The EU’s first ever plastics strategy, which was presented by the European Commission in mid-January as a new pillar of the circular economy, was favourably welcomed by the environment ministers of the 28, in Brussels on Monday 5 May, at the meeting of the Environment Council. However, they also feel that the Commission could have been more specific.
This strategy, Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella stressed, aims to ensure that by 2030, 100% of plastic packaging on the EU market is recyclable or reusable, particularly by promoting more sustainable methods of plastic production, from design onwards, and by making it more economically viable for businesses to recycle it (see EUROPE 11940).
The ministerial discussion was focused on actions to promote a growing awareness of the use of recycled plastics on the one hand, and the safe exploitation of waste containing substances of concern to try to remove the obstacles to creating a single market for secondary raw materials, on the other (see EUROPE 11973).
Implementation measures and economic incentives
According to the Bulgarian minister for the environment, Neno Dimov, a consensus has been reached on the need to: - adopt implementation measures for the recycling of plastic materials; - continue to raise awareness of the issues; - improve the quality of plastics.
“The ministers also laid emphasis on ‘green’ public procurement, extending producers' liability and other incentives for the private sector. The ministers also stressed the need for more information throughout the value chain in order to reduce the proportion of chemical substances in plastics. Some called for a harmonisation of the definition of the end of the status of waste”, he told the press.
This preliminary guideline debate will be used by the Bulgarian Presidency to feed into draft conclusions, which will be adopted by the Environment Council in June.
As several countries already have national plastics strategies, the discussion on the first point mainly allowed the ministers to exchange their experiences on what works, such as the practice of deposits on plastic bottles, for instance.
The German secretary of state for the environment and the conservation of nature, Jochen Flasbarth, stressed his country’s “enormous experience” in prevention and the recycling of plastic packaging. Speaking to the press, he stressed the importance of tackling micro-plastics, which many member states want to ban in production.
On the interface between the laws on chemical substances, products and waste, differences of opinion were voiced concerning the possibility of ensuring that waste containing substances of concern could be recovered from materials that can be used safely.
A number of ministers, among them Austria’s Elisabeth Köstinger, felt that it was preferable to incinerate this waste rather than bury it or recycle it at enormous costs in financial and environmental waste terms.
Others reported that the matter was a major problem and that they were exploring ways of resolving it.
NGOs sound alarm
On the same day, NGO European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) published a new study showing that more than 59 toxic substances with links to a broad range of possible health impacts, including the presence of endocrine disruptors and carcinogens, may be present in carpets on sale in the EU.
On the basis of this observation, EPHA urges the EU, the member states and producers to adopt an approach to the transition to the circular economy that is based on health first and foremost. It also recommends more consistent and faster regulation in its implementation, as well as measures on producer liability and eco-design, to ensure products free from toxic products.
“This study makes clear that the European Commission (…) didn’t do its homework when preparing the Circular Economy initiative. This can be simply fixed by allocating enough resources to make sure that health impact assessments are done properly, and specifically consult independent health experts before making any proposals”, Nina Renshaw commented in a press release on behalf of the organisation. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)