Brussels, 14/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the European Commission welcomed the commitment taken voluntarily on 17 November 2004 by a consortium of companies from the packaging sector to use environmental-friendly polymers and thus guarantee a high level of biodegradability for their products. The producers which have made this green agreement are key players in the biodegradable plastics sector: they are the German BASF, the American Cargill Dow, the Italian Novamont and the Dutch Rodenburg Biopolymers which between them command over 90% of the European and world biodegradable plastics market. Their commitment will be monitored by the international biodegradable polymer association (International Biodegradable Polymers Association & Working Groups, IBAW).
As no binding legislative measures are planned by the Commission in this field as yet, this environmental agreement, an initiative taken in the form of a unilateral commitment by industrial companies to guarantee that an internationally-recognised standard for the biodegradability of polymers made from renewable or fossil resources is observed, represents a voluntary and pre-emptive measure on the part of the industry. If it succeeds, this initiative may encourage other sectors to take similar measures. It could, for instance, encourage the development and use of new polymers- and thus promote innovation and competitiveness, or help to with new means of waste management and recycling, improve the quality of soil and water via high-quality compost, and create extra sources of revenue for farmers. Given that this agreement also provides for a certification and labelling programme, users and consumers of products made from these polymers- 38% of which come from the plastic bag sector for the collection and composting of food waste and supermarket carrier bags- can rest assured of their environmental qualities.
The European Commissioner for Industry, Günter Verheugen, who welcomed the commitment, said in a press release that the Commission would “actively encourage this kind of initiatives for the private sector”. In line with the Commission's expectations as stressed in its communication of 17 July 2002 on “Environmental agreements concluded at community level as part of the action plan to simplify and improve the regulatory environment”, “these initiatives are an alternative to binding legislation and are an essential element of the Commission's efforts towards an improvement and a simplification of the legislation”, said Mr Verheugen.
(For further information, please consult the Internet site of DG Enterprise of the Commission: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/environment/index_home/emantool_indic_prodrel_vappr/polymer.htm).