{"id":23954971,"date":"2025-07-17T12:06:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T11:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fairresourcefoundation.org\/belgian-packaging-industry-already-saved-465-million-e-in-litter-fees-at-our-expense\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T10:35:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T08:35:57","slug":"belgian-packaging-industry-already-saved-465-million-e-in-litter-fees-at-our-expense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fairresourcefoundation.org\/en\/belgian-packaging-industry-already-saved-465-million-e-in-litter-fees-at-our-expense\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgian packaging industry already saved 465 million \u20ac in litter fees \u2013 at our expense"},"content":{"rendered":"

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[PRESS RELEASE, 17\/07\/2025]<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The Belgian packaging industry is outraged about the introduction of a new \u20ac102 million litter levy. It conveniently forgets to say that its successful lobbying has already earned it no less than \u20ac465 million. Money that the sector saved at the expense of local governments and society. Fair Resource Foundation takes stock.<\/em><\/p>\n

A contribution to cover litter costs in Belgium<\/b><\/h2>\n

The litter levy is not just a tax for packaging producers. It aims to cover the societal costs generated by packaging that ends up in litter, following the “polluter pays” principle. Producers thus assume responsibility for the packaging waste they place on the market. This levy does not come out of nowhere: it is regulated by European legislation. The Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) has made this contribution mandatory for SUP-products since January 2023, and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) proposes it as a solution for all types of packaging.<\/p>\n

In Belgium, this fee has been under discussion for a long time: negotiations around this interregional agreement on the costs associated with littering (” CA EPR \/ Litter<\/a> “) have been ongoing since 2022 between the three regions. As is often the case, reaching an agreement within and between the Belgian regional governments has not been easy. The Flemish government approved the text this Tuesday, and the Walloon and Brussel governments are due to approve it today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The agreement is all the more difficult to reach given that the packaging industry has multiplied its delaying tactics in recent years (in 2023<\/a>,\u00a02024<\/a>\u00a0and this\u00a0Tuesday<\/a>). And this opposition has been successful: the industry has already saved more than 465 million euros<\/b>. Let’s break this figure down:<\/p>\n