The Greek plastic packaging industry will not be able to fit into the new reality that the new EU Regulation 2025/40 tends to bring to fruit and vegetable packaging, according to Mr. Xenofon Papakostopoulos, a Greek manufacturer of plastic packaging. "Such regulations lack any sense. What will substitute plastic? Paper? It is well known to everyone that paper cannot conserve the fruits inside refrigeration chambers as well as plastic," he stresses.
Mr. Papakostopoulos's company specializes in small plastic packaging, addressing the needs of small, susceptible fruits like cherries, grapes, and strawberries. As he says: "With the implementation of this regulation, food waste will increase. Strawberries, for example, are the most prized ones among Greek fruit exports. I cannot imagine how strawberries or other similar fruits could be exported to distant markets and reach their destination intact inside paper packaging. Plastic is indispensable."
The Greek entrepreneur tries to imagine ways in which this regulation could be applied effectively and sustainably, but he declares himself unable to do so. "Do they think, maybe, that a product will be repackaged at its destination into paper packaging?" he wonders. "For a series of fruits, this paper should be covered with a thin plastic layer in order to withstand the moisture of the fruits. This means the use of plastic again, and it is extremely difficult to recycle such mixed packages after use," he highlights.
"Nor would it be smart to send fruit in plastic packaging, take it out to its destination and then return the packaging to the point of origin. Who will wash and disinfect it? Is the fruit and vegetable industry ready for such methods? I really cannot find any logic in this."
"Biodegradable packaging could be one possible solution, but it is very expensive. The aim is to teach people to recycle. Implementing for real the new regulation about plastic packaging will be disastrous. The Greek plastic packaging industry could not bear the cost of reforming and turning to the paper packaging industry. The acquisition of new equipment is extremely expensive. The potential implementation of the new regulation would result in massive shutdowns of companies and thousands of people losing their jobs."
For more information:
Xenofon Papakostopoulos
X. Papakostopoulos
Tel: +30 210 481 0127
Mob: +30 698 415 7323
Email: info@papakostopoulos.com.gr
www.papakostopoulos.com.gr/