Circular packaging: two European projects offer different approaches

Reducing packaging waste is not simply a matter of replacing one material with another. Packaging must work during use and be manageable at the end of its life. The European Commission highlights two EU-supported projects that approached this challenge from different directions.

In the Directorate-General for Environment's account, CIRC-PACK worked on bio-based polymers, redesign of multilayer packaging and better sorting systems. FRESH focused on cellulose-based meal trays as an alternative to some hard-to-recycle plastic trays. The Commission reports that replacing packaging for approximately nine million meals in the UK market avoided nearly 200 tonnes of plastic over three and a half years.

The archived news summary described new EU funding. The official source instead presents results from projects already carried out; this page does not announce a new funding call. Support received in the past should not be confused with a newly awarded investment.

Neither “bio-based” nor “biodegradable” means a package can be discarded in the environment. Materials, collection infrastructure and clear disposal instructions need to be designed together.

The cover is an AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of the projects.

Source: European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, January 22, 2026.