SEFA position on re-use of steel drums in context of PPWR

Dear customers,

SEFA has prepared a position paper on the reuse of steel drums in the context of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

• The paper is addressed in particular to policymakers, authorities and relevant economic operators. It explains that steel drums have been reused in industrial applications for decades, but that actual reuse always depends on the specific condition of the drum, the respective filling product, safety requirements and the practical application.
• A central point of the position paper is the classification of conventional steel drums as industrial sales packaging which, as a rule, do not have an evident transport function within the meaning of the PPWR. In SEFA’s view, such drums should therefore not automatically fall under the reuse targets for transport packaging.
• The position paper is intended to help present the specific characteristics of steel drums appropriately in the further regulatory discussion and to avoid misinterpretations of the PPWR.

The SEFA position is here downloadable.

Kind regards

Jörg Höppner

SEFA

– Secretary general –