Setting the scene for harmonised waste-sorting labels in the European Union : insights from packaging waste data, survey findings and conceptual considerations

The provisionally agreed (as of June 2024) packaging and packaging waste regulation requires EU Member States to implement harmonised waste-sorting labels. Applied to both packaging and receptacles, the labels will contain information on the material composition of the former, using pictograms and, optionally, QR codes, considering specificities of the collection systems established in the Member States. To inform the evidence-based design and empirical testing of such labels, this report derives pertinent insights from an analysis of various streams of evidence: (1) packaging waste statistics in the EU, (2) an analysis of mainly Member-State-specific waste-sorting labels that developed in the absence of harmonisation efforts, (3) waste-related consumer attitudes, (4) insights from an online survey of professional waste stakeholders and (5) conceptual reflections on harmonised waste-sorting labels, based on a thorough understanding of the behavioural process underlying waste-sorting behaviour, recognising the influence of waste-sorting labels and acknowledging heterogeneities of EU citizens. This report outlines a potential conceptual structure for a harmonised labelling scheme accommodating various separate waste collection schemes and dynamic changes in the granularity of separate waste collection, materials and receptacles over time. According to the provisionally agreed regulation, labels identifying materials instead of waste destinations appear more suitable as a prototype for harmonised EU labels. Contextual information, caveats about the data used and a list of open questions to be answered in future work are presented. The insights gathered in this report will benefit ongoing and future work conducted to develop harmonised EU waste-sorting labels.