The throwaway culture ” “dishonours Europe

In his speech to the European Parliament, held in Strasbourg on November 25, Pope Francis has sent a message of hope and encouragement. Hope for a European Union that gives “a general impression of weariness and aging, for a Europe which is now a “grandmother”, “no longer fertile and vibrant”, encouragement to “take tend to those in need in the midst of a functionalistic and privatized mindset which inexorably leads to a “throwaway culture”. Criticism of the throwaway culture and uncontrolled consumerism was somewhat the leitmotif of his speech. It was mentioned several times in his address of such great value. Reversing this culture would be a way to protect the environment, because – Pope Bergoglio said – “it is intolerable that millions of people around the world are dying of hunger while tons of food are discarded each day from our tables”. This remark could also be read as an echo of an incident, which occurred in late October at the Council of Ministers of the European Union in Luxembourg. After a long ovation to Commissioner Janez Potocnik, who participated his last Council in these capacities, the Environment Ministers of EU 28 held a first policy debate on the Commission’s proposal to review EU legislation concerning waste. This proposal is the only regulatory aspect of the “economic solidarity” package, presented by the Commission in July that includes recycling targets. Moreover, in its re-examination of the objectives envisaged by the European Parliament, the Commission kept the target of recycling 70% of urban waste and 80% of packaging waste by 2030 and starting in 20125, a ban on landfill of recyclable waste and the reduction of food waste. However, these objectives were considered too ambitious by the majority of the Member States, in particular by the countries in Eastern and Central Europe, and the Baltic States. After the debate and in the absence of consensus, the Italian minister, who held the Presidency, had to opt for the usual formula whereby to obtain a better result the different positions must be accurately analyzed. The rejection of the objective to throw away 30% less food by 2025, was perceived as particularly outrageous, considering that today a third of food is lost and thrown in the trash without even being unpacked. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), it is estimated that the amount of food waste in the world is 1.3 billion tons a year, about a third of the total production of foodstuffs intended for human consumption. Given these figures, and considering that 13% of the world population suffers from malnutrition, the Ministerial approach is especially shocking. Potocnik, a brave Commissioner, said that food waste is “amoral and economically nefarious”, he added that he does not understand “why most governments has rejected this proposal dictated by common sense”. The great majority of citizens will no longer understand it, nor will the farmers who rebel because their production is discarded and their work is despised: neither the many volunteers of food banks and of other organizations managing and sharing food with the poor; nor Pope Francis…. Who said it in clear words at the European Parliament, and with reason: the throwaway culture is a disgrace for all Europeans.