Talking about counterfeit products, in general, leads us to think directly about fashion brands, about their bags, their clothes, their footwear, their sunglasses, their designs... But the rascally way of living of human being reach such unsuspected limits that can even put our own health at risk. Is it Fraud? Unfair competition?

Among some of our customers in the crop protection industry, the counterfeiting of their phytosanitary products is having very negative consequences and impacts. That is why at Alcion Packaging Solutions we try to jointly develop solutions to diminish it. This is our small contribution to cooperation with this industry.

 

Go on reading to know more about…

1. Crop protection products: What are they? What are they used for?
2. Illegal trade and crop protection products counterfeiting: Problems and associated risks
3. Sale of counterfeit crop protection products: Could we identify them?
4. APS solutions for packaging against crop protection products counterfeiting

 

Crop protection products: What are they? What are they used for?

Phytosanitary products are formulations that seek crop protection against harmful organisms, allow to increase the yield of crops of agricultural extensions, in addition to improving the quality of the food obtained in each harvest.

Given the symbiosis between agriculture, human health and the environment, crop protection products are subject to strict regulation in use, distribution and application in order to ensure proper use, efficacy and safety in an attempt to protect human health and the environment.

In fact, its commercialization requires authorizations that involve strict risk assessments, compliance with regulations in continuous evolution linked to its storage, import or export and use, to ensure the good control and management of these formulations, in any situation.

 

You may be interested: Trends and innovation in phytosanitary packaging

 

Illegal trade and crop protection products counterfeiting: Problems and associated risks

Counterfeiting has also reached the environment of crop protection products causing a high risk to human health and the environment. It is estimated that up to 10% of crop protection products are illegal on the European market. A problem that directly affects the farmer, who makes large economic investments in a product that will not protect his crops but also will end up damaging his crop and the soil itself for future harvests in many cases.

These illegal products can even affect their health when using them, as consumers during their agricultural tasks, and the protection of the environment, in addition to leaving residues in the harvested food, since it is difficult to know their origin, the quality of their components and the reactions they can cause in each of them.

It is important to recognize the risks and consequences of this problem to understand the importance of proper packaging and monitoring and respect for current control regulations.

In many countries, awareness campaigns have been carried out among farmers, end-users of these products, to identify an illegal crop protection product. Such is the case of Argentina, with the campaign SAY NO TO ILLEGAL PESTICIDES.

Or that of CropLife Europe, AEPLA, and industry associations: STOP ILLEGAL

Large multinationals work towards the use of phytosanitary products controlled and registered according to the standards of each country, and security forces at the international level pursue these illegal practices that put our health and our environment at risk.

When a product is counterfeited, its quality and origin are unknown, promoting misuse and serious problems in those who handle it.

 

You may be interested in: How to ensure the preservation of the agrochemical

 

Negative consequences of product counterfeiting

Counterfeiting is a serious problem, very dangerous, we would say, and it seems that it is increasing for all industries: the chemical industry, cosmetics, food, agriculture, etc. This causes negative effects of great impact for each economic sector, in addition to affecting people and the environment.

1. Economic loss for the sector or business in general by marketing ineffective products.
2. Discouragement on the part of companies that invest in the development of legitimate products, in patents and formulations that take years to obtain and register.
3. Obstacle to investment, employment, technology, and incomes.
4. Potential harm to human health and the environment, given that counterfeit products are handled without control and are not subject to safety tests or records to ensure their use.

 

Sale of counterfeit crop protection products: Could we identify them?

Properly managing phytosanitary products tends to generate multiple doubts, especially in those non-producing companies that are dedicated to marketing and storing these products.

Identifying illegal products is not easy, much less when it comes to illegal crop protection products.

 

How to identify a counterfeit crop protection product

In general, the authorities of many countries and the awareness campaigns developed indicate some details to consider:

• The cap on the container may be different from the original container.
• The container is not properly sealed, and the seal or induction foil has broken.
• The packaging does not contain authentication tools or differ from the originals used by the brand.
• The labeling was not correctly done: the label is poorly adhered, does not respond to the national language and/or shows typographical or grammatical errors.
• The product is not offered by authorized suppliers, but sales are carried out in non-regulated/authorized warehouses and/or the internet.

 

 

• The brand logo differs from the original.
• The registration number does not correspond to the regulatory authority of the country or the product.
• The details of the manufacturer or importer are not correctly indicated.
• There is no evidence of batch number and expiration date.
• No safety instructions are included for the correct use of the product.

 

APS solutions for packaging against crop protection products counterfeiting

An adequate and complete personalization of the packaging can provide some security when it comes to avoiding the counterfeiting of crop protection products.

Alcion Packaging Solutions develops, together with our clients, elements of personalization to achieve a packaging that guarantees the totally personalized manufacture to fight against the counterfeiting of industrial products. It is true that none cannot avoid it 100% but try to persuade and make it more difficult.

Through brand engraving on bottles, drums, caps, sheets, the use of specific colors, even barcode marking on our packaging to facilitate traceability, we guarantee that your products maintain their identification.

 

Stop illegal pesticides! Contact us and we will analyze the possibilities of personalization of your plastic containers!

The extended producer responsibility included in the EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWD) establishes common rules and requires the Member States to implement the selective collection of waste in the plastic industry, imposing as well substantial changes in this activity.

We invite you to know its impact on the sector.

What is Extended Producer Responsibility?

Extended Producer Responsibility is part of the EU packaging legislation that questions the way in which products and their packaging, are manufactured, the management of the waste they generate, and the environmental pollution they produce.

The EPR, which is mandatory for all packaging flows, ensures that packaging waste is collected, sorted, and recycled according to legal targets and it extends the producer’s responsibility for a product to the post-consumer state.

Although, at the beginning of its conception, it focused on domestic waste, the impact is finally spread to other packaging waste streams. Industrial and commercial, and, of course, domestic, which involve sectors such as textiles, electronics, food ..., are also strongly affecting the plastic industry in general.

The EPR arises to promote a global environmental policy which has, as its main target, the reduction of environmental pollution and the reduction of waste generation in all the countries of the European Union.

Although it can generate new challenges in the plastic transformers sector, in APS we see it from the positive side, and turn it into a great opportunity to improve the processes of our business in general, based on the circular economy and the reuse of packaging and materials.

To promote this regulation, companies must create a Collective System of Extended Producer Responsibility as a model to manage compliance with the obligations that are specifically embodied in Directive 2019/904.

By setting more demanding objectives for plastics converters, the entire value chain linked to waste management is affected: manufacturers as those agents that participate directly or indirectly in the first marketing as in the case of distributors, importers, among other figures.

 

You may be interested in: Discover the impact of the new Waste Law and Plastic Taxes

 

How will EPR affect in some European countries?

Extended producer responsibility affects manufacturing and product management processes across the European Union. Let's look at its implication in different countries.

Extended Producer Responsibility in France

The principle of extended producer responsibility appears in Article L. 541-10 of the French Environmental Code which sought to regulate the materials of products manufactured in order to eliminate waste.

The decree developed in 1992 linked to domestic packaging was extended to other areas such as paper, electronic materials, etc. The French Anti Waste Law (AGEC), enacted in 2020, accelerated the production and consumption model with the aim of limiting waste and taking care of natural resources.

With the EPR regulation, not only will the waste generated be treated, but it will also try to prevent it by forcing the sectors related to production to intervene in the entire life cycle of the goods, promoting eco-design and internal policies that promote environmental respect.

 

 

Extended Producer Responsibility in UK

Although the United Kingdom is already outside the EU, its legislation on extended producer responsibility is in the phase of consultation again, as it has also assumed to continue with the commitment to protect the environment and deal with the waste produced by companies.

These commitments have not been born with the new legislation but have been promoted for several years through laws and regulations such as the 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy for England; the Conservative Manifesto of 2019, Making Things Last of the Scottish Government, the 2019 Waste Management Plan of Ireland, among others.

In fact, the EPR system has been in place in the UK since 1997 increasing packaging waste recycling by 25% in its inception and by 63.9% in 2017, surpassing all UK and EU countries in terms of packaging waste recycling targets.

Like any system that is more than 20 years old, it needs a reform. In 2019, the Governance made the case for significant reforms to the current system in the UK Packaging Producer Responsibility System Reform consultation paper.  Today, the goals are more ambitious: to hold producers accountable for the total net cost of managing packaging once it becomes waste, introducing clear and consistent labelling for recyclability.

Packaging recycling in the Uk Kingdom by 2030 is expected to reach 78%. Estimated recycling rates for the plastics industry are 62%. Thus, there are expected benefits as in the case of commercialized and non-commercialized carbon.

An evaluation period (2023-2032) will be carried out that, according to the estimates and planning of the scope of the objectives of this new regulation, the United Kingdom believes that the scope will represent 412 million pounds of benefit for society.

 

Extended Producer Responsibility in Spain

Under the slogan, "polluter must pay", the new regulation of extended producer responsibility is included in the New Waste Law, recently approved.

The country has long sought to achieve the "Circular Spain 2030", an initiative that lays the foundations to achieve a productive and consumption model where materials, resources and products persistan in the economy as long as possible so that waste in the country might be substantially reduced.

This means that decisions are focused on measures that allow companies to achieve efficiency and not persist on just modification of current polluting production systems.

 

Discover: Know the keys and advances of sustainable plastic packaging

 

 

Extended Product Liability Legal Framework

The extended responsibility of the Spanish producer is included in the fourth title of  Law 22/2011, of July 28, on Waste and contaminated soils, which highlights the limits of said responsibility, establishing obligations for producers, who must contemplate altogether designs, production process and the management of waste from their products,  individually or through collective systems (SCRAP = Collective System of Aggregated Producer Responsibility).

Although Law 10/1998 and the derived regulations already promoted certain initiatives of a ERP system, the new regulations promote, for the first time, a coherent and systematized legal framework, through which producers are involved in the prevention and organization of waste management.

Obligations of producers

According to this Law, producers are those who physically or legally manufacture and sell products in a professional manner. These have responsibilities to fulfill, let’s say, improving reuse, recycling, managing the organization of the waste they produce and preventing it.

 

 

Collective Extended Producer Responsibility Systems for Industrial Plastic Packaging

To comply with the obligations of the new extended producer responsibility regulations, organizations or individuals that manufacture, or market goods can generate collective systems (SCRAP= Sistemas Colectivos de Responsabilidad ampliada del productor) or establish their own individual system.

The SCRAPs have, among their  targets, to finance an adequate management of waste, assisting producers in the reduction and prevention of the same so that the recycling objectives and the different phases of production and sale are met, such as the guarantee of having containers for waste.

In addition, they finance actions linked to the correct communication and dissemination of the necessary measures for the care of the planet.

 

 

Recommended reading: Types of recyclable plastic packaging

 

 

Sustainability and Circular Economy at Alcion PAckaging Solutions

APS  is fully aware of the need to promote the figure of extended producer responsibility to be sure that the entire production chain and the arrival of products at the end user is respectful with the environment.

Although it is  seen a complex challenge to overcome, companies that focus changes related to sustainability and the circular economy, obtain great benefits in terms of recognition by society.

In APS  we have joined both the demands of society and countries to produce our packaging safely and sustainably through respectful processes, reducing waste and progressively eliminating those materials with less recyclability capacity.

Join our commitment to the protection of the environment!

 

The new Law on Plastic waste and the Plastic Taxes derived from it are imminent.  Although in Spain its application is delayed until 2023, its impact is already becoming noticeable, not only in Spanish territory but also in different countries of the European Union, since the manufacturers of plastic products have been working months, if not years, to adapt to the new scenario that arises. 

Find out about the national and international repercussions.

What is the new Waste And Plastic Taxes Act?

The plastic tax has now become one of the greatest challenges for businesses across Europe, as new  Plastic Waste legislation and its  Plastic Taxes have begun to generate impactful effects.

While any limitation on the use of potentially polluting materials, whatever their origin, always constitutes an excellent initiative in any society to protect the environment and reduce the obvious pollution we live, it is also  true that an exhaustive analysis of other aspects that are required,  make the impact truly positive.

Although the various Community directives that have appeared in recent years explicitly do not create a European tax on plastics, it is true that the most recent ones encourage the  Member States to introduce a new category based on "green" contributions into their national policies, with a considerable impact on tax collection.

The transposition of the entire chain of directives into Spanish legislation gets the Spanish government to propose its Draft Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils by creating two new "green" taxes: the tax on non-reusable plastic packaging and the tax on the deposit of waste in landfills and incineration.

Around this new political configuration of taxes on plastic packaging, a great controversy has been generated: Are the regional measures of the European Union enough to balance the sustainable economy that the Union seeks ?

Faced with the increasingly accelerated climate devastation that we see on a daily basis, the homogeneous implementation of clear policies in all territories and the incorporation of other factors that manage to reduce pollution, seem to be the promising path for realistic effectiveness. 

 

-Recommended reading: Advantages of recycling plastic packaging-

 

Measures taken in the plastic tax law by some countries

The tax on single-use plastics has impacted different EU countries, which have taken concrete measures in this regard.

> Tax on plastic packaging in Spain

In Spain, the regulation introduces, for the first time, limitations on the commercialization of single-use plastics, that is, plastics that cannot be reused. The goal is the reduction of this material, expecting that in 2026 it will be 50% and 70% in 2030.

Those products on which the law directly impacts in the first instance are: glasses, lids, food containers, cutlery, cotton buds, straws, etc. 

The basic intention of the regulation is to avoid the generation of waste that constitutes a problem in environmental policies worldwide due to the great pollution they produce. 

In this way, the bill marks a calendar to prevent the high generation of waste in Spain, seeking to reduce the weight of waste by 13% by 2025 and by 15% by 2030, compared to those produced in 2010. 

The standard includes a tax on landfilling, incineration and co-incineration of waste. Proper waste management is essential to reduce waste and avoid environmental pollution.

It also foresees the implementation of new separate collections of domestic waste, textiles, among others, which promote recycling and the reduction of large amounts of waste.

 

 

The Tax on non-reusable plastic packaging, which will be transferred to the Autonomous Communities in Spain, will be indirect and will affect the manufacture, import or purchase within the EU of non-reusable plastic packaging destined for the Spanish market.  It will be applied to both empty and full containers, including also semi-finished products (such as preforms, thermoplastic sheets and others that require one or more phases of subsequent transformation to be used as packaging), as well as those intended to allow closure (caps and others).

The taxable amount is constituted by the quantity of non-recycled plastic, in kilograms, contained in the packaging and the  impositive type  will be 0.45 euros per kilogram of plastic, which exempt from this tax exports and intra-Community supplies in addition to other exemptions related to the use to which  said packaging is going to be destined (medicines,  etc)

 

-Discover: Know the keys and advances of sustainable plastic packaging-

 

> Measures taken in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom, as a member of the EU in 2015, already implemented the tax on plastic bags, achieving a 95% reduction in their consumption in supermarkets. 

On April 1, 2022, already away from the EU, the UK Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) will come into force.  The tax will be charged at a rate of £200 per metric tonne of plastic if the proportion of recycled plastic contained in the packaging is less than 30% of its total weight. The goal is to make 100%  plastics recyclable by 2025.

The plastic packaging tax will apply to plastic packaging manufactured or imported into the UK, where plastics used in the manufacture of the packaging are recycled at less than 30%. It appears to be assumed that plastic packaging does not meet the recycled content test unless you can prove otherwise.

In short, this new   UK Plastics Tax  Act encourages a levy on plastics that do not include a minimum of 30% recycled material.

 

-You may be interested in: Types of recyclable plastic packaging-

 

> Measures taken in France

On February 10, 2020, France published its "Loi relative à la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l'économie circulaire", known as the AGEC Law. This law aims to act in favor of the environment through several measures: the reduction of waste, the promotion of the recycling of goods (circular economy), the reduction / elimination of plastics, the extension of the life of consumer goods to reduce CO2 emissions and preserve biodiversity.

Specifically, the law aims to achieve the goal of 100% recycled plastic by 2025 and achieve zero disposable plastic by 2040.

Later in April 2021 the so-called Decree of the 3Rs, comes to specify the details of the objectives of the Law:

• 20% reduction in single-use plastic packaging by the end of 2025
• 100% reduction in "unnecessary" single-use plastic packaging by 2025
• An operational recycling channel for all single-use plastic packaging by 1 January 2025

Very important is the chapter on consumer information and the fight against waste. It seeks to promote valuable information that awakens awareness among consumers about the environmental characteristics of certain materials and the importance of caring for the planet.

On 1 January 2022, a consultation based on different criteria is established that will analyse the Eco Contribution in the context of the Extended Producer Responsibility Regime and will be adjusted through a system of bonuses and penalties, based on environmental performance criteria, including the incorporation of recycled material.  For example, if the packaging does not contain materials that interfere with recycling, you will have a bonus of 10% of the Eco contribution; if it includes 25% or more of recycled raw material, it will also get a bonus; if the packaging is multimaterial it would be subject to penalty of up to 10% of the Eco...

It is expected that in 2023 this bonus/penalty system will be implemented.

 

 

Impact and repercussions of the plastic tax on the world

The world society is saturated with information that, many times, is not complete and usually has a clear intentionality linked to certain sectors that seek an immediate impact. 

While environmental pollution is an urgently needed problem, many see this plastic tax as an excuse for fundraising by governments and not a comprehensive, rigorously analyzed solution to benefit the planet.

Salvador Benedito, member of the Valencian Association of Plastics Entrepreneurs (AVEP) has been forceful considering that the measure taken in Spain does not refer to an "environmental impact or life cycle analysis; since in the case of cardboard we have to cut trees to get the raw material; and in the case of glass, the energy consumption for its transformation and management as waste is 10 times greater than its equivalent in plastic."

On the other hand, plastic can be the protagonist of the Circular Economy, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonization thanks to its properties of low melting temperature, lightness, etc.

The main problem of plastic is focused on waste management given that in terms of reuse, more and more companies in the world are betting on the manufacture of biodegradable and recyclable plastics.

 

-You may be interested in: PET bottles: what they are and what are their benefits-

 

Next steps in the plastics industry

The plastic tax has set a clear goal for the industry: the implementation of cost-effective strategies that are careful with the environment and reduce environmental pollution linked to plastic waste.

To this end, it is essential to guarantee viable policies aimed at recyclable, reusable plastic packaging. The present measures, which will be imposed in the future, have to do with:

• Reduction of plastics in the packaging marketed. 
• Waste prevention measures.
• Designs that encourage the reuse of packaging 
• Improved recyclability, including the complexity of certain materials for recycling.

Considering such background, some challenges faced by packaging manufacturers are:

The integration of post-consumer recycled material into the production process. Ecodesign and the search for alternatives to use complex PE with the aim of facilitating its recycling. Implementation of New Manufacturing Technologies that facilitate mechanical recycling to consider the reintegration of recycled material in new packaging.  These and many more measures are the daily work of our IDI team at ALCION.

At Alcion Packaging Solutions we develop and control the manufacture of the packaging, from its design to its delivery to get 100% sustainable plastic packaging.

 

Sustainable packaging is here to stay, and commercial brands can't ignore it! This is a key factor in scaling sales and attracting potential customers. Discover everything in this post!

 

What is sustainable plastic packaging?

A sustainable packaging is one that has been manufactured with recyclable raw materials  according to standards and production processes that are aligned under a fundamental motto: the protection of the environment and the reduction of environmental pollution.

In a world with consumers increasingly aware of the care of the planet, brands have the challenge of maintaining the functionality of their products, reducing the environmental footprint to the maximum, and opting for more sustainable packaging. 

The gaze of buyers is not only focused on the product they purchase, but also on the packaging that contains it and this ends up acquiring an important part of responsibility in the consumer's purchase decision.  

The hyper-connected world in which we live has driven us to this new concern, because consumers want their favorite brands to opt for sustainable plastics and packaging in favor of the planet.

In this scenario, ecodesign, based on exclusively sustainable development and design strategies, has gained ground worldwide by promoting a new look at packaging in companies, based on reducing the impact at different stages of the life cycle of a package.

On the other hand, government policies have also made their contribution to minimize the manufacture and widespread use of single-use plastics and promote eco-packaging. Laws such as the Spanish Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils, promote green taxes on unsustainable plastics.

Opting for ecological packaging has become the rule whose main target is to use materials that allow them to be maintained for a long time without exhausting resources or causing irremediable damage to the environment. 

Today, companies can count on plastic containers made with recyclable raw materials, that is, they can be recovered and reused. Among them are PET and HDPEcontainers.

 

-Recommended reading: Advantages of recycling plastic packaging-

 

Main requirements for sustainable packaging

A sustainable packaging must contain certain criteria to meet its qualification as such. In addition, from the marketing point of view, you must know how to attract the customer and communicate the brand image of the company. 

These are the requirements that are essential for a sustainable packaging to be successful.

1. Reduction of the raw material to minimize the amount of waste to the environment, and at the same time, improve the optimization of the packaging.
2. Use of recyclable materials that reduce environmental impact.
3. Manufacturing strategies or management processes that promote the care of resources, such as energy reduction.
4. Simplification of the use of raw materials and / or their unification in order to promote simplicity when it comes to their separation to be recycled.
5. Adaptability of the design to requirements linked to comfort, internal product and conservation of the packaging to reduce the surplus of materials.
6. Contemplation of government regulations and certifications of expert organisations in the field.

As we can conclude, a sustainable plastic packaging takes into account factors involved in the economic, social and environmental care. Thus, manufacturing processes are intended to achieve efficient energy consumption, reduce water consumption, reduce raw materials, increase reuse and recycling, becoming in a short time actions that generate great advantages to the business.

 

Benefits of offering sustainable packaging developed through plastics

Choosing a sustainable packaging, which is optimized, adapted to the product and that respects the regulations of environmental care, guarantees great benefits to companies, directly impacting sales, brand image and cost reduction. Let's look at it carefully.

> Respect for the environment

The most important point of sustainable packaging is that it is environmentally friendly. If you do not contemplate the essential ideas of sustainability linked to the use of sustainable materials and manufacturing processes based on the care of the environment where they are extracted, we will not be facing sustainable packaging.

When companies assume their commitment to the planet and are able to transform the look of the entire company to establish more sustainable processes, they have a huge impact on the environment, with the benefit of becoming an example that help substantially reduce pollution.

 

> Cost reduction

The cost reduction of this type of packaging is not given by the use of recycled pellets. Unfortunately, and against to what public opinion may think, the price of this type of pellet is even higher than that of virgin pellets.

Opting for sustainable plastic packaging means reducing costs significantly since manufacturing companies in the plastic sector work on continuous development of packaging to reduce its weight. We will use less weight in each container and, therefore, less material. This weight reduction has a direct impact on the optimization of transport costs. It is also important to highlight the use and implementation of new technologies that promote the use of monomaterials, such as plasma fluorination as well as machinery with more sustainable behavior.

An indispensable condition is that sustainable packaging must return to the supply chain through its reuse-recycling, being an option for brands that seek to establish strategies based on giving a second useful life to their packaging.

 

> Consumer satisfaction

Many studies and market research show that companies that decide to join the green revolution by using sustainable packaging in favor of the planet, are considered by customers as responsible and committed companies.

This increases consumer satisfaction and therefore provides a competitive advantage and brand image. 

 

> Recyclable material

Using recyclable material allows to give a second life to the packaging and to have relevant certifications that enhance the brand image based on a real commitment to the care of the planet.

 

-You may be interested in: Types of recyclable plastic packaging-

 

Advances and trends in sustainable packaging for 2022

The plastics industry has been incorporating new raw materials for years that enhance the benefits of sustainable packaging. 

Today, biodegradable and compostable packaging  that comes from fossil or vegetable sources and that can be degraded by the action of organisms that live on the earth is a trend. But it is true that the formulations of the products must also be adapted to be able to use this type of packaging.

More and more firms decide to include sustainable packaging to protect their goods and increase the loyalty of their consumers through an attractive and environmentally friendly packaging.

At ALCION PACKAGING SOLUTIONS we have sustainable plastic packaging certified with ISO 14001 since 2018. Our design team works by using ecodesign and analyzing our packaging portfolio for optimization. 

Discover our intelligent solutions and start the path of environmental care with a strategic partner.