spiritsEUROPE hosts interactive debate ahead of the upcoming revision of the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD)
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Brussels, 21 September 2021 - Spirits drinks and their iconic packaging are inseparable. For spirit drinks, packaging is more than just a wrapping – it plays an essential role from production, transport, product presentation to consumption, and increased sustainability during its end-of-life phase. With the upcoming revision of the PPWD, the spirits sector invited key partners across the value chain and EU policy makers for an interactive dialogue on packaging and packaging waste.
Driving up sustainability aspects during the production, transport, and consumption of spirits drinks, including packaging and its end-of-life phase, is a core objective of spiritsEUROPE and the sector. For spirit drinks, like many FMCG products, packaging is an indispensable part of the product which serves many more functions than simply acting as container to store, protect and transport liquid.
“Innovative packaging is an integral part of spirit drinks. It conveys important consumer information, supports the premiumization and brand elevation trends of fine spirits and helps to promote a culture of responsible drinking and portion control. There is simply no way that you can separate the drink and the way it is produced, marketed and consumed from the packaging”, said Sarah Melina Siebel, Director Internal Market at spiritsEUROPE. “It is therefore key, that discussions on the sustainability of packaging will be inclusive and that also social sustainability aspects will be duly considered in the upcoming PPWD debates”, she continued.
The upcoming revision of the PPWD should serve to formulate balanced, clear and meaningful policy objectives which contribute to the EU’s wider sustainability agenda and its climate objectives whilst remaining fully compatible with fundamental Internal Market Principles. Addressing the complexities of packaging and packaging waste, two distinct yet interlinked products, with different, equally relevant challenges each, will be keeping policy makers and industry representatives busy in the months to come.
“spiritsEUROPE and its members are fully committed to playing an active, constructive role in the upcoming discussions on the future of Packaging and Packaging Waste. We look forward to working with our value chain partners and policy makers to find innovative solutions that will preserve a well-functioning Internal Market and will deliver on all relevant sustainability aspects”, concluded Ulrich Adam, Director General of spiritsEUROPE.
-ENDS-
Note to editors
For more information, please contact: Ulrich Adam, Director General of spiritsEUROPE-
Tel: +32 477 63 67 adam@spirits.eu
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