Portuguese organizations urge funding for packaging reuse

Eight civil society organizations in Portugal have formally requested that the government allocate at least 5% of producer responsibility contributions toward the development of packaging reuse systems. In a letter addressed to the State Secretariat for the Environment and the State Secretariat for the Economy, the groups cited the implementation of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (RERE), which mandates specific reuse and reduction targets for Portugal starting in 2030.

The organizations argue for the application of the “polluter-pays principle,” stating that the costs of transitioning to reusable systems should not fall primarily on entrepreneurs already promoting circularity. They noted that single-use plastic packaging imposes an annual burden of approximately 200 million euros on the country due to non-recycled waste, creating unfair competition for reusable alternatives. The signatories, which include associations, local authorities, and circular economy entrepreneurs, pointed to France as a precedent where law requires managing entities to dedicate at least 5% of annual contributions to reuse solutions.