ProFood on the Compostability Decree: assessing materials and functions for the considered implementation of the Ppwr

ProFood comments on the Chamber of Deputies’ final approval of the law converting the decree-law 7 August 2026, no. 143, the so-called Compostability Decree, which confirms the exemptions from the obligation to use biodegradable and compostable packaging for numerous prepacked fresh fruit and vegetable products weighing less than 1,5 kg.

The decree

The decree introduced a compostability obligation for certain single-use plastic applications, including packaging for less than 1,5 kg of prepacked fresh fruit and vegetable products. During the parliamentary examination, however, an important safeguard was introduced: for packaging intended for a broad list of fruit and vegetable products, the compostability obligation does not apply “pending the implementation of the European Commission’s guidelines” provided for in Article 25, paragraph 6, of the Ppwr.

It is also important to clarify what the formula “pending implementation” means. After the European Commission publishes its guidelines on the application of the restrictions provided for in Annex V to the Ppwr (expected by 12 February 2027), further national legislative action will be required to implement these guidelines. It will only be after this new national action that the application of the compostability obligation could change.

The publication of the European Commission’s guidelines will therefore not automatically bring the safeguard provided for by Italian legislation to an end, and packaging intended for products included in the list may therefore continue to be made from conventional plastic and will not mandatorily have to be compostable after 12 February 2027.

It should also be remembered that the list of products included in the law was not drawn up by Unionplast and ProFood, but arose from the work of the fruit and vegetable sector, which is already working with the European Commission on the specific packaging needs of the various products ahead of the publication of the guidelines.

The work of Unionplast together with the ProFood Group continues because the final approval closes the parliamentary phase, but not the dossier.

The comment

“Fruit and vegetables are a sector in which packaging plays a crucial role in protecting the product and therefore in preventing food waste,” comments Mauro Salini, President of ProFood. “For this reason, during the delicate phase of receiving the Ppwr indications, we asked for careful consideration to be given to the function of the packaging, the characteristics of the product, shelf life and the overall environmental impact. The principle is to avoid imposing a material before a European technical framework has been defined. The approved amendments recognise the reasonableness of this approach.”

Packaging covered by the exemptions

Below is the list of prepacked fresh fruit and vegetable products whose packaging is not subject to the compostability obligation pending the implementation of the European Commission’s guidelines.

Fruit

• Stone fruit: cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums
• Berries and small fruits: table grapes, mini kiwifruit (kiwiberry), strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants and blueberries
• Fruits with a peel: kiwifruit, passion fruit, highly delicate Ficus carica, prickly pears, pitaya and avocado
• Pome fruit: pears and apples at the stage of ripeness for consumption
• Persimmons

Vegetables

• Leafy vegetables, herbs and edible flowers: lettuces, escarole, Belgian endives, rocket, spinach, watercress, lamb’s lettuce, sprouts and young shoots, baby-leaf crops
• Brassicas, excluding brassica roots: broccoli, cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts and leafy cabbages
• Fruit vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, gherkins and courgettes
• Legumes: green beans in their pods
• Root and tuber vegetables: potatoes, radishes and carrots
• Stem vegetables: asparagus, rhubarb and leeks
• Small-sized, highly fragile vegetables: including cherry tomatoes and mini cucumbers

The following are also included:

• fresh aromatic herbs
• cultivated mushrooms
• fourth-range fruit and vegetables ready for consumption

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.