She has run the company Miss Janna for 15 years, selling her own designed bikinis and swimsuits made from materials recycled from fishing nets and plastic waste. Her shipping bags are also made from recycled plastic.
I already work sustainably. But now there are also requirements that the packaging I send must be part of some kind of recycling.
On the one hand, it can be expensive in relation to the profit on a few packages of swimwear that may be sent to an individual country, she says.
But the final straw for her is the hassle and administration of having to sign an agreement with a responsible recycling organization in each country. From now on, Janna Drakeed will only sell to customers in Sweden and Norway.
Tightened in stages
The regulations on packaging and packaging waste are to be harmonized within the EU, and a series of regulatory changes are now being introduced. The requirements will then be tightened in stages until 2040.
Magdalena Salomonsson, an administrator at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, fully understands that it can be perceived as complicated for smaller players. But she also sees advantages.
The idea behind producer responsibility is that those who produce packaging should take responsibility for the collection and handling of it when it becomes waste.
The goal is to reduce the amount of packaging waste, to make packaging smaller and lighter and to a greater extent made from recycled materials.
The rules aim to provide better design and reduced use of unnecessary packaging. So the idea behind this is very good, says Magdalena Salomonsson.
“Incredibly complex”
Many worried entrepreneurs have contacted the industry organization Företagarna ahead of the rules coming into effect on Wednesday, says Olivia Karlsson, business policy expert.
Fundamentally, harmonization is positive, but this regulation is the most complex regulation ever aimed at this area, she says.
She calls for clearer guidance from the state and authorities.
This is a gigantic change, an incredibly complex set of regulations, and for this to work for small and medium-sized companies, it must become clearer what is required and how to proceed, says Olivia Karlsson.
Facts: New packaging regulations in the EU
This applies in all EU countries from August 12:
Reusable packaging must be designed and constructed according to specific regulations, for example to meet consumer health, safety and hygiene requirements.
The amount of PFAS should be limited in food packaging.
Limit values for certain heavy metals in packaging are introduced.
Anyone who places packaging on the EU market must ensure that packaging is designed in accordance with the regulations.
The company that provides reusable packaging for the first time in an EU country must ensure that the country has a system for reuse for that type of packaging and that there is a system that includes incentives to ensure the collection of the packaging.
Additional packaging regulations will be introduced gradually from 2027 until 2040.
Source: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
