{"id":5123,"date":"2026-05-04T09:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/?p=5123"},"modified":"2026-05-04T09:08:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:08:45","slug":"sorin-dumitru-professional-recycle-ppwr-represents-an-opportunity-to-reset-the-packaging-waste-management-system-on-solid-sustainable-foundations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sustainability-today.ro\/index.php\/2026\/05\/04\/sorin-dumitru-professional-recycle-ppwr-represents-an-opportunity-to-reset-the-packaging-waste-management-system-on-solid-sustainable-foundations\/","title":{"rendered":"Sorin Dumitru, Professional Recycle: \u201cPPWR represents an opportunity to reset the packaging waste management system on solid, sustainable foundations\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The transition from a directive-based approach to a directly applicable regulation marks a major paradigm shift in European packaging legislation, Sorin Dumitru, Public Affairs and Sustainability Manager at Professional Recycle said during Circular Economy Conference organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest and Sustainability Today.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have closely followed for several years the moment this major legislative shift was announced\u2014the move from implementing a directive to implementing a regulation. We were used to working with the Packaging Directive. Every 3\u20134 years, the European Commission would review it and introduce targeted amendments following broad public consultations. These changes were incremental and easier to absorb and transpose into national legislation,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key statements:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cWe had the flexibility\u2014and I would even call it the luxury\u2014of transposing European legislation in a somewhat original way. We were not required to implement word-for-word. The PPWR, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, comes with everything new. It largely resets what we knew from the directive and establishes a completely new legislative framework.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cThe new PPWR introduces a very precise, extensive, and diverse set of rules\u2014all at once. However, it will not be implemented overnight. There will be milestones, depending on how the European Commission develops the secondary legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cBecause without this secondary legislation, the regulation cannot truly be implemented. When we talk about secondary legislation, we are primarily referring to Delegated Acts, which supplement or amend non-essential elements of the main legislative act. For example, they may add or revise certain technical standards included in the regulation\u2019s annexes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cThese acts are under the control of the European Parliament and the Council, meaning there is an interinstitutional verification mechanism at EU level, and they have general applicability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cAnother category of secondary legislation establishes uniform criteria\u2014essentially identical implementation rules across all Member States\u2014to support harmonization. These are under the control of the European Commission, which in turn is subject to oversight by Member States through the comitology procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cThese acts generally have broad applicability, but they may also have individual applicability. I mention this because a few legislative acts are coming our way, and we will need to understand and implement them. Frankly, I still question whether, while the regulation itself applies directly, these delegated or implementing acts might also require transposition or adaptation into national law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cIn other Member States, some implementing decisions have already been transposed through government decisions, ministerial orders, and similar instruments. So, we may also need a national implementation timeline for these acts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cWe are facing a wave of delegated and implementing acts under this secondary legislation. We have guidance to understand proposals for simplification from the European Commission\u2014but they remain proposals. Most importantly, we must start considering how to adapt national legislation to these new requirements so that the regulation becomes functional, implementable, and operational.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 \u201cPPWR represents an opportunity to reset both legislation and the packaging waste management system on solid, sustainable foundations\u2014ones that can allow predictability and help us meet future targets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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