Belarusian packaging suppliers fear unequal conditions on the Russian market, Kommersant writes.
The Russian publication obtained a letter from the Homyel-based company Multipak sent to the Russian Union of Plastic Processors. It states that in 2025 Belarusian and Russian suppliers of plastic products paid the environmental fee in equal amounts. However, in 2026 Russian companies will be able to apply reduction coefficients that will provide them with benefits when paying the environmental fee.
Russian companies will be able to apply the reduction coefficients if they use a certain share of recycled raw materials. However, two conditions must be met: the recycled material must be of Russian origin, and the packaging must be produced in Russia. Under these conditions Belarusian suppliers will have to pay the full environmental fee, making their packaging 25–30% more expensive than Russian products. In addition, this will also affect Belarusian goods packaged in such materials, for example dairy products.
The letter also states that the difference in the amount of environmental fees paid will grow. In addition, Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources is proposing new rates. If they are introduced, the Russian market will effectively be closed to Belarusian packaging, and goods supplied in such packaging will also suffer.
Petr Bazunov, director general of the Union of Plastic Processors, told the publication that the difficulties faced by Belarusian manufacturers are caused by “inconsistencies in legislation.” According to him, the situation arose due to the transfer of responsibility from packaging customers to its producers and later because of insufficiently developed definitions of packaging, raw materials and semi-finished products that do not take into account the provisions of the Customs Union technical regulation “On the Safety of Packaging,” where these concepts were defined.
The union has already appealed to the Russian government with a request to conduct an additional analysis of the legislation and introduce the necessary amendments. The organization also plans this month to submit proposals for changes to the methodology for calculating environmental fee rates.
