If the EU is aiming for a truly circular economy and a non-toxic environment, highly toxic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have no place in waste, according to members of the European Parliament’s Environment, Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI).
By adopting the report by Martin Hojsík (Renew Europe, Slovakia) by a large majority (66 votes in favour, 9 against, 10 abstentions) on 31 March, they significantly strengthened the European Commission’s October 2021 proposal to tighten the limit values for POPs in waste by amending Annexes IV and V of the POPs Regulation (EU 2019/1021), which implements the Stockholm International Convention (see EUROPE 12822/10).
Not only did they lower the proposed concentration limits, but they also provided for new substances to be added to Annexes IV and V of the EU Regulation on POPs.
MEPs want to lower the limits for a group of brominated flame retardants to 200 mg/kg (instead of the 500 mg/kg proposed by the Commission). They also want the limits for perfluorooctanoic acid, found for example in waterproof textiles and fire-fighting foams, to be lowered to 20 mg/kg (from 40 mg/kg).
MEPs believe that the EU regulation should also cover the synthetic chemical perfluorohexanesulfonic acid, in anticipation of the decision to list it under the Stockholm Convention at the tenth Conference of the Parties to that Convention (COP10, in June 2022).
“We cannot tolerate persistent organic pollutants in materials and waste, otherwise there will be no circular economy in the EU and no sustainable textiles, but an economy of toxic recycled products”, Hojsík commented.
The European Parliament will vote on this issue in May. The inter-institutional negotiations can begin when the Council of the EU has adopted its position (see EUROPE 12909/14, 12914/23). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)