In these hours the Senate approved, with 101 votes in favour, 62 against and 2 abstentions, the PNRR Legislative Decree (DL19/2026) which thus becomes law. The provision, made up of 40 articles, contains various innovations and among all the new standards for reusable plastic come to our attention. What changes?
To reduce the environmental impact, rigid technical parameters are defined (based on the weight/size ratio) to consider plastic plates, cutlery and straws as “reusable” and therefore marketable.
A nice loose resolution, therefore, if we consider that in all these years the lack of definition of the concept of “reusable” in the SUP Directive and in the transposing legislative decree 196/2021 has had a huge impact.
Now Italy – declares Stefano Ciafani, national president of Legambiente – should accelerate the pace to further raise citizens’ awareness, as required by the directive, and to reduce the use of single-use plastic by setting an example. At the same time, it is essential to raise the level of controls to stop those smart people who still produce traditional plastic by passing it off as biodegradable or reusable products.
What changes with the PNRR decree
For years we have found plastic plates, glasses and cutlery on the shelves sold as “reusable”, but without any real guarantee. Now, with the newly approved PNRR decree, Italy finally introduces clear criteria: it is no longer enough to declare a product reusable, from today plastic tableware can only be defined as reusable if it complies with precise technical requirements. Therefore they must be designed to last over time and withstand multiple cycles of use and washing without losing functionality or safety.
Until now, the regulatory vacuum had allowed the diffusion of products which in fact became unusable after a few uses, ending up in waste anyway, as the latest episode of Report explains well. With the new rules, however, the aim is to truly distinguish what is reusable from what is not.
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So what changes for consumers?
First of all, greater transparency. Manufacturers will need to provide clear information on:
Elements that today are often missing or indicated vaguely. And the numbers confirm it: according to Legambiente, almost 40% of the products analyzed do not even specify how many washes they can withstand. The decree intervenes right here: no more ambiguous labels or misleading marketing. If a product does not demonstrate that it can truly be reused, it can no longer be sold as such.
The most recent data continues to portray a clear reality: plastic remains the most present material among the waste dispersed in the environment, especially on beaches and urban parks. This is why the step taken with the PNRR decree is important, but it is not enough on its own. We will need controls, information and above all a real change in consumption habits.
The comment by Assobioplastiche
Luca Bianconi – president of Assobioplastiche – spoke on the innovations introduced with the PNRR law, commenting: “The inclusion of the definition of reusable tableware in a primary law, such as the PNRR decree, represents the arrival point of the path started by the Association two years ago. A result has been obtained which once again confirms Italy’s role as a point of reference at European level for the sector. Our thanks go to the Honorable Gianpiero Zinzi, first signatory of the amendment, which with its interventions has always kept Parliament’s attention on the issue and to the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security which believed in the initiative and supported the technical proposal validated by the European Commission in the TRIS procedure. The technical requirements will also protect the internal market, facilitating customs controls and facilitating the identification of any unsuitable imported items”.
“With the definitive approval of the PNRR decree, the provisions on plates and other reusable plastic products intended to come into contact with food become law. – writes Assoplastica in a note – Article 14-bis of the PNRR decree now provides that plastic plates, cutlery, straws and stirrers for drinks are considered reusable provided that they meet certain technical characteristics. The rule (introduced following an amendment by the Hon. Gianpiero Zinzi) intervenes to combat the phenomenon of so-called “pseudo-reusable”, denounced by Assobioplastiche two years ago: products made of traditional plastic, prohibited by single-use regulations, which continue to be marketed because they are self-declared “reusable”.
Taking advantage of a gap in the SUP (Single Use Plastic) legislation – which, although prohibiting single use, does not specify the requirements for defining an artefact as reusable – several operators market products that are substantially similar to the old single-use ones without actually being reused. An unfair competition that often comes from outside Europe. All to the detriment of companies that in recent years have invested in the industrial conversion from plastic to compostable bioplastic, complying with the regulatory requirements but suffering serious economic and employment damage due to “reusable fakes”.
The companies’ cry of alarm was heard by Assobioplastiche on the occasion of the conference organized in Rome in March 2024, which launched a technical table to define the parameters of “reusable” products. A first result arrived in April 2025, when the European Commission received, on the initiative of the MASE (Ministry of the Environment and Energy Safety), the proposal for a technical regulation for the definition of the reusability requirements of plastic products intended to come into contact with food. The standard successfully passed the TRIS (Technical Regulations Information System) procedure in July 2025. The inclusion of the definition of reusable tableware in a primary law such as the PNRR decree therefore represents the arrival point of the path started by the Association two years ago.
