The European Directive on single-use plastics aims to prevent and reduce the impact that certain single-use plastic items – in particular those that are most frequently collected in cleaning campaigns – have on the environment, especially marine, and on human health.

The Directive has focused on the definition of a single-use product, which is not conceived, designed or placed on the market to make, over its lifetime, several movements or rotations to be returned to a manufacturer for refilling or to be otherwise reused for the same purpose for which it was conceived. For the definition of reusable packaging and therefore not included in the definition of “disposable” specific reference is made to the technical standard UNI EN 13429 for the essential requirements of reusable packaging.

By 2030, 10% of ready-to-eat and take-away food will have to be sold in reusable packaging, a share that is expected to rise to 40% in 2040. Therefore, in parallel with the already known material recycling targets, and the consequent assessment of recyclability according to the UNI EN 13430 technical standard, it is clear that companies must evaluate the possibility of reuse and the possible number of “rotations”.