For less plastic in biowaste and more circular economy
With the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), the EU recognises the role of industrially compostable plastics for certain packaging applications, aiming to improve separate collection of biowaste and reduce microplastic pollution. Today, the Initiative natürliche Kreislaufwirtschaft e. V. (INAK), together with the German Association for Plastics Packaging (IK), Plastics Europe Germany, European Bioplastics, Polykum, C.A.R.M.E.N., and the nova-Institute, has published a position paper offering concrete recommendations for national implementation of the regulation.
At the core is the demand that all very lightweight plastic carrier bags used as fruit and vegetable bags must in future be made from certified industrially compostable material. “If you want to collect biowaste cleanly, you need suitable and practical collection aids, and compostable fruit and vegetable bags have already proven effective in other EU countries,” says Katrin Schwede, Managing Director of INAK.
Multiple benefits of compostable bags
Certified industrially compostable bags for loose fruit and vegetables contribute to sustainability in several ways: they are first used at retail for hygienic transport, then help keep food fresh at home, and finally serve as collection bags for kitchen waste. At the same time, their use reduces the share of non-compostable materials in biowaste, especially conventional PE bags, which often mistakenly end up in organic waste bins.
Need for clear political direction
Article 9 of the PPWR allows EU Member States, beyond the packaging types that will be mandatorily compostable across the EU in the future, such as fruit and vegetable stickers, tea bags, and coffee pads, to also require further packaging applications to be compostable at national level, including very lightweight plastic carrier bags. “This is a consistent step toward a biological circular economy and an effective instrument to improve the quality of biowaste, reduce microplastic pollution, and strengthen separate collection of organic waste,” Schwede continues. Certified bags according to DIN EN 13432 and DINplus are completely broken down in industrial composting facilities within standard treatment times and meet strict requirements for environmental safety and ecotoxicity.
The full position paper (German only) is available at: https://inak.bio/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2507_Position_Umsetzung-PPWR-fuer-kompostierbare-Kunststoffverpackungen.pdf