Archived press release

Overpackaging is against the law! (or is it?)

1 June 1998

On Sunday a new law came into force which makes overpackaging illegal [1]. As part of the Europe-wide rules on packaging, packaging must now be manufactured so that “its volume and weight is limited to the minimum adequate amount to maintain the necessary level of safety, hygiene and acceptance of the packed product for the consumer.” But perversely,whilst the new rules become law on Sunday, Trading Standards Officers have been prohibited from taking action until next year.

Friends of the Earth is calling on consumers to take action by sending examples of overpackaging to Trading Standards Officers (TSOs). FOE is also calling on the Government to give TSOs the powers they need now. Examples of over-packaging include;half full boxes of cereal, cardboard boxes around toothpaste tubes, and excessive layers of packaging around biscuits. In January a survey of breakfast cereal packets by Staffordshire Trading Standards revealed that many were less than half full.

Friends of the Earth believes that if the law were implemented properly not only would waste be reduced but valuable resources could also be saved. Over-consumption of resources causes environmental damage from forest destruction (to make paper) to vast amounts of pollution from aluminium mining.

Anna Thomas, Waste Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

“This situation makes Alice in Wonderland's dilemmas look straightforward - is a law really a law when it states that it cannot be enforced? The Government must act now to cut over-packaging not in six months time. Consumers can also take action by sending excessive packaging to their Trading Standards Officer and making it clear that a six month wait for action is six months too long.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 1998, Statutory Instrument 1165(implementing parts of Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament on Packaging and Packaging Waste). They will be enforced by Trading Standards Officers at Councils in England and Wales and the Dept of Economic Development in Northern Ireland.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust