39 EN PRIMER PLANO I IN THE FOREGROUND demos nuestra manera de hacer las cosas y nuestros estándares de calidad medibles y trazables. Perdemos competitividad, capacidad de reacción en momentos de incertidumbre y ponemos en riesgo la posibilidad de alcanzar los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible de la UE. El film, además, está afectado por los objetivos de reutilización que recoge el artículo 29 del Reglamento Europeo de Envases y Residuos de Envases. Si ese artículo no se modifica para tener en cuenta las características de este producto −que es cien por cien reciclable y que en los estudios de ciclo de vida da mejores resultados que otras alternativas reutilizables− es posible que en la práctica quede fuera del mercado. Por eso desde ANAIP hemos coordinado el envío de una carta a los representantes españoles en las instituciones europeas que ha tenido el apoyo de una veintena de asociaciones de diversos sectores industriales y empresariales. En ella, alertamos de la inviabilidad de eliminar los filmes plásticos en el transporte de mercancías en Europa y alertamos de que tendría consecuencias medioambientales y económicas negativas. En este contexto global de pérdida de competitividad, desde ANAIP pedimos medidas espejo en las importaciones, control de los productos que entran por las fronteras y una legislación armonizada en Europa, incluyendo replantear el impuesto que afecta solo a las empresas españolas. No tiene sentido ahogar en normativa y restricciones a las compañías que fabrican en España y en la UE y no exigir lo mismo a las empresas de otras regiones del mundo que venden sus productos aquí. Porque si no seguimos todos las mismas reglas de juego es imposible competir. Y sin competitividad no habrá sostenibilidad. The plastics sector has been subject to increasing regulation in recent years. One of the most impactful examples is Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy, which imposes a tax on non-reusable plastic packaging of €0.45 per kilogram of virgin plastic, effective January 1, 2023. This tax affects not only packaging intended for the end consumer but also industrial and commercial packaging, regardless of whether it is empty or full, thus impacting all productive sectors, as they all use some type of plastic packaging. The implementation of this tax has not only resulted in financial losses for companies but also a huge volume of administrative work and a loss of competitiveness in the global market. Plastic packaging is essential in multiple sectors of the economy, as it is indispensable for industrial production and the transport of goods. In many cases, there is no alternative on the market that performs the same functions with equal effectiveness, a lower environmental impact, and the same safety guarantees. Therefore, ANAIP and the entire sector are requesting that packaging containing at least 35% recycled material and compostable packaging be exempt from the tax. ONLY COUNTRY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND INCREASED IMPORTS Spain is the only EU country that applies this tax. Other countries have considered it, but all have rejected it due to the damage it would cause to their industries and the difficulties in monitoring and controlling it. The tax levies €0.45 per kilogram of virgin plastic, a very high amount considering that the selling price of the plastic materials used to manufacture packaging is usually below two euros per kilogram and that the price of raw materials for plastic processors represents 60% or more of production costs. Some companies try to avoid paying the full tax by importing packaging that includes customs declarations of more than 90% recycled content. This constitutes unfair competition for producers who wish to use packaging manufactured in Spain. Furthermore, the environmental footprint of transporting all this packaging is much higher than that of locally manufactured packaging. THE CASE OF PALLET WRAP One example of plastic packaging that clearly illustrates the harm caused by the tax is stretch film. Since the tax came into effect on January 1, 2023, the quantity (in tons) of films imported into Spain has increased by 58%. It has also been observed that many of these imported products do not meet the same standards as those manufactured in the European Union: dubious certifications of recycled content, difficulty in tracking products, etc. 75% of film imports come from just three non-EU countries: Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Egypt. In 2024, they accounted for 62.3% of all imports of this product into Spain (53,000 tons out of a total of 84,300) and at the lowest cost. Furthermore, these are the countries certifying the highest percentages of recycled content, ranging from 70% to 100%. In this context, it's not just the Spanish companies that manufacture it in accordance with EU regulations that lose out. Europe loses, as its industrial base weakens and its capacity to generate employment is reduced—remember that in Spain alone, plastics processing employs more than 80,200 people. We lose our way of doing things and our measurable and traceable quality standards. We lose competitiveness, the ability to react in times of uncertainty, and we jeopardize the possibility of achieving the EU's sustainable development goals. Furthermore, the film is affected by the reuse targets set out in Article 29 of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. If this article is not amended to take into account the characteristics of this product—which is 100% recyclable and performs better than other reusable alternatives in life cycle assessments—it is possible that, in practice, it will be excluded from the market. Therefore, ANAIP has coordinated the sending of a letter to Spanish representatives in European institutions, which has been supported by some twenty associations from various industrial and business sectors. In it, we warn of the impracticality of eliminating plastic films in the transport of goods in Europe and caution that it would have negative environmental and economic consequences. In this global context of loss of competitiveness, ANAIP calls for reciprocal measures regarding imports, controls on products entering across borders, and harmonized legislation. This is crucial in Europe, including rethinking the tax that only affects Spanish companies. It makes no sense to stifle companies that manufacture in Spain and the EU with regulations and restrictions while not demanding the same from companies in other parts of the world that sell their products here. Because if we don't all play by the same rules, it's impossible to compete. And without competitiveness, there will be no sustainability.
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