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🇮🇸 Iceland /Economy & Trade

Iceland to Implement EU Packaging Rules Amidst Concerns

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • The EU's new Packaging and Packing Waste Regulation (PPWR) will be implemented in Iceland starting mid-week.
  • The regulation, which is still evolving, will significantly impact Icelandic businesses exporting to the EU and selling to EU buyers.
  • Concerns exist that the rules, designed for other markets, may not suit Iceland's conditions and could lead to negative environmental consequences.

Iceland is set to implement the European Union's new Packaging and Packing Waste Regulation (PPWR) starting mid-week. This comprehensive and complex legislation, still under development, will be phased in over the next 15 years.

Benedikt S. Benediktsson, managing director of the Confederation of Icelandic Commerce and Services (SVÞ), expressed concerns about the regulation. He noted that the rules, which fall under the EEA agreement, will inevitably apply to the Icelandic domestic market.

Benediktsson stated that the regulations appear to have been designed with markets other than Iceland in mind. He believes they will significantly affect Icelandic companies producing goods for the European market, as well as Icelandic sellers shipping products to buyers within the EU.

Furthermore, there are significant concerns that aspects of the PPWR may not align well with Iceland's specific circumstances. This potential mismatch could ultimately result in negative environmental impacts rather than the intended positive outcomes.

The regulations clearly seem to have been designed for markets other than the Icelandic one.

— Benedikt S. BenediktssonExpressing concern that the EU's new packaging rules may not be suitable for Iceland.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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