McDonald’s opposes the new EU regulation, which among other things ends single-use packaging for restaurants from January 2030. According to a study commissioned by the fast food giant, the European Commission’s proposal risks having the opposite effect. what it was developed for, namely to increase plastic waste.
The study, led by consultant Kearney, takes into account the informal restaurant industry, which ranges from large international fast food chains to the chips and kebab shop on your doorstep. These restaurants mostly use paper-based packaging (some with a small amount of plasticised) such as cardboard, pizza boxes, paper bags, napkins and glasses. Euractiv writes that a total of 56% of all packaging in these restaurants is made of cardboard, 24% of paper and only 7% of plastic, with the rest made from mixed materials.
According to Kearney’s experts, EU regulation will put an end to paper and cardboard packaging that is considered single-use and hard to recycle. As a result, the industry will return to investing in plastic: plastic waste produced by consumers during dinner hours alone will increase by 300%, while plastic packaging for takeout will increase by more than 1500%, according to the study. In addition, it is stated that the need to wash the packaging paper that customers use while eating will also have a strong impact on water consumption, and that 1 to 4 billion liters more water will be needed than today, and this will “create new challenges in terms of food safety”. The impact of producing new plasticized packaging and repeated washing will weigh heavily on greenhouse gas emissions as well as energy loss, with an estimated increase in emissions of up to 50% for eat-in-place and 260% for takeout.
“Everyone agrees that there is a serious problem with packaging waste,” said Johan Aurik, head of the study, but “while reusable packaging is the solution in some cases, that doesn’t mean that and it’s for information for the entire catering industry.” McDonald’s is committed to reusable plastic. stressed that the transition will undo the ecological efforts previously made with the switch to the ubiquitous paper and cardboard packaging in its restaurants.
As Jon Banner, vice president of the American multinational, puts it, there is an economic cost as well as an environmental cost: “We know and know that for a reusable glass to be economically sustainable, it has to be returned and used 50 to 100 times, and we know that’s almost never going to happen. will require additional costs for the entire industry”. Banner cited the example of Germany, where McDonald’s is required by law to provide reusable cups and glasses and 70% are not returned by consumers despite a €2 deposit. The solution the report proposes involves expanding the recycling infrastructure for on-site meals and excluding reusable products for takeaway.
The Commission’s proposal will now have to pass through Parliament and Member States. Around the text, a new war is being declared between those pushing for more ambitious measures for the environment and those who are pulling back, citing the companies that will be most affected by the measure. Italy, which has one of the most important packaging industries in Europe, has already announced that it will try to revise the regulation. “We will strongly oppose any decision in the European Parliament imposed from above that does not take into account the industrial characteristics of each nation,” said Massimiliano Salini, Member of the European Parliament for Forza Italia. have a different opinion
According to critics of the study, including German Greens MP Malte Gallée, the McDonald’s study is “ridiculous” because it only highlights the immediate costs of the maneuver and excludes potential long-term benefits. “It is completely wrong to assume that glasses and cutlery will not be returned,” Gallée told Euractiv. docking The proportion of official restaurants where the same packaging is reused to reduce production costs.”
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
