New EU Packaging Rules Take Effect: Less Chemistry, More Bureaucracy

As of this week, new EU-wide rules on product packaging have come into force, including in Czechia. According to the Czech Food Chamber, the changes affect virtually all types of packaging — some requirements took effect immediately, while others will be phased in over the coming years.

For shoppers, little will change at first glance, but the amount of harmful chemicals in packaging is expected to drop. "Manufacturers are now required to be named on the packaging, which usually wasn't the case before," explained Jiří Šír, a spokesperson for the Food Chamber.

Less "forever chemicals" in pizza boxes

One of the first tangible changes concerns everyday items like pizza boxes. Some food packaging has traditionally relied on so-called forever chemicals — PFAS — which repel water and grease. Under the new rules, food packaging must not exceed set limits on these substances. However, packaging already placed on the European market before the new rules won't need to be recalled because of the PFAS limits.

Businesses complain about extra paperwork

Companies are unhappy that it isn't always straightforward to determine who exactly counts as the "producer" of a given piece of packaging. It might not be the company that made the plastic cup or lid, but rather the firm that filled it with product, or a retail chain selling goods under its own brand.

This adds to the administrative burden: companies must keep technical documentation for their packaging and be ready to prove compliance with EU standards. For businesses using hundreds or thousands of different packaging types, this means a massive amount of extra work.

Czech companies aren't the only ones complaining about the ambiguities in the new rules — in recent weeks, numerous foreign outlets have reported similar concerns. The situation was made worse by the fact that the European Commission published an updated clarification of the regulation only a few days before it came into effect.

"We support the underlying goals of the new packaging legislation, but we're convinced that several of the measures will needlessly raise prices for consumers across the board, without genuinely helping the environment," said Tomáš Prouza, president of the Confederation of Commerce and Tourism.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz