A list of prohibited packaging has been prepared

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has sent the final list of types of plastics that should be banned for use from 2024 to the government for approval. First of all, the restrictions will affect plastic bottles of non-standard colors and multilayer packaging. At the same time, the ministry changed its position on alternatives: if previously it was proposed to replace plastics with glass and aluminum, now we are talking about recyclable polymers. Experts consider this option more realistic, but still difficult to implement in such a short time.

Kommersant got acquainted with the draft government resolution banning polymer goods and packaging, the waste from which cannot be recycled or is poorly recovered, which the Ministry of Industry and Trade sent for approval to departments. The document provides a list of 23 types of packaging, six of which are proposed to be limited from 2024, and the remaining 17 items from 2030. Kommersant sources close to the government assure that there are no disagreements with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Economy and the document can be considered final.

The list, which has been in development for several years, has been reduced by five positions compared to the previous version. Thus, from 2024, translucent PET bottles of all colors except blue, green, brown and black (these colors preserve the consumer properties of products and increase shelf life), opaque PET bottles, with the exception of white containers for dairy products, will be banned ( where color has a functional purpose), as well as PET packaging produced with a PVC label that interferes with recycling. The restrictions will also apply to multi-layer PET bottles, coffee capsules made from multi-component materials and plastic containers for canned food with a rolled metal lid. Such packaging is difficult to recycle because it is impossible to completely separate the components.

From 2030, multi-component Bag-in-Box packaging, flexible vacuum packaging, doypack, flowpack, multi-layer toothpaste tubes, multi-component jug-shaped bags, polymer sachet bags up to 80 mm, nets for vegetables and fruits, will be prohibited or limited in use. food packaging made of foam polystyrene, etc.

Previously, it was proposed to replace plastic mainly with glass, aluminum and paper, but now the Ministry of Industry and Trade advocates the use of other polymer products suitable for recycling.

For example, you can switch from opaque PET containers to transparent ones, from multilayer materials to single-layer ones, from multicomponent ones to monomaterials. This, Kommersant sources say, will allow us not to lose the advantages of synthetic materials, but will solve the problem of processing. According to them, polymer manufacturers themselves are already developing such brands.

The plastics industry declined to comment until the resolution was approved. Before this, SIBUR board member Pavel Lyakhovich noted that simply banning plastic packaging was “categorically wrong.” As Kommersant was assured by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, discussions with departments, businesses and specialized associations made it possible to assess the availability of domestic production and the willingness of businesses to invest in the re-equipment of technological lines. The ministry explained that the list of products proposed for restriction from 2024 was created taking into account “minimizing the negative consequences for both the industry and consumers.” The Ministry of Natural Resources noted that they support initiatives that will reduce the amount of non-recyclable packaging, but “it is important that such packaging has environmentally friendly analogues.”

The head of the Union of Plastic Processors, Pyotr Bazunov, calls the changes correct: “We were able to convince the government that restrictions on the entire “list of 28” are not justified or impossible, otherwise the packaging industry will cease to exist, and after it the food industry.”

At the same time, the head of the Soyuznapitki association, Maxim Novikov, believes that the restrictions will have catastrophic consequences: for example, re-equipping a juice plant will cost several billion rubles, and the market is experiencing problems with equipment. He noted that the Ministry of Industry and Trade partially took into account market recommendations regarding the functional purpose of PET colors, but the shades were not taken into account. Mr. Novikov recalled that the list itself was initially proposed by the Russian Ecological Operator, which did not provide a financial and economic justification and did not calculate how much it would cost to re-equip the food industry. He also added that the EEC Industrial Policy Department in October recommended not to introduce restrictions until 2030 due to the consequences for the market.

The head of Rupec, Dmitry Semyagin, considers it positive that the reform is moving away from banning certain materials in favor of stimulating the development of technologies for working with them. “For example, we have moved away from the fundamental abandonment of shrink films, without which it is impossible to imagine modern packaging and which, for the most part, can be collected and recycled,” explains the expert. Managing Director of Implement Dmitry Akishin considers it a plus that the document does not postulate a “war against plastics,” but a reformatting of the consumption structure. However, he is confident that two months will not be enough for manufacturers to rebuild production, and plastic processors face great risks. “These are thousands of small businesses, even small investments can be fatal for them,” the expert notes, considering the introduction of a ban from 2024 to be difficult to achieve.

Olga Mordyushenko, Ekaterina Rakitina