The petition was withdrawn by the petitioner
Through this petition, we are asking the EU to consider granting Japanese sake exemption from the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.
The EU Proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste requires businesses to reuse or recycle containers (bottles, cans, boxes...) used for beverages and food products from 2030 onwards.
In the terms currently in place, the regulation would already grant exemption to wine and spirits, while simply putting a halt to Japanese sake imports to EU as sake is not legally categorised as either wine nor spirit, and its bottles considered unsuitable for recycling due their unusual sizes.
Reason
If the green initiative behind the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation is understandable and honorable, as a sake professional I can't help but feel confused by the criteria granting exemption to some and not to others.
Sake import from Japan to the EU has been increasing for years now, from JPY1.3 billion (USD8.5mil) in 2018 to JPY2 billion (USD13mil) in 2022. Not just a trend, but a growing recognition of sake as a global drink that holds a rich history and an important place in Japanese culture.
This is not a coincidence either if sake is included in the globally reknown International Wine Challenge, or the centre of attention of the prestigious Kura Master organised each year in France for example.
Without a revision of the proposal, a constantly expanding community of sake professionals (sommeliers, educators, importers, restaurateurs) and sake enthusiasts across the EU would be left in shambles. A developing market and already struggling industry simply let down.
Link to the petition
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Subscription period active - Good news - Sake is exempted
on 11 Mar 2024It seems official now, even if the law still has to be passed, but the EU has agreed at the last minute to include sake in the exemption already given to wine and spirits in the final draft regarding the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. Nikkei Asia and the Japanese Sake & Shochu Makers Association have both confirmed the information (and both are reliable sources), which is a relief to be honest.
It also means that the petition I started is now irrelevant and won't have to be sent to Brussels.
In the wake of these good news, i would like to thank you all for supporting this short-lived petition. We will still be able to enjoy sake within the EU in the years to come.
For those of you based in Estonia and Finland, I started last year... further -
Good news
on 06 Mar 2024According to an article published this morning on Yomiuri.co.jp, the EU would have agreed at the last minute to grant exemption to sake on the same basis than wine and spirits, as the final draft for the law was discussed yesterday.
In that sense this petition may not need to be need to be forwarded to the Parliament in the end. I will however keep it open until confirmation of the agreement. -
Clarification
on 04 Mar 2024To clarify something, following some feedbacks: i am in no way opposed to a better recycling scheme. As I mentioned, the proposal is perfectly honorable, and a better handling of used bottles would be a nice initiative. However, I fail to understand why exempting some industries from that proposal and not others. Either it applies to all, forcing everyone to do better, or to none. What makes wine and spirits more special than sake here?
After discussing with some Japanese exporters and sake breweries, some are already working towards alternative solutions, like non-glass bottles, or shipping sake to Europe in tanks to then fill regular wine bottles here. If the sake industry will have to adapt in order to survive and develop, as is, such a... further
Debate
No CONTRA argument yet.
Petition statistics
Supporters by country
| Country | number | quorum (?) |
|---|---|---|
| Eesti | 14 | 0.31% |
| Belgium | 11 | 0.07% |
| Sverige | 10 | 0.07% |
| Deutschland | 7 | 0.01% |
Signature distribution
