Plastics will feature prominently in the draft Action Plan for Circular Economy 2.0 and there will be no room for 'greenwashing', the practice of extolling unproven ecological virtues, judging by the latest version of the project in circulation, as seen by EUROPE.
The new Action Plan, which aims to accelerate the EU's transition to the circular economy, will be presented by the Commission on 10 March (see EUROPE 12440/3, 12342/3).
It will build on the EU's Plastics Strategy, which aims to ensure that 100% of plastic packaging placed on the EU market is recyclable or reusable by 2030, by promoting more sustainable ways of producing plastics from the design stage and making recycling more economically viable for businesses (see EUROPE 11940/11). However, more needs to be done in creating a new plastic economy while reducing the release and presence in the environment of microplastics from tyres, textiles and granulates and taking seriously solutions that are considered environmentally friendly.
To this end, the sustainability claims of bioplastics and plastics deemed biodegradable will have to be verified, the Commission says. To avoid labelling that could confuse consumers, the institution intends to present this year a framework to ensure that the supply and use of biomass-derived plastics deliver real environmental and climate benefits.
As regards clean mobility, the Commission will adopt a new regulatory framework for batteries to promote electromobility and will take into account the revision of the Batteries Directive. Details to be provided by the Commission's ‘Transport’ services will be in square brackets.
The catalogue of legislative measures that the Commission intends to present this year includes the following: - ecodesign measures for printers and consumer products such as cartridges and possibly a universal charger; - legislation on the substantiation of environmental claims, which would be based on methods for measuring the environmental footprint of the products or organisations concerned; - strengthening the scope of the EU Ecolabel and possibly streamlining and making existing sustainability labels more accessible; - legislation on consumer information on the durability and reparability of products and the creation of a new right to redress for consumers. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)