A shift from single-use recyclable packaging to reusables in the informal eating-out sector could have detrimental effects on the environment, the economy and food safety, according to a new study commissioned by McDonald\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EU\u2019s packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR), tabled in November last year, introduces a ban on single-use packaging for dine-in restaurants from 1 January 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also includes targets to expand the use of reusable packaging for takeaway consumption in two steps: 10% by 2030 and 40% by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the study by Kearney, a consulting firm, found the move will inevitably lead to a surge in plastics to replace the paper bags, wrappers, or pizza boxes currently used in takeaway restaurants and small eateries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For dine-in consumption, Kearney estimates total plastic packaging waste would increase by \u201cup to 300%\u201d. For takeaway consumption \u201cplastic packaging waste will sharply increase by more than 1,500%\u201d, the study found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reusable packaging for dine-in would also need to be washed every time, requiring 1 to 4 billion litres of additional water, while raising new challenges related to hygiene and food safety, it says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In turn, this is expected to generate extra greenhouse gas emissions linked to the production of new plastic items and energy used to wash the reusable packaging \u2013 by up to 50% for dine-in and up to 260% for take-away, the study found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kearney study focuses on the informal eating out (IEO) sector, which includes restaurant chains like McDonald\u2019s and Starbucks but also small eateries like the local kebab or chip shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is \u201ca small but very visible sector\u201d because their food wrappers \u201cmay sometimes be found on the street\u201d when people throw them away, said Johan Aurik who supervised the study for Kearney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The informal eating out sector is currently heavily reliant on paper-based packaging like folding cartons, pizza boxes, paper bags, napkins and cups. In total, 56% of all packaging in those restaurants are made from board, 24% from paper and only 7% from plastics while the remainder is made from mixed materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEveryone is in agreement that there is a serious problem\u201d with packaging waste, Aurik said at a press briefing in Brussels earlier this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question, he added, is how best to tackle it. And while reusable packaging may be the best solution in some cases, \u201cfor this sector it is not the right thing to do\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McDonald\u2019s weighs in
McDonald\u2019s, the US fast-food chain multinational, says the shift to reusable plastics will revert years of effort to eliminate plastic from its restaurants, which are now \u201calmost entirely\u201d using fibre and paper-based packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe largely exited plastics from our restaurants,\u201d McDonald\u2019s executive vice-president Jon Banner told journalists in Brussels, adding that reusable solutions will mean additional costs for the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be economically and environmentally viable, \u201ca reusable cup for example would need to be returned and reused 50 to 100 times,\u201d Banner said. \u201cAnd we know already that this is not really happening\u201d in the informal eating out sector, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course, the idea of reuse seems like the obvious solution. But it\u2019s more complicated than that,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Germany for instance, McDonald\u2019s has been required by law to supply reusable cups to customers who demand them, even for takeaway meals. Yet, about 70% of those are never returned, even though clients are requested to pay a \u20ac2 deposit, the Kearney study found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt could end up in the garbage or landfill or being reused at home \u2013 we don\u2019t know,\u201d Banner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the report, the first priority should be to scale up recycling infrastructure for dine-in, while reusables should not be implemented for takeaway at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Source : euractiv<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A shift from single-use recyclable packaging to reusables in the informal eating-out sector could have detrimental effects on the environment, the economy and food safety, according to a new study commissioned by McDonald\u2019s. The EU\u2019s packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR), tabled in November last year, introduces a ban on single-use packaging for dine-in restaurants<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[182],"class_list":{"0":"post-9208","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest-news","8":"tag-mcdonalds"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9208"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9210,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9208\/revisions\/9210"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}