Reforming the extended producer responsibility system: what awaits processors

Manufacturers and importers of all types of packaging, oils and batteries are likely to be required to process 100% of the products sold as early as 2020. Such a proposal is presented in the project of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

According to Kommersant, the project involves a phased increase in the utilization rate to 100% for other types of goods. Now containers, paper, tires, clothes, electronics and other goods manufacturers and importers need to dispose of or pay an environmental fee for them.

By increasing the standards, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation plans to increase the collection of eco-collection from 2.2 billion (2018) to 136 billion rubles. annually.

As part of the business program of the Upakovka-2020 packaging technology exhibition, which was held at the end of January 2020, the session “The Circular Economy in Packaging — Expectations and Reality” was held.

Mikhail Penkov, Deputy Director General for Development of SROs, Association of the “Pulp and Paper Processors League” Association spoke at the event. According to the Europlast press service, in his extensive presentation, “The Impact of Legislative Initiatives on the Waste Processing Industry,” he again tried to prove the advantages of transferring responsibility for product distribution obligations from producers to packaging manufacturers.

Representatives of the Association of Manufacturers and Processors of Polyethylene Terephthalate (ARPET), the Association "StekloSouz", consumer goods association of the Aluminum Association, the Association of manufacturers of glass containers) unanimously opposed such proposals.

Andrei Ermolenko, representing the Plarus plant, suggested that the logic of the proposed changes is based on a misunderstanding of the interaction between the subjects of the ROP in all processing industries.

So, Andrei Ermolenko considers the argument erroneous that due to a significant decrease in the number of ROP subjects, the collection of eco-collection will increase. In the absence of a sustainable administration system, collection problems will not go away. Rosprirodnadzor is not able at the moment to deal with this problem closely.

A very important issue concerned the recognition of raw materials as packaging, or, more precisely, “packaging as a finished product”. Mikhail Penkov suggested calling packaging, in fact, semi-finished products: TetraPak rolls, PET preforms, aluminum covers and more. What to do with the rest of the packaging and how to classify it remains unclear. There is no clear definition, signs, restrictions, conditions that can reliably classify such packaging.

Tatyana Nagorskaya (Chairman of the Board of the Association “Separate Collection”) expressed the opinion that if responsibility is transferred to packaging manufacturers, the producers will no longer have an economic incentive to purchase packaging using recycled materials, therefore, we can forget about the development of the processing industry in Russia.

Representatives of industry associations agreed that the adjustment of the ROP mechanism will deprive ROP entities of incentives for the development of an industry for the separate collection and processing of waste.

“When transferring responsibility to the packaging manufacturer, the motivation of the producer to release their goods in more environmentally friendly packaging is excluded. The transfer of responsibility will lead to a deterioration of the principles of eco-design of packaging by manufacturers of goods. Manufacturers of goods will not even strive to facilitate packaging - after all, they will not pay an environmental fee. In addition, the transfer of responsibility contradicts the programs of economic development of the Russian Federation, in particular, import substitution programs. The transfer of responsibility will create serious obstacles for a complete transition to a circular economy, ”said Natalia Selezneva, Director of ARPET.

Source: https://recyclemag.ru/