News and Statements
UKRPEC Year-End Member Meeting: 2025 Results and Plans for the Future
Member companies of the Ukrainian Packaging and Ecological Coalition (UKRPEC) held a year-end meeting to evaluate the results of 2025 and define key priorities for the upcoming year
First and foremost, the Coalition members reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of sustainable development and the circular economy, as well as their readiness to invest in creating a European model of packaging waste management in Ukraine based on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). To achieve this goal, UKRPEC remains determined to continue cooperating with government agencies, public organizations, the packaging industry, and international institutions.
The Coalition supports the government’s initiative to launch an experimental EPR project, as well as the active work of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Environmental Policy and Nature Management on the consolidated version of the Draft Law “On Packaging and Packaging Waste” in the context of its alignment with the provisions of EU Regulation 2025/40 (PPWR). The Coalition submitted its proposals to the Draft Law and actively participated in the thematic facilitated online meetings organized by the Committee with EU support in September-October 2025. UKRPEC members expressed their hope that, within the framework of further legislative work, the Coalition will continue to have the opportunity to represent its position to the government and parliament.
“We see an intensification of the state’s efforts to form the regulatory framework for the packaging waste management reform and its readiness to cooperate with stakeholders, particularly with businesses that have significant experience in the European Union. At the same time, UKRPEC has unique expertise in Ukraine, investing significant resources on a voluntary basis. Primarily, this refers to the EcoHromada Pilot Project for separate collection of packaging waste, which is being implemented in seven territorial communities of the Kyiv region,” noted Volodymyr Slabyi, Chairman of the UKRPEC Executive Committee.
During the meeting, Coalition members reviewed the report on the Pilot Project’s results and noted its significant progress. In 2025, two more communities joined EcoHromada. The number of installed containers increased to 1,312 units, and the volume of collected packaging reached 1,500 tons—nearly 50% more than the previous year. Additionally, a study on the morphological composition of waste was conducted within the project area, allowing for a deeper analysis of resident behavior regarding separate collection, evaluation of project management efficiency, planning for future development, and forecasting collection volumes by packaging type.
Among the key tasks for 2026, UKRPEC identified:
- Preventing the introduction of packaging taxation in any form;
- Establishing realistic waste collection targets in the regulatory acts currently being developed;
- Advocating for the non-profit status of the future Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) and preventing the reform’s focus from shifting from environmental goals to purely economic ones.
UKRPEC emphasizes: a PRO is not a business model, but a mechanism for uniting the efforts and resources of producers to prevent environmental pollution.
The Coalition will also continue researching the market for packaging waste collection and recycling services and analyzing its development prospects to form a realistic vision of the investments required for the full functioning of the EPR system in Ukraine.
Furthermore, UKRPEC members reaffirmed their principled stance against the incineration of packaging waste and emphasized their support for recycling as the most environmentally friendly method of waste management that aligns with public interests. We believe that incineration should only be applied to residual waste (“tails”) that cannot be recycled. This approach fully corresponds with modern European principles of packaging waste management.
UKRPEC will continue to systematically monitor EU policies regarding packaging and packaging waste and share its expertise with the Ukrainian industry and all stakeholders.