The European Parliament committee on the environment welcomes the EU strategy on plastics as a step forward in the transition towards a circular economy. However, in Brussels on Tuesday 10 July, it was far more ambitious than the European Commission when, with an overwhelming majority (51 votes to 1, with no abstentions), it adopted the report by Mark Demesmaeker (EPP, Belgium) on this strategy (see EUROPE 12048, 11974).
With its vote, the parliamentary committee above all called on the European Commission to bring in a ban on micro-plastics in cosmetics, personal health care products, detergents and cleaning products by 2020. The committee calls on the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to evaluate and prepare, if necessary, a ban on micro-plastics that are intentionally added to other products, while taking into account the availability of viable alternative solutions.
MEPs also called for total prohibition of oxo-degradable plastics by 2020 – plastics which break down into micro-particles that are not degradable.
In addition, the parliamentary committee called for the reduction of hazardous substances in plastics. In order to prevent the generation of plastics, MEPs are in favour of levying taxes on plastics.
NGOs are pleased. The environmental NGOs meeting under the “Rethink Plastic Alliance” banner, were delighted with this result. “Today’s vote gives a strong signal that more can and must be done to cut off the flood of plastics at source, and national governments across Europe must rise to the challenge”, commented Meadhbh Bolger of Friends of the Earth (FoE) in a press release.
Bolger went on to add that “bioplastics and biodegradable plastics pollute our beaches and our oceans in the same way as conventional plastics and should be treated in the same way”.
The NGOs nonetheless regret that the parliamentary committee did not vote in favour of measures aimed at tackling the production of plastic balls/granulates that enter the manufacture of everyday plastic products and did not take a stance for more economic incentives to reduce the production and consumption of plastic. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)