FEDEMCO’s first sectoral mission to Brussels, held on 23 and 24 September, represents a milestone for the federation. During the visit, the organisation highlighted the implications of implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (PPWR), which grants an exemption for lightweight wooden packaging due to its low environmental footprint, as it accounts for less than 1% of the total weight of packaging marketed in the EU.
However, key issues remain unresolved, such as promoting selective collection at source and efficient segregation of wooden waste to increase recycling rates, as well as conducting a strategic analysis of management infrastructure to establish recovery and recycling circuits for domestic, commercial and industrial wooden packaging.
As part of its agenda, FEDEMCO, supported by the Delegation of the Comunitat Valenciana in Brussels, held meetings with key stakeholders such as European parliamentary groups (EPP, S&D, Patriots For Europe, Greens/EFA); representatives and officials from the European Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee; the European Commission and Spain’s Permanent Representation to the EU (REPER); as well as the Delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and CEOE in Brussels. These meetings reinforced the message on the need to place wooden packaging produced by rural SMEs at the heart of EU policies on decarbonisation and the circular economy.