A new reusable packaging initiative in the Flemish region of Belgium, named Green Deal Anders Verpakt (Green Deal Packed Differently), wants to reduce the amount of single-use packaging in the region by 15,000 tons. On March 14, 2022, The Brussels Times reported over 80 companies and organizations had signed the deal, which is being spearheaded by the Flemish waste management company OVAM. Participants in the project will spend the next three years “looking for solutions to stimulate the prevention and reuse of packaging in the distribution sector.”
Vito, a Flemish sustainability research organization, said “because single-use packaging is often developed for a specific product, it is not always easy to change this packaging to a reusable alternative or to get rid of it altogether. This often requires rethinking the entire business model.” The organizations that have signed the deal represent stakeholders at all points of the supply chain as well as companies specializing in the logistics of collecting, washing, and delivering standardized reusables.
The federal government in Belgium is also launching a national action plan on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). According to civil society organization HEAL, public consultation on the final draft of the plan recently ended, and it is now expected to run from 2022 to December 2026. There are three primary pillars of the plan: (i) awareness-raising and prevention strategies, targeting the public and relevant professionals, (ii) legislative action at national and EU levels aimed to serve EDC exposure reduction, and (iii) research and work on identification of EDCs, including biomonitoring.
France, Denmark, and Sweden have taken similar steps to research and protect their citizens from EDCs (FPF reported). In 2021, France announced it would require merchants to declare whether their products contain “proven, presumed, and suspected” EDCs on a publicly accessible platform (FPF reported).
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Vito (March 11, 2022). “Green Deal Anders Verpakt: for 15,000 tons less disposable packaging in Flanders.”
Helen Lyons (March 14, 2022). “Flemish initiative aims to reduce disposable packaging by 15,000 tonnes.” The Brussels Times
HEAL (February 28, 2022). “Belgium set to launch its first-ever national action plan to increase health and environment protection from endocrine disrupting chemicals.”
