STOPP

About the project

At STOPP project, we are aiming to reshape the approach to food plastic packaging by focusing on the “5 Rs”: Refuse, Reduce, Redesign, Reuse, and Recycle. Our primary goal is to significantly cut the environmental footprint of plastic waste in food packaging, in alignment with the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.

Our collaborative approach spans the entire food packaging value chain, developing circular strategies that address plastic production and processing while engaging stakeholders through a multi-actor network. Key actions include assessing the impact of plastic waste, tracking current usage patterns, designing sustainable business models, enhancing recycling efforts, and exploring consumer behaviors through comprehensive studies.

Background

The revision of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive sets ambitious EU-wide targets to significantly reduce packaging waste by 2030, necessitating a dramatic increase in packaging reuse and recycling rates. 55% of food packaging is made of PP and in food contact. According to PRE, it is estimated that around 5.0 Mt of end-of-life rigid HDPE and 4.8 Mt of end-of-life rigid PP arose as waste in 2018. Only 5.5 Mt of that plastic waste was recycled into post-consumer recyclates. The recycling potential could be tripled by 2030. What is the reason for plastic food packaging not meeting that potential yet? There are multiple reasons, the most important being multi-material structures and labels that are not recycling-friendly designs, leading to incineration, collection system inefficiencies, and consumer behavior related to sorting, recyclates, and reusable packaging.