A comparative study on the efficiency of European EPR systems presented in Brussels

06 June 2022
Categoria:  News
Tag: Europa, university, Bocconi, Expra, Bruxelles

A study by Bocconi and the Wuppertal Institut, conducted by GREEN (Center for Geography, Resources, Environment, Energy and Networks) of Bocconi University and by the Wuppertal Institut, was presented on 31 May in Brussels: Screening the efficiency of packaging waste in Europe.

The research was promoted by CONAI and supported by EXPRA (Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance), with the aim of defining and evaluating the performance of the activities carried out by PROs within the various European EPR regimes, in terms of both economic efficiency and effectiveness. of recycling, and to evaluate the specific positioning of CONAI.

Since 2005, Europe has introduced the obligation for its states to establish an extended producer responsibility regime to manage packaging when it becomes waste: those who produce packaging are also responsible for their end of life.

Countries have built different models of packaging waste management, each with its own specificities. The Italian one, represented by CONAI, is one of the most efficient and least expensive.

The study received responses from 28 Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs), ie organizations (funded by manufacturers and/or users of packaging) that take responsibility for the management of packaging waste.

The study shows that CONAI, if compared with the PROs of the nations with more than 10 million inhabitants served, is the most efficient system: it is less expensive than the PROs of Spain, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.