Rethink Plastic: EU must close loopholes in new single-use plastic regulations

12 Oct 2018 --- The Rethink Plastic alliance of NGOs is warning that packaging producers could simply market items such as throwaway plastic cups as reusable in order to avoid penalties under changes to draft EU laws on single-use plastics tabled recently in the European Parliament. The European Parliament’s environment committee voted on a proposal that would introduce new rules on plastics including bans on certain single-use plastic products responsible for marine pollution, and require European governments to set reduction targets for others.

Campaigners are concerned that the committee’s proposed definition of “single-use” plastic items is too narrow, and could lead to producers easily avoiding bans, and would allow them to ignore reduction targets and other measures to reduce plastic pollution.

Meadhbh Bolger, Resource Justice Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe says: “Sea animals don't care about labels. Whether plastic has been used once or more times, the damaging effect to seas, rivers and wildlife is the same. The EU has to set substantial bans and reduction targets, and producers have to clean up their mess.”

The environment committee added very lightweight plastic bags, polystyrene food and drink containers, and products made of “oxo-degradable” plastic to the list of banned items originally proposed by the European Commission. The proposed rules would also require plastic bottles to be made with 35 percent recycled plastic and introduce collection and recycling targets for fishing gear, a key contributor to marine pollution.

The European Parliament will vote in plenary in the week of 22 October on the environment committee’s proposals.

Also recently, the global Break Free From Plastic movement published the results of 239 clean-ups and brand audits in 42 countries on six continents, revealing the extent of plastic pollution. The companies responsible for the most plastic pollution were Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé. Read about the report and the mentioned companies’ responses here.

On the same day, a 260,000-strong petition calling for the legislation to hold companies responsible for plastic pollution was delivered to members of the European Parliament’s environment committee by Rethink Plastic, Break Free From Plastic and Sum of Us.  Rethink Plastic