The Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament is delighted that the Commission is planning to present a draft directive on Monday 28 May to reduce the use of single-use plastics in the European Union (see EUROPE 12016).
But it is against a number of criteria – including stopping the use of such plastics which are clogging up the oceans – that the group will judge the proposal, two MEPs told a small group of journalists on Tuesday 22 May.
Proposing a ban on plastic-stemmed cotton buds, plastic straws, plastic balloon sticks (but not the balloons) and plastic cutlery if alternatives exist is all well and good. But it is not enough to tackle this major scourge for marine biodiversity effectively, warned Margrete Auken (Denmark), who was the rapporteur on restricting single-use plastic bags, and Bas Eickhout (Netherlands).
“For the Greens, avoiding the use of plastics must be a key priority in reducing dependence on oil. We depend too much on plastics. Lots of chemicals go into the manufacture of these products”, stated Eickhout, regretting that the Commission is not planning to ban Bisphenol A (BPA).
The Greens would like to see strong measures on the materials used to produce plastics, particularly as “industry has long been calling for legislation”, Auken said.
Among the Greens’ other hopes are: - legislative requirements on product design to permit re-use and recycling; - a ban on oxo-degradable plastic – “This is the worst because it doesn’t degrade any more quickly but fragments into small particles”, said Auken, deeply unhappy that “the United Kingdom is mounting a campaign to present oxo-degradable plastic as the miracle cure”; - a ban on intentionally adding microplastics to products; - legislation to reduce the release of microplastics at source; - exploration of the potential for the use of bioplastics, in the knowledge that the biomass is not unlimited; - awareness raising among consumers of the difference between bioplastics and biodegradable plastics.
Auken hoped that Parliament would adopt a stance at first reading on the Commission proposal before the European elections in May 2019 because the European Parliament is “very sensitive to this issue”.
Commission sets out its approach. Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger said on Wednesday 23 May as he was presenting the draft 2019 budget (see other article) that, in the Commission’s proposals on 2 May on new own resources in the EU budget (see EUROPE 12013), he had proposed a levy from member states based on the quantity of plastic found in each. A smart national policy should aim to reduce the quantities of plastic, he stated. This approach will be included in the strategy on plastics to be presented on Monday 28 May. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)