December in review: UN Global Plastic Treaty, Coca-Cola withdraws reuse targets, US tariffs impacts

December began with news of the UN’s Global Plastic Treaty getting postponed to 2025, and Coca-Cola removed its target of achieving 25% reusable packaging by 2030. Meanwhile, the industry began speculating about the potential consequences of US import tariffs on businesses worldwide.

In the EU, the Council adopted the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and in Latin America, we spoke to experts about the region’s challenges and opportunities, and its adaptability to regulatory changes. 

December

“Progress not perfection”: INC-5 concludes with need for extended negotiations
Time ran out after a week of negotiations to finalize the UN Global Plastic Treaty in Busan, South Korea. The INC-5 chair announced that an additional round of treaty negotiations, INC 5.2, would be held to give governments more time to agree upon the final text. We looked at what remains to be negotiated to establish a successful treaty.

Coca-Cola calls back packaging reuse target, NGOs demand leadership initiative
Coca-Cola removed its target to achieve 25% reusable packaging by 2030. While the company said it plans to continue reuse investments, NGOs called the move “frustrating.” Packaging Insights spoke to a Coca-Cola spokesperson and Matt Littlejohn from Oceana, a US-based ocean conservation organization, to get different perspectives on the move.An additional round of treaty negotiations, INC 5.2, will be held to give governments more time to agree upon the final text.

British Glass warns new UK packaging tax propels single-use production and job losses
British Glass accused the UK government of shattering the UK glass sector after a new packaging tax was passed by Parliament. We spoke with Dave Dalton, CEO at British Glass, about what the association now expects from the government to mitigate glass prices and ensure fair material costs. British Glass said the move would lead to job losses in a sector that employs 120,000 in its supply chain. The trade body warned that the new packaging tax, set to be implemented from April 2025, will also push up the price of many items and could conversely lead to more throwaway plastic.

Focus on Latin America: Amcor, AJE Group and Greenback discuss the region’s “highly diverse” packaging regulations
Packaging supply chains in Latin America are increasingly connected, offering diverse challenges and opportunities. We spoke to Amcor Latin America, the regional beverage giant AJE Group Colombia and Greenback Recycling Technologies about the latest packaging regulation updates in the region. We discussed insights about the region’s current regulatory landscape for packaging, how it responds to the global push for improved sustainability and how different Latin American countries perform.

ChemSec guides EU on REACH reform and highlights packaging importance
ChemSec advised the European Commission (EC) on simplifying the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation and PFAS clarification. The EC’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, recently announced that she aims to simplify the regulation. ChemSec’s chemicals policy advisor, Sidsel Dyekjær, told us more about the secretariat’s suggestions and their potential impact on the packaging industry.PET bottle recycling rates across the US reached record levels in 2023, according to NAPCOR.

Emirates Biotech to build “world’s largest” PLA plant in bioplastic boost
Emirates Biotech selected Sulzer as the technology provider for its upcoming polylactic acid (PLA) production plant in the United Arab Emirates. Once completed, Emirates Biotech said the plant will be the largest PLA production facility in the world. The facility will be constructed in two phases, each with an annual capacity of 80,000 metric tons, resulting in a total production capacity of 160,000 metric tons annually. The project aims to support regional and global efforts to combat plastic pollution and climate change. The volume of bioplastic material produced by the facility will reportedly be sufficient to replace approximately 3.2 billion plastic bottles and reduce CO2 emissions by over 300,000 tons annually. Marc Verbruggen, CEO of Emirates Biotech, spoke at the European Bioplastics conference 2024 in Berlin, Germany, which Packaging Insights also attended.

US PET bottle recycling rates rise as infrastructure and consumer participation improve
PET bottle recycling rates across the US reached record levels in 2023, according to the National Association for PET Container Resources’ (NAPCOR) latest 2023 PET Recycling Report. Laura Stewart, NAPCOR’s executive director, told us that the biggest driver of the higher recycling rate was the decrease in the weight of bottles available for recycling by 9.8%. Stewart tells us about the role of recycling infrastructure and consumer support for successful PET recycling.

US Aluminum Association backs Trump’s tariffs to combat China’s “unfair” trade
Aluminum was expected to be among the metals most significantly affected by President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on imports from major suppliers, according to investment banking company Citigroup. Matt Meenan, VP of external affairs for the Aluminum Association, told Packaging Insights that the association welcomes Trump’s efforts to support US manufacturing by tackling unfair global trade.Packaging companies in Latin America are demonstrating significant adaptability to regulatory changes, innovating in return and refill.

Council adopts PPWR for European packaging life cycle improvements
The Council formally adopted the PPWR. The new rules will significantly reduce the generation of packaging waste by setting binding reuse targets, restricting certain types of single-use packaging and requiring economic operators to minimize the packaging used. The regulation covers the full life cycle of packaging. A Council spokesperson told us that PPWR would first be signed by the Council and European Parliament on December 19 and published approximately 20 days after signature.

Return and refill: Driving innovation in Latin America’s sustainable packaging
We continued our conversation with experts from Amcor Latin America, AJE Group Colombia and Greenback Recycling Technologies, as we looked at packaging concepts and trends driving innovation in the region. Armando Russi, public affairs and sustainability manager at AJE Group Colombia and executive president of the International Chamber of Climate Business, told us that packaging companies in Latin America are demonstrating significant adaptability to regulatory changes but not without challenges.