28.August 2014 Position paper on returnable drink packaging

Transcription

1 28.August 2014 Position paper on returnable drink packaging

2 Position paper on returnable drink packaging ( ) 1. Motive for this position paper Returnable systems are still the ecologically most reasonable way of drink packaging and a very important contribution to the conservation of the environment and to mitigate climate change. They are a basic pillar of sustainable waste management which gives highest priority to the avoidance of waste. The current implementation report on the sustainability agenda of the Austrian drink industry shows the dramatic continuous decline of returnable drink packages and a strong increase of disposable packaging. The share of returnable packaging of water, beer, soft-drinks, juice and milk (excl. barrels and containers) fell between 2007 and 2010 from 24.2% to 18.3%. The consequence of such a development is the permanent increase of packaging waste. In retail less and less drinks are provided in returnable packaging. In the following the position of the City of Vienna regarding the procurement of drinks is described which is the result of clear ecological advantages of returnable drink packaging compared to disposable packaging, of legal frameworks and other already existing requirements of the City of Vienna. 2. Position regarding the procurement of drinks Drinks shall be procured in returnable packaging 1. The eco-friendliest way of providing drinks for a meeting or an event 2 is the use of Vienna s fresh spring water 3 from the tap. This makes any packaging or transport emissions unnecessary and water is always available at low costs, without any consumption of energy and well cooled. Furthermore the use of returnable dishes is also a must at meetings and events. 3. Ecological aspects 1 Supply sources of drinks in returnable packaging: These lists of supply sources are up-dated and maintained by die umweltberatung. 2 See also: Guideline for an environmental approach to events by ÖkoKauf Wien (Richtlinien über die Ökologisierung von Veranstaltungen von "ÖkoKauf Wien") 3 See also: Position paper on the ecological and economical use of drinking water by ÖkoKauf Wien (Positionspapier über die ökologische und ökonomische Nutzung von Trinkwasser von "ÖkoKauf Wien") Anm: ist das nicht das Positionspapier über die Bereitstellung von Trinkwasser? Wenn ja, dann sollte statt use das Wort supply hier ersetzt werden 2

3 The ecological benefits of returnable drink packaging compared to disposable packaging can be described as follows: Returnable systems conserve resources: Returnable systems reduce the consumption of raw materials and energy by multiple use of packaging which also maintains its structure. The life cycle of drink packaging includes production, use and disposal. The biggest share of resource consumption lies with the production. Returnable glass bottles can be refilled up to 50 times. Frequent refilling of a drinks bottle means that the respective amount of disposable bottles including their consumption of resources is conserved and therefore the same amount of waste which would have needed transportation. Recycling or removal of disposable packaging cause more damage to the environment than reuse. Environmental damage caused by transport is usually the argument against returnable systems. The expenses for transportation in returnable systems are about a quarter of the entire energy consumption, and disposable packaging also needs to be transported (as packaging or residual waste) for recycling or disposal. Serious ecological assessments consider all transport of drink packaging from production to disposal. Assuming a transport distance of up to 750 km, returnable bottles are clearly more beneficial compared to disposable bottles. Such ecological assessments also consider the environmental impact of the cleaning of the returnable bottles. Returnable systems avoid waste: Returnable drink packaging systems are truly avoiding waste compared to disposable packaging. Avoiding of waste by returnable systems reduce both, the ecological strain and the costs for community waste disposal. Furthermore, returnable systems raise consumers awareness and help them to identify with waste prevention. Returnable systems reduce littering of empty drink packages, since they need to be returned to the shop in order to receive the bottle deposit and thus do not land on a landfill. Returnable systems protect the climate: Returnable drink packaging consume significantly less energy than disposable packaging and therefore help reduce CO 2 emissions. Disposable glass bottles cause five times more CO 2 3

4 emissions than returnable glass bottles. Aluminium cans cause three times more CO 2 emissions than returnable glass bottles. Returnable systems are sustainable: Returnable systems work best in regional economic cycles. They preserve jobs in the regional retail and drinks industry. Returnable systems are usually also economically more beneficial for bottlers with regional production and distribution structures. Disposable drink packaging the ecologically less favourable way: Drink composite carton: Drink composite carton or beverage carton has the lowest impact on the environment of all disposable packaging as long as it is collected separately and recycled. Disposable plastic bottles (PET): Disposable plastic bottles become waste after they have been used and can only partly be used for the production of new bottles (about 30%), which means that for producing a plastic bottle, 70% of the material needs to be new. This new material is made of crude oil, a limited fossil raw material. About one third of all collected PET bottles in Austria are recycled. The rest usually is used in far away production sites (mainly China) for the production of polyester and fleece. Aluminium drink cans: Aluminium drink cans have a major impact on the environment due to high energy consumption for the production of aluminium. The extraction of aluminium causes social problems and destroys the environment. Additionally they cannot be used for the production of new aluminium drink cans due to their usual mixture of materials. Disposable glass bottles: Glass is generally speaking the packaging of the highest quality, since it is an inert material and no interaction or transfer of material takes place between packaging and content. Glass can be recycled an unlimited number of times. However, from an ecological point of view disposable glass 4

5 bottles are the most unfavourable packaging method due to its high energy consumption in its production. 4. Legal framework The European Waste Framework Directive, whose content was implemented by the last amendment of the Austrian Federal Waste Management Act, has established a new hirarchy of five waste management options. Prevention of waste still is the preferred option followed by preparing for re-use, recycling, recovery and safe disposal as last option. Re-use of returnable drink packages for their original purpose is a typical example for the prevention of waste and is clearly ranked above recycling. The Vienna Waste Management Act (Wiener Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz) implemented this fivetier hierarchy on 1 January 2011 in Section 1 paragraph (2) and includes both general waste prevention and waste reduction requirements in Section 10 and special provisions for the use of returnable products at events in Section 10d. According to Section 10 paragraph (1) the City of Vienna as holder of private rights is obliged to 1. procure and use working material and commodities which cause the lowest possible damage to the environment in their production, use, collection and processing as waste and 2. approve the use (e.g. for events) of rooms, retail spaces, facilities or estates which are owned or entirely or partly within power of disposition of the Federal Province or the Municipality of Vienna, only if such materials are used which cause the lowest possible damage to the environment in their production, use, collection and processing as waste. Section 10 paragraph (2): The Federal Capital of Vienna has to ensure that corporate bodies, institutes and foundations of public right which were established by the Federal Province or the Municipality of Vienna, as well as legal persons whose capital lies entirely or predominantly with the Federal Province or the Municipality of Vienna shall also proceed according to Section 1. Section 10 paragraph (3): If possible, the Federal Capital of Vienna shall within the framework of subsidies, especially within the framework of the support of economic development, predominantly support those enterprises which manufacture products causing fewer or less environmentally damaging waste or whose waste can more easily be recycled compared to similar products whereby the whole life cycle of the respective products shall be taken into consideration. Furthermore, if possible the requirements of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be considered when granting subsidies. 5

6 According to Section 10d there is the obligation that returnable systems shall be used at events where food and drinks are provided and 1. more than 1,000 persons can take part or 2. more than 500 persons can take part, and which take place at venues for which an unlimited declaration of suitability according to Section 21 of the Vienna Events Act (Wiener Veranstaltungsgesetz) exists or 3. which take place on estates owned by the Federal Capital of Vienna (no limit regarding number of participants). The drinks shall be dispensed from returnable containers such as barrels, dispensing systems or returnable bottles provided that the respective drinks are available in returnable containers in Vienna and in any case be served in returnable beakers, cups or glasses. 5. Existing requirements by the City of Vienna The guideline for an environmental approach to events by ÖkoKauf Wien requires that returnable systems shall be used for dishes at events organised or assigned by the City of Vienna. Furthermore at such events drinks shall not be provided in cans. PUMA, the Environmental Management Programme in the Vienna City Administration, provides for check lists for different event sizes (meetings and smaller events, bigger internal events for the Vienna City Administration, as well as big events). Instructions require inter alia that returnable systems shall be used for dishes, drinks and transport packaging. The ÖkoKauf Wien position paper on the ecological and economical use of drinking water (Anm: ist das nicht das Positionspapier über die Bereitstellung von Trinkwasser? Wenn ja, dann sollte statt use das Wort supply hier ersetzt werden) requires in general the prevention of packaging. The benefits of using the eco-friendly Viennese spring water out of the tap are described in comparison with the use of water in bottles or in water coolers. The ÖkoKauf Wien criteria list for hot and cold drinks vending machines requires an infrared cup sensor in hot drinks vending machines for the use of one s own cup (returnable dishes) and in cold drinks vending machines the use of returnable containers. 6