EU fisheries commissioner reviews Sicilian scheme to replace polystyrene fish boxes

European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis visited Sciacca, Sicily, on 18 September 2026 to inspect BlueFishers, a Marevivo-run pilot supplying reusable crates to fishers in place of single-use expanded polystyrene boxes. Kadis said the Commission is assessing whether such local trials could inform an EU-wide packaging framework for the fisheries sector, which currently lacks a harmonised mandate beyond regional Italian rules such as Veneto's 2030 phase-out.

Why this mattersSignals possible EU regulatory movement against single-use EPS in fisheries packaging, a segment currently outside PPWR consumer-plastics mandates.

• Commissioner Costas Kadis visited the port of Sciacca, Sicily, on 18 September 2026 to review the BlueFishers reusable-crate scheme
• The pilot, run by foundation Marevivo, has distributed 1,000 reusable crates to 16 fishers on 10 vessels in Sciacca, funded by the Sicily Environment Fund and Verdura Resort
• Marevivo estimates the 1,000 crates will displace 20,800 single-use expanded polystyrene boxes once fully deployed
• Nationally, Marevivo's project, launched in Viareggio in 2023, has supplied over 4,200 reusable crates to about 130 fishers and 100 vessels, displacing more than 60,000 disposable EPS boxes
• Italy's Veneto region has legislated a phased ban on single-use polystyrene fish boxes targeting full phase-out by 2030, with Campania drafting similar rules
• Kadis said the Commission is assessing how such local packaging trials could inform a broader EU regulatory framework for fisheries packaging

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