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Italy invokes PPWR opt-out to keep single-use compostable plastics

Italy has become the first EU member state to invoke a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) provision that allows certain single-use packaging to remain on sale when made from certified compostable plastics, covering fresh produce, condiment portions and some HORECA and hotel packaging. The European Commission has raised doubts about whether Italy has demonstrated adequate composting capacity to handle the exempted packaging, and no other member state has yet followed with an equivalent measure.

Why this mattersItaly's move tests how far the PPWR's single-use plastics phase-out can be diluted through national derogations, a precedent other member states may now weigh.

• Italy is the first of the EU's 27 member states to use a PPWR provision permitting single-use packaging made from certified compostable plastics.
• The measure covers fresh produce packs, condiment portions and some HORECA and hotel packaging.
• The European Commission has questioned whether Italy can demonstrate sufficient composting capacity for the exempted packaging.
• No other EU member state has so far adopted an equivalent derogation, though all 27 are entitled to.

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