German Parliament Faces Backlash Over Packaging Bill

Germany’s parliament on Wednesday heard sharp criticism of a government bill meant to bring the country’s packaging law into line with new European Union rules that take effect in August 2026, as experts warned that the draft leaves major gaps in how costs, responsibilities and incentives would be handled.

The hearing, held by the Bundestag’s environment committee, focused on the Packaging Law Implementation Act, known as VerpackDG, which is intended to translate the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation into German law. The government says the goal is to reduce plastic waste, improve the recyclability of unavoidable packaging and strengthen the circular economy. But all of the experts invited by lawmakers from the Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, Greens and Left Party said the draft needs revision. The far-right Alternative for Germany did not nominate a witness.

Several witnesses said the bill would create too much administrative burden for local authorities and would not fix long-running disputes between municipalities and Germany’s dual recycling systems, which organize collection and recycling for packaging waste. Sebastian Lummel of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities said the draft weakens what had been planned as a binding fee of €5 per ton of packaging placed on the market into an undefined obligation. He said that leaves unresolved a basic imbalance in how public waste operators and dual systems share costs.

In practice, he said, municipalities often have to pay upfront for shared collection structures, such as paper bins, and then pass those costs on through local fees even though the systems are supposed to cover them. He urged lawmakers to let municipalities set those shared-use fees and related charges through official fee notices. Frank Wenzel, a lawyer specializing in procurement law, made a similar argument and called for what he described as a long-overdue repair of a system that has existed for 35 years. He said lawmakers should follow recommendations from Germany’s upper house and give public waste operators unilateral authority to set shared-use fees for paper, cardboard and cartons, along with a similar rule for cost-sharing under another section of the bill.

Andreas Bruckschen of the Federal Association of Waste Management, Water and Circular Economy said Germany needs clear regulation if it wants to keep its industrial base competitive. He said the draft was “not the big breakthrough” and argued that it raises more questions than it answers, especially for industrial packaging. He also said the bill lacks real incentives for ecological redesign and that quotas alone will not be enough.

Christine Bunte, representing Plastics Europe, said Germany still has a strong industrial base that could support more sustainable plastic packaging, but she warned that it is under pressure. She said plastic production in Germany has fallen 26% over the past five years because of high energy prices and weaker industrial output. She welcomed one part of the draft that would allow chemical recycling to count toward plastic recycling targets from 2028 at up to 5%, but said there should be a binding path beyond that. In her view, at least 7%, preferably 10%, by 2030 would better support investment.

Claas Oehlmann of the Federation of German Industries said the bill misses an opportunity to create financial incentives for highly recyclable packaging and for using recycled plastics. He criticized the absence of eco-modulation measures that had been expected since 2019, saying they would have given companies a reason to invest in better design. He also called for simpler approval procedures under European rules.

Sybille Vollmer of the Metal Packaging Association said current contribution fees paid by packaging producers do not reflect differences in collection, sorting and recycling costs across materials. She argued that some materials are effectively subsidizing more expensive recycling streams for others, creating what she called a distortion in competition.

Environmental groups were also critical. Elena Schrägg of Deutsche Umwelthilfe said the draft is not strong enough to meet waste prevention goals or Germany’s target that 70% of beverage packaging should be reusable. She argued that reuse must expand much more quickly and said current provisions on financing prevention measures would not have enough impact. Instead, she called for centrally coordinated support and a levy on disposable tableware in food service.

Henriette Schneider of Pro Mehrweg said the bill does not provide enough momentum for reuse systems even though EU policy points in that direction. She warned that Germany risks losing its lead in this area if it does not use all available room under EU rules to support established and new reuse models. She also regretted that an earlier proposal for a fund mechanism had been removed from the draft.

The hearing comes as Germany prepares for a broader shift in packaging policy across Europe, with direct consequences for manufacturers, retailers and waste operators handling bottles, labels and other packaging materials.