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Environment & Sustainability
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Daily news alerts
Daily regulatory updates of legal changes in the cannabis sector, including monthly compilations
24th November 2023
EU: On Wednesday (22nd November), the European Parliament adopted its position on the proposal to revise the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. The directive aims to prevent the generation of packaging waste, reduce it in quantity, ensure that all packaging is recyclable, and increase the use of recycled plastics in packaging. Once the Council has adopted its position, the Parliament is ready to start talks with national governments on the law’s final form.16th November 2023
- EU: On occasion of today’s webinar held by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) examining the EU cannabis market, the authority has launched an interactive module describing the illicit European cannabis market, from production and trafficking, to distribution and use. Today’s webinar consisted of a presentation of this module, which goes through figures on the estimated annual value of this market in the EU, cannabis cultivation, quantities seized in the last ten years, implications for organised crime, available cannabis retail channels, pricing, and the environmental consequences of cannabis production.
8th November 2023
- EU: The European Commission (EC) has published an initiative to adopt a delegated decision on the targeted amendment of the European List of Waste relating to waste batteries and waste from their treatment. The list provides common terminology for classifying waste across the EU, including hazardous waste. The Commission seeks to revise this list to take into account new battery chemistries and rapidly evolving manufacturing and recycling processes. The Commission adoption is planned for the third quarter of 2024.
7th November 2023
- EU: The European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) takes place this year during the week of 18th to 26th November. The EWWR is the biggest campaign to raise awareness about waste prevention in Europe. Individuals, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), organisations, public authorities, businesses and other bodies can take part in different activities during the week. Those who want to take action may register until 12th November. In 2023, the main topic is packaging, encouraging everyone to be aware of packaging waste and to contribute to its reduction.
25th October 2023
- EU: Yesterday (24th October), the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety voted to adopt the proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste, which aims to make packaging easier to reuse and recycle, to reduce unnecessary packaging and waste, and to promote the use of recycled content. Parliament’s vote on the proposal is expected in November. The proposal is expected to affect packaging requirements for cannabis and hemp-derived products.
28th July 2023
- EU: The new regulation that aims to make batteries more sustainable has been published today in the EU’s Official Journal. As stated in our previous analysis and our database, the regulation will, among many other restrictions, require batteries to be removable and potentially phase out single-use batteries. It will enter into force 20 days after publication, and will begin to apply from 18th February 2024, with a number of different provisions applying at later dates.
20th July 2023
EU: The feedback period for a proposal revealed by the European Commission in March for a directive on substantiation and communication of explicit environmental claims (Green Claims Directive) ends tomorrow, 21st July. The proposal would require companies to substantiate claims they make about the environmental footprint of their products, using standard methods for quantifying them. The aim is to make claims reliable, comparable and verifiable across the EU to reduce “greenwashing”, or giving a false impression of environmental impact. The current Tobacco Products Directive (TPD 2) bars labelling for vaping products from suggesting improved biodegradability or other environmental advantages, but lacks explicit regulation on the use of environmental claims in commercial communications, which is expected to be introduced by this proposal.
10th July 2023
- EU: Today, the Council adopted the proposal for a new regulation on batteries with the aim of making them more sustainable. As stated in our previous analysis and our database, the regulation will, among many other restrictions, require batteries to be removable and potentially phase out single-use batteries. The vote by the Council closes the adoption procedure. The Council and the European Parliament will now need to sign the regulation, after which it will be published in the EU’s Official Journal and will enter into force 20 days after the publication.
15th June 2023
- EU: The EU parliament approved with nearly unanimous support the proposal for a new regulation on batteries with the aim of making them more sustainable. This is one of the final steps before the proposal is published in the EU Official Journal, and it has been expected since a compromise was reached last December. As stated in our reports and databases, the regulation will, among many other restrictions, require batteries to be removable and potentially phase out single-use batteries.
4th May 2023
- US - Hawaii: House Bill 1082, on medical cannabis regulation, has been passed by the State Legislature and now heads to the governor’s desk. It would allow a patient’s written certification to be valid for three years instead of the current one-year limit, amend the rulemaking authority for dispensary-to-dispensary sales, and allow a selling dispensary to transport an amount other than 800 oz of cannabis or manufactured cannabis products with prior approval of the Department of Health. It also amends the dispensary programme licensing fee structure. Additionally, the bill adds requirements for the dispensary programme on signage, packaging, security requirements, restrictions on waiting rooms, and clarifies permitted types of manufactured cannabis products and penalties for violations of the dispensary law.
20th March 2023
- EU: EU environment ministers, particularly from Italy and Belgium, want more flexibility in implementing the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, proposed by the European Commission in November last year, media reports. The regulation seeks to boost waste prevention and recycling by introducing new targets on reuse and mandatory deposit return schemes for used packaging, potentially affecting packaging requirements for cannabis and hemp-derived products. During a debate held in the Environment Council last week, ministers from several EU countries disagreed with the choice of a regulation that would be directly applicable, instead preferring a directive that would allow more flexibility for implementation. The European Commission defended its proposal, specifying that the previous directive has failed to reduce waste. The aim of the debate was to provide political guidance, and we expect further debate before the Council reaches an agreement.
Regulatory reports
Comprehensive legal reports outlining how the sector is regulated, interpretation of the laws and relevant bodies
Regulatory databases
Regularly updated global regulations currently in place, compiled into easy-to-read maps and tables
