Blog: You, us, everyone

With the aim to introduce a more virtuous economy, the EU is introducing new packaging rules; these apply to about anything and emphasize promoting reusable products, like cups, rather than throwaway plastic and paper products. While some of the hardest hit companies like McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Savencia (ex-Bongrain), among others praised lawmakers for protecting “distinctive packaging designs” that characterize products and brands, they however complained about the far-reaching laws and the requirement to create separate recycling lines to keep the economy in circular mode.

At the end of the process, it is about the consumer and how a product is sold to him. Unique and creative packaging shapes are key touchpoints on the shelves for consumers – In essence, the EU wants, through the implementation of stringent requirements, to uniformize the touchpoints for all products and to uniformize commerce. Does this really make sense for FMCG?