Manufacturers Warn That New Proposals Will Make All Glass Bottles Look The Same
The European Container Glass industry welcomes the European Parliament’s Environment (ENVI) Committee vote amending the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) to promote full packaging circularity. But industry remains deeply concerned that Intellectual Property Rights for packaging are not protected. The risk is that packaged products will start to look the same. Creative designs and iconic shapes will gradually disappear, and commercial value will be squandered because brands can no longer stand out from each other on the shelves.
While the industry appreciates the Environment Committee's recognition of proprietary packaging designs to some extent, it falls well short of expectations. There is acknowledgment of packed products with Geographical Indications and design rights but Intellectual Property Rights as a whole are not protected. “We fear this will result in standardized packaging and the gradual demise of brand differentiation. We are committed to ensuring that glass packaging solutions, agreed with our customers, are designed with the minimal necessary weight and volume. However, we believe this measure restricts creative designs and iconic shapes of bottles often reflecting cultural heritage products to be placed on the market in future. This will massively dent the economic value these products bring to Europe and beyond”, adds Adeline Farrelly, Secretary General of FEVE.
