Since January 2024, a ban on certain single-use plastic products has been in effect in the Netherlands. The ban also applies to the use of microplastics in cosmetic products. These new regulations are aimed at reducing plastic consumption in the Netherlands and protecting the environment in a sustainable manner. In this post, you will learn which products are affected and what else you need to consider.

Plastic waste is a major environmental problem if it is not or cannot be recycled. To curb the risks posed by plastic pollution, the European Union (EU) introduced a plastic levy for its member states in 2021. In the following article, we take a closer look at how this is being implemented in various countries.

With the new amendments to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulation, Sweden is clearly demonstrating how producer responsibility can be comprehensively implemented. The Swedish government has decided to make fundamental changes to the EPR regulation for packaging, which have been fully effective since 2024. The changes to the law affect a wide range of stakeholders. Why all this? Sweden is pursuing a major goal: recycling is to be made easier and more efficient in order to save raw materials and reduce CO2 emissions.

France has taken a pioneering step towards sustainable eco-design as part of the Circular Economy Act (AGEC). According to this regulation, all companies that place products on the market in at least one of twelve different EPR areas are obliged to submit prevention and eco-design plans.

Since 2023, there have been important changes for retailers who ship their products to Austria. The reason for this is the comprehensive reform of packaging legislation in Austria, which parallels the changes already implemented in Germany. In this article, we highlight the main changes that have applied to foreign retailers shipping to Austria since January 2023.

Since January 2023, there have been significant changes in the area of packaging labelling in Spain. The previous obligation to affix the Green Dot (“Der Grüne Punkt”) symbol to packaging no longer applies. Since then, companies have been able to choose whether they want to use this symbol on their packaging. This new regulation brings advantages for exporters to Spain, as they are now exempt from the previous licence fees and administrative costs.