Should legislation around packaging collection and recycling levies in the Netherlands be postponed?

NVC, an association of companies addressing the activity of packaging throughout the supply chain, has argued for the postponement of legislation around packaging collection and recycling levies in the Netherlands.

The NVC perspective suggests that the final decision on the legislation should not be taken until the 1st of July 2023, after the publication of the promised fulfillment of the Circular Materials Plan CMP1 to Parliament in February 2023. This would, in its view, also allow for consultation with the House of Representatives, especially the chamber committee on infrastructure and environment.

According to the current schedule, the decision would take effect as early as the 1^st of January 2023, just a week and a half after the conclusion of the period during which stakeholders were able to share their perspectives.

NVC claims that the Dutch Packaging Waste Fund Foundation levies would, in their current state, cost the Dutch industry and retailers (and thus indirectly Dutch citizens) at least two billion euros over the next five years. In the process, rates are increasing “explosively” and the intended environmental results are unclear, according to NVC.