Overview
- Key Union figures publicly rejected the plan on Monday, leaving the coalition’s proposal for a weight-based plastic-packaging levy unlikely to pass in its current form.
- The draft set a levy of €550 per tonne of plastic in packaging, which the finance ministry estimated would raise about €805 million in 2027 and roughly €1.5 billion annually from 2028.
- Industry groups warned the charge would be passed down the supply chain to consumers and cited small per-item increases that could add up, noting a typical yoghurt pot would rise by around 0.28 cents and a 1.5-litre PET bottle by about 1.9 cents in arithmetic terms.
- Trade bodies and the plastics industry say compliance, IT and verification would cost at least €600 million a year, a figure far higher than the government’s estimate of €44 million and a central point of dispute.
- If the levy is dropped, consumers are likely spared immediate price rises but the government must identify new revenue or savings to cover the roughly €1.4 billion Germany currently pays the EU for non-recycled plastic and the gap the measure was meant to fill ahead of this week’s budget negotiations.