spiritsEUROPE has joined a broad coalition of European industry associations in co-signing a Joint Industry Statement on Harmonised Waste Sorting Instructions for Packaging, voicing serious concerns over the latest direction of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) guidelines.
The draft guidelines continue to prioritise full-colour, text-based labels on packaging, restricting simpler pictogram-only or neutral designs to very limited cases. This risks reintroducing national barriers, contradicting the Single Market Strategy, and undermining the goals of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which calls for harmonised consumer sorting instructions across the EU. Diverging rules would create operational inefficiencies, raise costs, confuse consumers, and ultimately hinder recycling and circular economy objectives.
spiritsEUROPE and its members have also submitted their own detailed comments, emphasising the need for a practical, harmonised approach. In addition, spiritsEUROPE supports the joint statement of the Close the Glass Loop Platform, underlining the shared commitment across the value chain to effective, large-scale recyclability.
The statement has been shared with DG ENV, DG GROW, Members of the European Parliament, and Permanent Representations, urging a rethink of the current JRC direction to protect the Single Market and ensure a workable labelling framework that delivers real environmental benefits.
