House of Representatives votes on reducing shipping materials for parcel post

Update: The House of Representatives has approved the motion with a large majority: 128 of the 150 MPs voted in favour of the motion. Environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk Benelux (RNB) calculated in January the quantity and environmental impact of shipping materials for consumer post and parcels (download the report in PDF format here). Every year, companies in the Netherlands use a staggering 87 million kilos of plastic, cardboard and paper to ship parcels. For the shipping of letters and periodicals, 11 million kilos of shipping material are used. This means a lot of raw materials are used, whilst a large proportion of these shipping materials are unnecessary. Parcels Environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk: “We are very pleased with the motion of Van Esch et al. We hope that the House of Representatives gives this motion broad support, so that this motion becomes the starting point of decisive government policy to tackle the avalanche of plastic, cardboard and paper coming through our front doors.” The motion, initiated by MP Eva van Esch (Party for the Animals), was submitted by six parties. Co-signatories are Kauthar Bouchallikht (GroenLinks), Kiki Hagen (D66), Joris Thijssen (PvdA), Agnes Mulder (CDA) and Sandra Beckerman (SP). Together, these six parties hold 70 seats in the House of Representatives. State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Vivianne Heijnen previously gave the motion the 'judgment of the chamber'. The vote will take place today after the regular Question Time. Letters and magazines RNB also calculated that every year 11 million kilos of shipping materials for letters and magazines end up in the letterbox. The cabinet can tackle this low-hanging fruit immediately: 1.5 million kilos consist of plastic shipping wraps around periodicals such as magazines. In Belgium, it is already common practice, and also at some Dutch organisations, to replace the plastic shipping wrap with a paper wrapper or address sticker. Since excellent alternatives are available, the government can introduce a ban on the use of unnecessary plastic shipping wraps around periodicals”. More info The text of the motion: House of Representatives. Motion of member Van Esch et al. on reducing the large quantity of unnecessary shipping materials. Proposed 1 June 2022 The House, having heard the deliberations, noting that 87 million kilos of shipping materials are delivered annually via parcel post, that this represents a major burden on the environment and that a large part of these shipping materials is unnecessary; considering that it is a thorn in people's side that when they buy a small product online, they are then sent a box at home that could fit half a sofa; considering that it will be several years before there is a European directive of which reducing unnecessary shipping materials is a part; requests the government not to wait for the European directive, but to do as much as possible themselves to reduce the large amount of unnecessary shipping materials and to focus as much as possible on reusable shipping materials, and proceeds to the order of the day. Van Esch Bouchallikh Hagen Thijssen Agnes Mulder Beckerman Related: Party for the Animals, Success: finally fewer boxes with orders, 7 June 2021 Voting result: Vot

Update: The House of Representatives has approved the motion with a large majority: 128 of the 150 MPs voted in favour of the motion.

Environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk Benelux (RNB) calculated in January the quantity and environmental impact of shipping materials for consumer post and parcels (download the report in PDF format here). Every year, companies in the Netherlands use a staggering 87 million kilos of plastic, cardboard and paper to ship parcels. For the shipping of letters and periodicals, 11 million kilos of shipping material are used. This means a lot of raw materials are used, whilst a large proportion of these shipping materials are unnecessary.

Parcels

Environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk: “We are very pleased with the motion of Van Esch et al. We hope that the House of Representatives gives this motion broad support, so that this motion becomes the starting point of decisive government policy to tackle the avalanche of plastic, cardboard and paper coming through our front doors.”

The motion, initiated by MP Eva van Esch (Party for the Animals), was submitted by six parties. Co-signatories are Kauthar Bouchallikht (GroenLinks), Kiki Hagen (D66), Joris Thijssen (PvdA), Agnes Mulder (CDA) and Sandra Beckerman (SP). Together, these six parties hold 70 seats in the House of Representatives.

State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Vivianne Heijnen previously gave the motion the 'judgment of the chamber'. The vote will take place today after the regular Question Time.

Letters and magazines

RNB also calculated that every year 11 million kilos of shipping materials for letters and magazines end up in the letterbox. The cabinet can tackle this low-hanging fruit immediately: 1.5 million kilos consist of plastic shipping wraps around periodicals such as magazines. In Belgium, it is already common practice, and also at some Dutch organisations, to replace the plastic shipping wrap with a paper wrapper or address sticker. Since excellent alternatives are available, the government can introduce a ban on the use of unnecessary plastic shipping wraps around periodicals”.

More info

The text of the motion: House of Representatives. Motion of member Van Esch et al. on reducing the large quantity of unnecessary shipping materials.

Proposed 1 June 2022

The House,

having heard the deliberations,

noting that 87 million kilos of shipping materials are delivered annually via parcel post, that this represents a major burden on the environment and that a large part of these shipping materials is unnecessary;

considering that it is a thorn in people's side that when they

buy a small product online, they are then sent a box at home that could fit half a sofa;

considering that it will be several years before there is a European directive

of which reducing unnecessary shipping materials is a part;

requests the government not to wait for the European directive, but to do as much as possible themselves to reduce the large amount of unnecessary shipping materials and to focus as much as possible on reusable shipping materials,

and proceeds to the order of the day.

Van Esch

Bouchallikh

Hagen

Thijssen

Agnes Mulder

Beckerman

Related:

Party for the Animals, Success: finally fewer boxes with orders, 7 June 2021

Voting result:

Vot