Belarusian packaging suppliers are expressing concern over unequal market conditions in Russia, as reported by Kommersant. According to a letter from the Homyel-based company Multipak, sent to the Russian Union of Plastic Processors, both Belarusian and Russian plastic product suppliers paid the same environmental fee in 2025. However, from 2026 onwards, Russian companies will be able to apply reduction coefficients, providing them with financial advantages when paying the environmental fee.

These reduction coefficients will be available to Russian companies that use a certain share of recycled raw materials, but only if the recycled materials are of Russian origin and the packaging is produced in Russia. As a result, Belarusian suppliers will have to pay the full environmental fee, making their products 25-30% more expensive than those produced by Russian companies. This will particularly affect Belarusian goods packaged in such materials, including dairy products.

The letter also mentions that the difference in environmental fee payments between Russian and Belarusian companies will increase, especially if new rates proposed by the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources are introduced. If these changes are made, the Russian market could effectively be closed to Belarusian packaging, and Belarusian goods packaged in these materials would suffer as well.

Petr Bazunov, director general of the Union of Plastic Processors, explained that these difficulties are caused by inconsistencies in the legislation. The situation has arisen from the shift of responsibility from packaging customers to producers, and insufficiently developed definitions of packaging, raw materials, and semi-finished products. These definitions do not align with the Customs Union technical regulation “On the Safety of Packaging,” which defines these concepts.

The union has already appealed to the Russian government to conduct an additional analysis of the legislation and to introduce the necessary amendments. They also plan to submit proposals to change the methodology for calculating environmental fee rates later this month.

The Belarusian packaging suppliers are concerned that this new policy will lead to an unlevel playing field in the Russian market, as it will make their products significantly more expensive than those produced by Russian companies. This will not only affect the pricing of packaging materials but also the pricing of goods packaged in them, such as food products, further affecting the competitive dynamics between Belarusian and Russian suppliers in the Russian market.

If the new environmental fee rates are implemented, Belarusian packaging suppliers may find themselves at a significant disadvantage, making it harder for them to compete with Russian companies. The Belarusian government and industry leaders are hoping that the Russian government will reconsider these new rules and provide more equitable conditions for foreign suppliers in the Russian market.

The situation is still unfolding, and the Belarusian Union of Plastic Processors is working on securing a better deal for its members through advocacy and discussions with Russian officials. This development underscores the challenges that foreign suppliers face when operating in Russia and the growing tension surrounding environmental regulations and trade relationships between the two countries.