According to representatives of the Polish Federation of Food Manufacturers, Poland is not yet prepared to introduce a bailout strategy on 1 October. The main reason for the delays is the deficiency of licenses that can origin massive financial losses. Experts point out that the strategy may start with a fewer months delay, which will origin chaos both among consumers and in trade.
The bailout strategy is simply a mechanics that promotes recycling and re-use of packaging and is intended to be another step in Poland's accomplishment of environmental objectives. It is besides a consequence to the EU SUP Directive, which imposes obligations to limit the environmental impact of certain plastic products. The strategy will cover PET bottles with a capacity of up to 3 l, metallic cans with a capacity of up to 1 l and glass bottles with a capacity of up to 1.5 l. According to the Act, collection points of packages will be mandatory, among another things, all shops over 200 sqm, which offer drinks in packages covered by the system. The bail strategy is due to start in October this year. Preparations are inactive underway, which are an crucial step in issuing permits for economical operators to operate a bailout system. To date, the ministry has released only 5 of them.
– It seems that we are not prepared to introduce a bailout strategy for a very simple reason. In order for the bailout strategy to function, it is not adequate for the bill itself. Operators of this strategy are inactive needed. We are amazed that it is early June and the operators did not get a licence to run bail systems – says Newseria agency Andrzej Gantner, CEO and vice president of the Polish Federation of Food Manufacturers.
According to the expert, 4 months to sign store contracts and set both financial and organisational aspects are not adequate to trigger the general bailout strategy within the planned period.
– On the 1 hand, this will make very large chaos on the part of consumers, who may turn out to be trying to hand over packages not in the bailout system, but besides a powerful chaos on the side of trade, which already says that large stores are required to accept bottles in the bailout strategy from 1 October 2025. But who are they to cooperate with, since operators do not have a licence – indicates Andrzej Gantner.
The provisions supply for a transitional period of 3 months for products not marked with a deposit symbol. This means that, by 31 December of this year at the latest, packages may be utilized for beverages which do not bear markings which indicate that they are to be covered by a bail-out strategy until they are utilized up, returned or exhausted. There is besides a serious risk.
– They may be in a very hard situation, as only by the end of the year is the alleged transitional period for the introduction of a bailout system, where both labelled bottles and non-labelled bottles can be placed on the market. As of next year it will not be possible to do this anymore, so if the systems do not move, and everything indicates that they will not move, and not due to the introductions, we will endure massive losses from next year, due to the fact that a very large part of the packaging will simply should be destroyed “The typical of the Polish Federation of Food Manufacturers alarms.
The expert indicates that licensing is just the beginning of the process. Operators request to sign contracts with shops, as well as among themselves, to account for the system. In total, it could be around 120 1000 contracts. Given besides the request to know how to mark packages and in what information strategy they will account for, the actual date of the bail-out strategy is actually half the next year.
– This does not disagree from what we said from the beginning. In order to introduce a strategy in specified a large country as Poland, where we have almost 16 billion packages to collect, and to make it a consumer-friendly system, safe for buyers and for shops, it takes 2 to 3 years. Is the strategy going to start about this time, or mid next year or even later? – the vice-president of PFPŻ wonders.
– On 1 October, unlike another countries, as in Slovakia or Latvia, Romania or late Austria, this is not a rigid date for joining the bail system. The date on which the maker and the operating system, i.e. the strategy operator, is in force, is the date from which he is allowed to start his business. This means that for the full marketplace in Poland it is 1 October, while for the individual operators this date is smooth – Says Anna Larsson, manager of the Circular Economy RELOOP Platform.
The bailout strategy in Poland will be the 19th strategy in Europe. It has been active in Sweden for 40 years. The form of the Polish strategy is simply a combination of Nordic-Baltic and German solutions. According to the expert, this may make any difficulties at the beginning of his action.
– There is 1 operator in the Nordic and Baltic countries, which consists of the production and trade sectors, while there is no clear operator in the German system, a strategy operator, who besides owns natural materials – explains Anna Larsson. – Based on the experience of European countries, which have besides allowed the anticipation of cooperation and the existence of many operators in a single market, I believe that consolidation will take place, just as in those countries that have allowed multiple operators. In any cases, the operator, for example a commercial entity that has its own brands, is right to be and can practically be and operate in the bailout system.
The expert is of the opinion that as a method of collecting beverages from consumers, the strategy is likely to yet succeed, as in another countries. Here, monetary motivation is decisive. According to the regulation of the Minister of Climate and Environment, the deposit will amount to 50 gr for PET bottles and metallic cans and 1 PLN for reusable glass bottles.
– This will surely motivate consumers to bring utilized empty packages to the point of collection of the unit. This is evident besides in those countries that have late implemented the system, in Lithuania in 2016, in Latvia in 2022, in Slovakia besides in 2022 even in the second year of operation the European average, or 90% of the collection, was reached. – emphasises the manager of the Circular Economy RELOOP Platform.
The bailout strategy is simply a form of extended maker work (ROP). This is an environmental strategy, which is that manufacturers bear the costs of the post-life phase of packaging. The strategy is to motivate the bringing utilized to the collection points. This reduces waste levels of recycled natural materials.
– presently in Poland, there are more than 150 wasted beverage packaging per year, of course not only for littering, but besides for all those situations where the packaging has not been treated as a secondary natural material for the circular economy. In the case of bailout systems, the level of waste of these fractions of natural materials is importantly decreasing – explains Anna Larsson.
The experts discussed the challenges associated with the implementation of the ROP and the bailout strategy on the Polish marketplace during the conference entitled "Extended maker work – Environmental Policy, dialog and Roles of Stakeholders", organised by Rekopol on 28 May.
For: newseria.pl
