EU packaging rules force Swedish designer to stop selling to EU customers

New European Union regulations on packaging are forcing small businesses like Janna Drakeed's swimwear brand, Miss Janna, to cease sales to customers within the EU. Drakeed, who has been designing and selling swimwear for 15 years, stated that the administrative complexity and associated costs of the new rules make it unfeasible for her small operation.

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There's only me working in my company, so there are no resources to put into packaging.

Drakeed emphasizes that her business is already focused on sustainability, using recycled materials for her swimwear and shipping bags. However, the EU's new packaging directive, which takes effect on August 12, requires businesses to ensure their packaging is part of a recycling system. For Drakeed, this means needing to sign agreements with recycling organizations in every EU country where she sells, a logistical and financial challenge she deems insurmountable for her one-person company.

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The hassle and administration when she has to sign agreements with a responsible recycling organization in each country.

"There's only me working in my company, so there are no resources to put into packaging," Drakeed explained. She highlighted that the cost of compliance could outweigh the profit from the few packages she ships to individual countries. The primary obstacle, however, is the "hassle and administration" involved in establishing these recycling contracts.

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The thought behind producer responsibility is that those who produce packaging should take responsibility for the collection and handling of these when they become waste.

Consequently, Miss Janna will now limit its sales to Sweden and Norway. While acknowledging the good intentions behind the EU's regulations, aimed at reducing packaging waste and promoting recycled materials, industry experts and business owners like Drakeed are calling for clearer guidance. Olivia Karlsson from the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise described the regulation as "incredibly complex" and urged authorities to provide more straightforward instructions for small and medium-sized enterprises to navigate the new requirements.

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This regulation is the most complex regulation ever directed at this area.