Plastics and packaging | A European Perspective

‘Packaging and plastics’ was the topic of discussion at the recent Footprint Webinar. Nitasha Baijnath-Pillay, Hortgro Sustainability and Natural Resources Manager, interviewed Philippe Binard, General Delegate of Freshfel Europe, for the webinar. Here is a transcript of the interview.

Could you please share a little about Freshfel and how you support your members?

For those who are unfamiliar with Freshfel Europe, we are based in Brussels, representing the European Fruit and Vegetable Association. We are a vertically integrated organisation because we incorporate the different segments of the supply chain, from production to retail, passing through various elements of trade, including import, export, wholesale, and logistics.

Our ultimate goal is to stimulate the consumption of fruit and vegetables. We are still below the minimum recommendation from a health perspective; however, incorporating an environmental perspective suggests that we should consume significantly more fruits and vegetables. Being based in Brussels, we strive to influence as much as possible the agricultural, trade, and fruit and plant safety policies.

That’s what connects us to the topic of today. There is an increasing number of matters related to sustainability, including environmental protection. This is what we essentially aim to achieve with our membership, which comprises national organisations, individual companies, and several partners outside Europe, including Fruit South Africa.

A few years ago, we were informed about the single-plastic requirements. How has this evolved into the EU PPWR, and what impact does it have on us in SA?

It affects you significantly because, according to the data, South Africa exports between 1.3 and 1.4 million tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables to the European Union. Therefore, South Africa is a crucial partner for the European fruit and vegetable market in terms of legislative and regulatory requirements. Some non-regulatory requirements involve gaining access to the customer.

When we discuss packaging, it’s a combination of both. And yes, indeed, as part of the European commitment to the Paris Agreement, which aims to address climate change, several new laws have been introduced, encompassed in what is known as the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy. To some extent, the EU has attempted to adopt a unified approach to all these matters. However, sometimes, national legislation went further; some member states did not necessarily wait for European legislation. And this is where the discussion about packaging started. I believe those who initiated this process were the French, who sought to act, particularly regarding plastic, and have begun to incorporate several somewhat problematic requirements into their legislation.  Within Europe, we have the functioning of a single market and the free movement of products. If one member state were to take a specific approach, that could endanger the free movement of products, which are, in your case, legally imported into the European Union.

However, we have also seen that some others have gone further; for instance, the Spanish registration not only covered plastic but also encompassed all kinds of packaging with very complex mechanisms. This is where the EU has said, ‘I need to do something.’ The EU then developed a proposal, which was finalised politically at the end of last year and formalised with the publication of the legislation at the beginning of 2025.

That’s where we stand regarding packaging. The objective was to establish standard rules, but these rules still have several complexities.

Plastics are well-suited for fruit packaging in terms of quality and durability. Fruit and vegetable packaging is a small percentage in any supermarket. Why does the EU PPWR target fruit and vegetable packaging, and will there be possible exemptions applicable to food packaging?

I think you’re right. I think we can be pleased, on the one hand, because the European legislation, when it came as a proposal, was targeting all kinds of packaging, not only plastic, but also on the Spanish model; if I could say it like that, also cardboard or paper, or which is the case in all the plans in Spain.  Finally, due to the differing political discussions in the Parliament at the Council, the European Commission’s proposal was modified to be limited to the specific rule on fruit and measurable in terms of plastic.

However, there are several issues that we dislike about this. First, why fruit and vegetables? Because it’s the only food sector which is targeted by specific measures. When we examine the data, it’s not rocket science, but I think we estimate that plastic packaging on fruits and vegetables accounts for only 1.5% of the plastic used on the retail shelf. So, if they want to address the issue of plastic, they will not solve the problem by unfairly targeting or discriminating against fruit and vegetables.

It’s also very strange because, in the end, packaging is a cost, and I think your grower will not challenge me on this. So, if you decide to invest in a price to preserve the quality of your product, it’s because there is a return on the investment.

How do we navigate through the next five years with the level of uncertainty in EU member states? Any words of comfort or encouragement to our deciduous fruit industry?

I think it’s unusual that we bear this burden in the fruit and vegetable sector, considering we are probably one of the more environmentally friendly products. You probably know this double pyramid of food, which illustrates that we are the sector with the lowest environmental impact and the one with the broadest base of health benefits for consumers.

That’s another element that’s not directly linked to the environmental side of the packaging. However, packaging also serves as a marketing tool for promoting the product. And why should we not also be able to promote our product on an equal level of facility? We also see that our competing products, such as yoghurt or biscuits, will still be able to have their packaging, including some that might contain plastic. Often, in the case of biscuits, you have two or three different packages for the same product. So, I think there is a matter of complexity in the matter.

Additionally, we could explain why organic cucumbers could still be allowed to have this plastic film to avoid commingling with other products. Strangely, an organic product might still be eligible to use a plastic film, while a classic cucumber or conventional cucumber will not. There is, however, considerable incoherence in the text that we still need to address.

Any words of encouragement?

I think what is very important first is to continue following the path of this legislation, because, for the moment, we have just outlined the political text, but for it to be fully implemented by 2030, there will still be about 20 different implementation legislations that will have to be adopted.

Perhaps I’m not sure, but there may be some legal challenges to the current text. Therefore, we must observe what happens. That’s one element.

The second element is that at the European level, they have started to realise not only the top-down approach that they took for the Green Deal, which was imposed from the top, but also the environmental pillar of sustainability. But also realise there are social and economic pillars.

There are some views that the content of political legislation may need to be reviewed for simplification and from a competitiveness perspective. So, I think we still need to observe that.

However, on the other hand, we are aware that we have the text that requires us to work on its various elements, and we are currently focusing on our working list of exemptions we would like to obtain for it. I think your product, apple, will probably not have any possibility of being part of the exemption. However, pears may still require packaging, perhaps because they are more susceptible to physical shock or because they ripen more quickly. Alternatively, stone fruit, such as plums, peaches, and nectarines, may be able to retain their freshness without packaging.

So, we have a lot of work to do. We will attempt to justify the argument for why we need this derogation. There are several criteria, including oxidation, organic differentiation, microbiological risk, and physical shock. So we’ll have to demonstrate that, maybe with the support of EFSA. I don’t understand why EFSA has to intervene in that, but that’s a matter of political will.

Therefore, I believe the first recommendation is to maintain the path of what is happening during the implementation. I think that from our sector, we are calling for some visibility and a legal approach because I believe, like any business, we need to have the time to invest. And when you invest in new packaging material or a new packaging station for packaging the product, you need to know what the environment will be like where we will have to do that.

It would also be essential to investigate this further. Perhaps the final word is to continue talking and being as close as possible to your client in Europe so that you can ensure you adapt to the customer’s requirements. And that’s quite important. And I think we have a fantastic product with fruit and vegetables.

We need to be prepared to move forward. Plastics will probably have to be removed in the long run. However, we must explore alternatives. We have to consider research and innovation. This is a partnership that has to be made. We may need to adapt the variety. And that was also one element that was a little shocking to me when I spoke with retailers. They say that if we cannot have all the packaging, then we must reduce the assortment and limit varieties. I think there are many implications, and it’s excellent that we’re continuing the dialogue.

I think it’s essential to hear about the on-the-ground element. This is the change I mentioned, where the Green Deal was developed from a top-down approach. Now, they consider it more important to adopt a bottom-up approach, which means listening to what is happening on the ground.

WATCH the Footprint Webinar with CFG’s Con Louw and Dr Mariana Jooste, Hortgro Postharvest Manager, here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8Q2I9JfqYy5c0PqWwtVUXU_0iOPHw5QM