Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2017
40. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to reduce packaging on meat and dairy products on sale in supermarkets and local grocers here as has occurred in other European countries. [4877/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy colleague, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment has responsibility for policy in relation to packaging of products as this comes under the broad heading of waste policy. My Department’s role on labelling of products is focussed on ensuring that such labelling conforms to a number of regulatory requirements such as mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) where it applies to food products on sale in retail outlets here.
On waste policy I am informed that all packaging is managed under the EU Packaging Directive and implemented in Ireland under the European Union (Packaging) Regulations 2014. The Directive “aims to harmonise national measures concerning the management of packaging and packaging waste in order, on the one hand, to prevent any impact thereof on the environment of all Member States as well as of third countries or to reduce such impact, thus providing a high level of environmental protection, and, on the other hand, to ensure the functioning of the internal market and to avoid obstacles to trade and distortion and restriction of competition within the Community”.
Extended Producer Responsibility is a concept where manufacturers and importers of products should bear a significant degree of responsibility for the environmental impacts of their products throughout the products lifecycle. Producer Responsibility Initiatives (PRIs) allow producers to devise schemes that have the capacity to fulfil the basic objects of waste management legislation. Repak is the Producer Responsibility Organisation for Packaging in Ireland and their members pay fees based on the amount of packaging they place on the market. It is therefore of financial benefit for members of Repak to minimise the amount of packaging they place on the market in Ireland.
Repak also employ an expert team of Packaging Technologists to assist companies in optimising their packaging systems and to prevent packaging waste, in line with their Producer Responsibility obligations. Repak Technologists work directly with companies to identify areas where packaging waste can be prevented or minimised. On-site surveys are carried out and 'Packaging Optimisation Reports' are compiled that guide member companies through the opportunities they have to improve their packaging systems and to reduce their packaging waste. This saves material and money for the companies involved, and in turn helps to reduce the overall amount of packaging placed on the Irish market.
