Where does the green dot mark need to be used when selling products?
Can PVC be shipped to Germany? Why do I need to pay "packaging tax"? What does the new EU directive say? How can I get an environmentally friendly packaging? Issues such as how to apply for environmentally friendly packaging labels are questions that extend to Europe's management of 50 million tons of packaging waste every year. Currently, most member states of the European Union are establishing waste management laws in order to comply with the goals of the EU "Packaging and Packaging Waste Law". Products imported from Asian countries to Europe will inevitably be affected by Europe's numerous new packaging laws.
The EU "Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive" was enforced in December 1994. The initial goal is to unify the existing packaging waste management laws of some member states and encourage countries to introduce their own packaging waste management laws to other countries. Basically, the law only sets a unified waste management target for each EU member state, and must achieve the target by 2001.
The European Union stipulates that each packaging material (by weight) must reach a recycling rate of at least 15%, and 50% to 65% of this recycling rate must be reprocessed, and 25% to 45% must be recycled. The governments of 15 European member states have implemented national laws on June 30, 1996, and are gradually moving towards the goal. Some member states are nearing the deadline for their plans, while others are still working on it. In order to ensure the smooth functioning of the EU single market, member states must not treat any packaging material or type of standards differently.
Commercial activities are currently of greatest concern to the EU Packaging Directive, because it is the most basic law that directly affects all countries. The EU Packaging Directive can challenge unreasonable packaging laws enacted by member states. For example, the recycled bottles used in old beer sales in Denmark are in conflict with the basic principles of the EU Packaging Directive. In addition, the relevant regulations on signs, material identification and heavy metals have not yet been finalized.
Establishing "manufacturer responsibility" is a tool towards packaging reduction. Most of the currently developing waste management laws, or the regulations already listed in EU member states, are based on the principle of "producer responsibility" or "polluter pays". According to the principle of "producer responsibility", producers or retailers should also take responsibility for the management of waste after consumers discard it. This means that private enterprises must now bear the responsibilities of the public sector. In order to avoid the difficulty of individual enterprises or companies in removing packaging discarded by consumers after use, they can entrust a third party to handle it on their behalf. The fees charged by third parties depend on the costs of waste removal and management. This way of confirming manufacturer responsibility can reduce the increase in packaging waste. In other words, product prices must include the cost of waste management. However, in order to maintain product prices without increasing costs too much, products appearing on the market in the future will tend to reduce packaging and change packaging designs to reduce packaging. Amount of material used.
The EU directive does not stipulate how the target should be achieved, it is only up to each country to set its own goals. As a result, manufacturers who want to sell their products to Europe must face the requirements of different laws in European countries. Therefore, it also brings a lot of doubts to many manufacturers. Although the details of packaging laws vary across European countries, the basic points are as follows:
- Responsibility of individual manufacturers: Each manufacturer or retailer must share the management costs of packaging waste discarded by consumers.
- Entrust waste management to a third party: In fact, from the perspective of business behavior, the responsibility for waste management cannot be fully borne by the manufacturer, so it can be entrusted to a third party. For example: a manufacturer or retailer can join a waste recycling program.
- Partial or personal waste management (collection, classification, recycling, reprocessing): Government departments should promote the concept of manufacturer responsibility to the public, and should include personal packaging waste management.
The cost of waste management, taking Green Dot as an example, should be charged according to the actual waste management standards. Although some waste management costs are based on volume, most are calculated based on packaging materials and weight. The charging method helps manufacturers to establish or establish information about packaging weight for easy reference at any time.
Green Dot in Germany charges a particularly high price for plastic materials, about DM2.95/kg, which is almost three times that of ordinary untreated plastic. Therefore, only the right amount can save costs. Table 2 is an example of a German sanitary ware manufacturer selling shampoo. The traditional and lightweight 200 ml PE bottle shows the high cost of waste management. It is worth putting forward good ideas for reducing packaging materials. Using less packaging materials can also reduce consumer purchasing costs and create greater competitive advantages for lightweight packaging.
Details:http://greenmark.epa.gov.tw/main4.asp(Environmental Protection Agency, Executive Yuan)
