In the interests of the environment, the health of its citizens and the recycling industry, the EU has no option but to increase the recycling and reuse rates of plastic packaging – the greatest scourge of the seas which has to be turned into an opportunity for European industry. It is on this simple premise that the very first EU strategy on plastics, presented by the European Commission in Strasbourg on Tuesday 16 January, is based.
Given that packaging represents some two thirds of European plastic waste and that reducing marine litter is a matter of urgency, the principal objective is to ensure that all plastic packaging on the EU market is recyclable or reusable by 2030, by promoting more sustainable ways of producing plastic, right from the design stage, and by making recycling more profitable for business.
This holistic strategy incorporates a whole range of means – legislation, economic incentives, voluntary agreements with industry – transforming the way products are designed, produced, used, and recycled and reducing marine litter, cutting the use of disposable plastics, such as drinking straws and cutlery, placing restrictions on the intentional use of microplastics, encouraging demand for recycled plastics, creating a genuine single market for plastics and working to mobilise all European players and encourage international cooperation (see EUROPE 11939 and 11934). In the EU at present, only 6% of the demand for new plastic is met by recycled plastics.
The Commission also expects this strategy, a key factor in driving forward the EU transition towards a circular economy, to have a positive effect on innovation, investment prospects, growth, jobs and the competitiveness of European industry.
The strategy, resulting from long Collegial team work, is “what will make the fourth industrial revolution a success”, in the view of Commission First Vice-President with responsibility for sustainable development Frans Timmermans. It will also provide a way forward after the closure of the Chinese market to European plastic waste from 1 January but Timmermans prefers to see it as an “opportunity” for Europe to lead the way in the plastics value chain rather than a way to resolve a problem.
“We can’t live without plastic but plastic can be a killer. Every second in the world, 700 kg of plastic litter ends up in the seas. If we don’t change the way we produce and use plastics, there will be more plastics than fish in our oceans by 2050. We must stop plastics getting into our water, our food, and even our bodies. We need an economy where it will be profitable to recycle plastic, where the marine sector is encouraged not to throw waste into the sea and where ports have the facilities to recycle plastics. We need high quality plastics and to work to raise awareness among citizens to change our habits”, he said.
A directive to reduce marine litter. On Tuesday, the Commission presented a draft European directive on waste reception facilities in ports. This is the only new legislative proposal at this stage. It establishes measures to ensure that waste generated on ships or fishing vessels or gathered at sea – including fishing gear – are not just thrown into the water but are brought back to land to be dealt with properly in appropriate facilities.
“Every year, Europeans generate 25 million tonnes of plastic waste, but less than 30% is collected for recycling and we export this waste to Asia. It’s economically absurd. We throw away 90% of the value of plastic packaging. Only 5% remains in our economy”, stated Commission Vice-President with responsibility for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness Jyrki Katainen.
This waste represents between €70 and €105 billion annually in Europe. “We have not yet brought forward proposals but the goal we are targeting is an economic logic in which recycling will encourage improvement in the supply and demand for recycled plastics”, stated Katainen. He is determined that the strategy will make it possible to go further than the level of ambition recently demonstrated by EU lawmakers in the inter-institutional agreement than was reached on revision of the waste directives (50% recycling rate for packaging waste by 2025 and 55% by 2030, see EUROPE 11918).
Making recycling viable. To serve this objective, the Commission is looking to new rules on packaging to improve the quality of the plastics used on the market and to make them more recyclable, and to increase demand for recycled plastic. A standardised approach will be necessary for the selective collection and separation of packaging waste throughout the EU and the key requirements of the packaging directive will have to be updated for the production of better quality plastics.
Limiting microplastics. To reduce the use of these plastic particles of less than 5mm which make their way ultimately into the food chain, the Commission is planning, in a year or two’s time and certainly before 2020, to propose, within the framework of the REACH legislation on chemical products, a ban on microplastics intentionally added to products such as detergents, paints and cosmetics. A ban of this sort is already in force in some countries, such as Sweden and the United Kingdom, in the cosmetic sector. France has announced the introduction of a similar measure.
A voluntary agreement might be possible on microplastics from textiles but “will be more difficult” for tyres, Timmermans said, underlining that the solution has to be through innovation, with the financial backing of the Horizon 2020 programme, to limit the amount of microplastics released into the atmosphere.
A ban on non-degradable oxo plastics could also come within the framework of the European REACH regulation.
Tackling disposable plastics. In May of this year, the Commission will launch a legislative initiative to further reduce the use of single-use plastics (such as coffee cups and drinking straws), along similar lines to the legislation on single-use plastic bags which has brought great success. “Over 70% of Europeans says they have reduced their use, including 30% last year.” An online public consultation will continue to run until 12 February.
Boosting innovation. The Commission intends to provide guidelines for national authorities and European businesses on how to cut plastic waste to a minimum at source. Support for innovation will be increased, with an additional €100 million for 2018 and 2019 to finance the development of smart and more easily recycled plastics, make the recycling process more efficient and track and eliminate dangerous substances and contaminants from recycled plastics. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)