You may have noticed: as of January 2023, a new law has come into effect that has made some of our products more expensive. This is all due to the 'SUP storage' and 'Packaging Waste Management Contribution' that we are required to pay starting from January. We will explain to you here how this works exactly and how high these additional costs are.

The changes are part of the well-known SUP Directive. This directive includes a package of measures to reduce the share of plastic in litter. On July 3, 2021, the first measures were implemented. This included a ban on items such as plastic plates, straws, and stirrers. Additional measures have been introduced since January. There are two things involved here: the waste management contribution for packaging and the SUP storage.

The SUP storage applies to single-use food packaging that is partially or entirely made of plastic. This also includes cardboard disposables that have a thin (bio)plastic coating. As a producer and importer, we are required to pay a contribution for all SUP products we bring to the Dutch market. Unfortunately, we have to pass on these costs to our customers. The indicated SUP storage applies to plastic-containing disposables. These additional costs have already been incorporated into our current website prices.

When we talk about packaging, it refers to all products, according to Afvalfonds Verpakkingen (2022), made from any kind of material that can be used for enclosing, protecting, loading, delivering, and offering other products, from raw materials to finished goods, throughout the entire process from producer to user or consumer. The Packaging Waste Management Contribution has different rates depending on the type of material. The rate is determined by the costs involved in collecting, separating, and recycling the specific material. Therefore, the more sustainable the packaging, the lower the contribution! These potential additional costs have resulted in price increases for certain products. The more sustainable the product and its packaging, the lower the packaging waste management contribution.