). “Canada’s federal single-use plastics ban: What they got right and what they didn’t.” University of Guelph.
