The Consumer Products Sector and the EU's Packaging Policy

An InfluenceMap Briefing

April 2023

An Analysis of the Consumer Products Sector's Engagement on the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation

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New analysis from InfluenceMap highlights significant opposition from industry groups representing key European consumer products companies that is putting the EU’s efforts to address packaging waste at risk.

InfluenceMap's analysis surveys 20 companies in the consumer products sector, selected from the grocery retailers and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors in Europe according to regional spread and market capitalization, and ten industry associations which the 20 companies assessed are members of.

InfluenceMap detected low engagement from companies in the consumer products sector on the PPWR. Overall, in the FMCG sector, positions on the PPWR revision were mixed. Henkel and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) took unsupportive stances on the policy, but Danone and Nestlé were positively engaged. L'Oréal supported the PPWR revision with some exceptions. No grocery retailer companies assessed publicly engaged on the PPWR revision in 2020-23.

However, the industry associations covered in this analysis are found to be actively engaged with the PPWR and have overwhelmingly taken negative positions (9/10). Sector-specific associations EuroCommerce (retail), FoodDrinkEurope (consumer products) and the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) (chemical) engaged most intensely with the file with predominantly negative positions. EuroCommerce is the primary association representing the grocery retailer companies in this briefing, with 7 of 11 companies found to retain memberships.

Several national business associations, including BusinessEurope, the French Business Federation (Medef) and the Federation of German Industries (BDI) also engaged negatively with the PPWR reforms, stating that the revision is "unnecessary."

After intense corporate engagement, particularly from European industry associations, the EU Commission's policy proposal appears to have been weakened compared to its original ambition. Notably, key measures and targets were lowered in the official EU Commission proposal published in late November 2022 compared to a leaked October 2022 draft. Despite this, certain key elements have been retained in the Commission’s proposal, for example, measures to reduce unnecessary packaging.

About InfluenceMap

InfluenceMap is a non-profit think tank providing objective and evidence-based analysis of how companies and financial institutions are impacting the climate and biodiversity crises. Our company profiles and other content are used extensively by a range of actors including investors, the media, NGOs, policymakers, and the corporate sector. InfluenceMap does not advocate or take positions on government policy. All our assessments are made against accepted benchmarks, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Our content is open source and free to view and use (https://influencemap.org/terms).

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