Afghanistan: Environment

The EU Packaging Regulation introduces sweeping reforms to packaging and packaging waste legislation across all Member States, establishing requirements for the entire lifecycle of packaging from labelling to environmental sustainability. With ambitious targets to reduce packaging waste per capita by 15% by 2040 and mandatory recyclability standards taking effect from 2030, businesses involved in product packaging face significant compliance obligations that will fundamentally reshape how they design, manuf

Advocate General Kokott has delivered a significant opinion recommending the annulment of provisions in the revised Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive that require pharmaceutical and cosmetics producers to finance 80% of quaternary wastewater treatment costs. While accepting the legitimacy of the polluter-pays principle, the AG concludes that the EU legislature failed to adequately substantiate the scientific basis for selecting these industries to bear such substantial financial burden.

The European Commission has shelved plans for a comprehensive REACH revision, but technical amendments remain possible. One initiative still under consideration is the Mixture Assessment Factor (MAF), which would address combined chemical exposure risks—a recognized gap in current EU chemical safety regulations.