Chemical experts have told the EU that it must ban polyvinyl chloride (PVC) if it wants to comply with its own laws.

The move by ClientEarth, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and Zero Waste Europe, comes after the three NGOs analysed a 2023 report by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) concerning PVC and the danger this plastic and its additives pose.

Used in everything from flooring and pipes to packaging and toys, PVC is one of the world’s most produced and widely used types of plastic. But it is associated with a variety of environmental and health problems, including cancer, reproductive impairment and birth defects. Like PFAS, tiny particles of PVC end up in the environment and remain present for long periods of time.

The ECHA report had been commissioned after PVC and its additives featured in the ‘Restriction Roadmap’ – an EU list of the most harmful chemicals that will likely need restriction.

But despite ECHA’s findings that PVC poses a risk that lacks adequate control, and that alternatives are available to replace most uses, the EU has made no move to ban it, or its dangerous additives. The NGOs say a broad restriction is inescapable according to EU law.

In fact, PVC’s characteristics fall exactly within the scope of what should be restricted under the EU’s flagship chemical law REACH.

Under this legal framework, the restriction of chemicals is not only justified but necessary when they are proven to pose an unacceptable risk that lacks adequate control. PVC ticks all the boxes.

Hélène Duguy, legal expert at ClientEarth states:

“When there’s sufficiently serious evidence that damages to the environment or people’s health may occur, the EU is legally bound to act. That’s the essence of the precautionary principle, which is a principle underpinned in EU law. The harms of PVC to the environment and health have now been too well-documented, including by the EU authorities. There’s no reason to stall any further.”

Christine Hermann, Policy Officer for Chemicals at the European Environmental Bureau states: 

“Intense lobbying from the PVC industry has managed to derail plans for a much-needed regulation. The industry has always insisted its alleged societal benefits outweigh the overall drawbacks. PVC may be versatile and relatively inexpensive, but the price we pay as a society is much steeper than a low-cost piece of PVC pipe.”

Dorota Napierska, Toxic-Free Circular Economy Policy Officer at Zero Waste Europe states: 

“We need to get real about PVC’s impact on our health and environment.The red tape and costs involved in the vicious circle of simply evaluating and restricting its many additives and their substitutes is through the roof. So why are we still doing this when there is a golden opportunity to ditch PVC for alternatives that make more sense? We have more than enough evidence to act now – that’s why we’re calling on EU policymakers to restrict the use of PVC where it can be replaced by safer and more circular alternatives.” 

The NGOs are now calling on the European Commission to act now to phase out PVC by 2030. 

ENDS

Notes to the editor

Read ‘PVC – Problem Very Clear: Why the ECHA report supports phasing out PVC as the most effective and future-proof risk management measure’

Background

• PVC has been under the scrutiny of authorities for decades. As far back as 2000, the European Commission recognised that PVC causes a wide range of serious problems for the environment and human health. 
• More recently, in 2022, the EU has included PVC and its additives in its list of hazardous chemicals that should be restricted – known as the Restriction Roadmap. As a follow-up, the European Chemicals Agency was asked to provide a detailed report on the risks linked to PVC and consider recommendations for action. The report, published last November, shows that PVC poses a risk that currently lacks adequate control and that alternatives are available to replace most uses. 
• Yet since the publication of that long-awaited report, the European Commission has failed to take concrete steps towards banning PVC and its dangerous additives. In fact PVC remains  one of the world’s most widely produced types of plastic.
• ClientEarth, EEB and Zero Waste Europe have reviewed the ECHA report and produced a new analysis [LINK], concluding that a broad restriction is in order.
• The NGOs argue that the evidence provided by ECHA more than warrants regulatory action by EU decision-makers, in the form of a restriction on PVC, in addition to the regulation of its most dangerous additives. 

Media Contacts

• Anaïs Rivalier, Senior Communications Officer, [email protected], +44 (0)7851 926887
• Seán Flynn, Media Outreach and Communications Officer, [email protected] or [email protected] / +32 471 96 55 93
• Beatriz Ortiz Martinez, Senior Communications & Press Officer for Chemicals, [email protected]

About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account, and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. From our offices in Europe, Asia and the USA we shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.

About Zero Waste Europe

Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) is the European network of communities, local leaders, experts, and change agents working towards a better use of resources and the elimination of waste in our society. We advocate for sustainable systems; for the redesign of our relationship with resources; and for a global shift towards environmental justice, accelerating a just transition towards zero waste for the benefit of people and the planet. www.zerowasteeurope.eu

About European Environmental Bureau (EEB)

The EEB is the largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations in Europe. We bring together over 180 civil society organisations from 40 countries, including a growing number of networks, and representing some 30 million individual members and supporters. Our vision is a better future where people and nature thrive together. The next generation deserves a healthy planet. We believe in a world where equal, just, peaceful, and democratic societies can prosper. A world with rich biodiversity and a safe climate. A world where laws and policies promote health and wellbeing while respecting nature. We believe that Europe has a crucial role to play in building this future. We advocate for progressive policies to create a better environment in the European Union and beyond.

In a decisive move, the European Parliament rejected a crucial resolution on the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2683 which aims to establish a clear methodology for calculating recycled plastic content in single-use plastics.

In this resolution, the European Parliament invites the Commission to adopt a recycled content calculation methodology ensuring priority for mechanical over chemical recycling. Zero Waste Europe, ECOS, and the Rethink Plastic alliance are baffled by the European Parliament’s failure to back the ENVI committee’s call for robust sustainability safeguards for defining recycled content. The environmental groups highlight that such short-sightedness undermines the provisions on recycled content accounting that were approved in the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) the same day in the plenary. 

The European Parliament rejected a much-needed proposal to clarify the recycling technology hierarchy, failing to introduce rigorous safeguards in the definition of recycled content and not protecting the recycling industry from unfair imports of recycled plastics in the EU. 

“The European Parliament today may as well have voted blindfolded. They have ignored the loud and clear concerns of environmentalist voices. By rejecting this resolution, MEPs are essentially handing European consumers an umbrella full of holes in a rainstorm of greenwashing. It’s more than a missed opportunity–it’s a direct hit against consumers, SMEs, and local recycling businesses.”

Lauriane Veillard, Chemical Recycling and Plastic-to-Fuels Policy Officer at Zero Waste Europe

“The European Parliament has just opened the door for companies to cook the books on plastic for the SUPD and other future European implementing acts on recycled content. This decision will trigger a cascade of misleading green claims on recycled plastics.”

Mathilde Crêpy, Head of Environmental Transparency at Environmental Coalition on Standards

ENDS

Media Contact: 

• For Zero Waste Europe:
  Sean Flynn, Media Outreach Officer |  +32 471 96 55 93 | [email protected] 
• For Rethink Plastic alliance:
  Caroline Will, Communications Coordinator | +32456560705 | [email protected]

About Zero Waste Europe 

Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) is the European network of communities, local leaders, experts, and change agents working towards a better use of resources and the elimination of waste in our society. We advocate for sustainable systems; for the redesign of our relationship with resources; and for a global shift towards environmental justice, accelerating a just transition towards zero waste for the benefit of people and the planet. www.zerowasteeurope.eu 

About Rethink Plastic 

Rethink Plastic is an alliance of leading European NGOs, representing thousands of active groups, supporters and citizens in every EU Member State. We are part of the global Break Free From Plastic movement, consisting of over 11,000 organisations and individuals worldwide demanding an end to plastic pollution. https://rethinkplasticalliance.eu/ 

About Environmental Coalition on Standards

ECOS, Environmental Coalition on Standards, is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws. We ensure the environmental voice is heard when they are developed and drive change by providing expertise to policymakers and industry players, leading to the implementation of strong environmental principles.

https://ecostandard.org/ .

Today, 23rd April, the European Union’s efforts to slash microplastic pollution finally moved forward, as the European Parliament adopted its position on the Proposal for a Regulation aimed at preventing pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution. This positive vote comes at a time when plastics are in focus on the international stage, as global plastic treaty negotiations resume, and just after Earth Day’s plastic focus on Monday, 22 April.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) met in Strasbourg to approve the proposal, which is urgently needed to reduce the risk of pellet spills and hold plastic producers, transporters, converters and recyclers and all other actors involved accountable for pellet leaks across the plastic supply chain.

The new regulation includes binding minimum requirements for all carriers and operators, with an expanded scope that includes maritime shipping. On average, 1,566 cargo containers are lost at sea each year, making shipping a major cause of pellet spills globally. MEPs missed the opportunity to tighten the regulation by choosing to exempt businesses that handle less than 1,000 tonnes of pellets a year from mandatory certification, audits and staff training. Still, the text is a significant improvement from the European Commission’s initial voluntary prevention measures as well as any prior industry-led voluntary initiatives. 

Last winter’s pellet spill on the Galician coast showed firsthand how poor pellet transportation at sea can have catastrophic consequences. This, combined with mounting research linking microplastic contamination to human health risks, and a petition supported by over 90,000 Europeans, activated parliamentarians who voted 538 to 32 in favour of adoption of binding rules, seizing a last opportunity to protect the planet and people from harmful and toxic pellet pollution.

“This is a long-awaited, hard-fought win for planet and ocean biodiversity, even with lingering exemptions. For far too long, marine ecosystems and wildlife have suffered the consequences of industry negligence and a lack of EU regulation.

We call on EU countries to match MEPs in ambition so that the next European mandate can keep momentum up and agree to binding awareness and control measures for all industry players.”

Frédérique Mongodin, Senior Marine Litter Policy Officer at Seas At Risk 

“The EU’s leadership to implement strong supply chain governance on this harmful source of plastic pollution is a welcome step toward achieving microplastic reduction targets. Regrettably, the loophole in the Parliament proposal allowing operators to justify their way out of minimum prevention requirements weakens an otherwise robust proposal. We call on the negotiators at the global plastic treaty to follow in Parliament’s footsteps and seek global solutions to effectively prevent pellet loss – without any loopholes.”

Amy Youngman, Legal and Policy Specialist at the Environmental Investigation Agency

“The profound impact and scale of plastic pellet pollution across the EU is abundantly clear. From the catastrophic container losses in Galicia to the persistent contamination of sites like Ecaussinnes (Belgium) and Tarragona (Spain), EU citizens and local communities are currently bearing the heavy toll of this pollution. It was thus long overdue for the European Parliament to take action with what we can consider a partial win: yes, clear concessions were made to part of the plastic industry, but MEPs found political will to set binding preventive measures and hold polluters accountable.”

Lucie Padovani, Marine Litter Lobbying Officer at Surfrider Foundation Europe

This week’s plenary is the very last of the current Parliament’s mandate before June’s European elections. Negotiations on the pellet loss regulation between the European Council, Commission and Parliament will kick-off after the elections, where it will be crucial to keep the present momentum for microplastic and pellet pollution.

Correction: A previous version of this release incorrectly stated that businesses that handle less than 1,000 tonnes are exempt from certain rules. Business that handle LESS than 1,000 tonnes of pellets a year are exempt from these rules.

Notes to the Editor: 

• Plastic production pellets, around five millimetres in size, are the building blocks of all larger plastics and constitute the third largest source of microplastic pollution in the EU. These pellets are known to accumulate especially in the aquatic and marine environment, where they have significant negative impacts on wildlife and ecosystems.
• Plastic pellet pollution occurs across all stages of the supply chain in the EU (Plastic Giants report).
• Over the past ten days, Seas At Risk and Rethink Plastic mobilised people in the EU to seek and share firsthand evidence with decision-makers by going out to the field and hunting for plastic pellets around local beaches, rivers or industrial parks.
• It is estimated that as many as 184,290 tonnes of pellets are lost in Europe every year. (Impact assessment report from the European Commission).
• The exponential expansion of the production of raw plastic materials since 2005 has resulted in increased waste generation and over 170 trillion plastic particles in the world’s oceans. (TINY PLASTIC, BIG PROBLEM. THE CASE FOR PREVENTING PELLET POLLUTION.)
• More than 20 NGOs and organisations called on MEPs to strengthen the proposal by including maritime transport and other measures  (Open letter)

Media contacts: 

For Seas At Risk
Adenieke Lewis-Gibbs | +33 7 49 82 25 99 | [email protected] 

For Environmental Investigation Agency
Amy Youngman | [email protected] 

For Surfrider Foundation Europe
Lionel Cheylus | +33 6 08 10 58 02 | [email protected]
____________________________________________________________________________

Description of the Rethink Plastic Alliance

Rethink Plastic, part of the Break Free From Plastic movement, is an alliance of leading European NGOs working towards ambitious EU policies on plastics. It brings together the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), ClientEarth, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS), Greenpeace, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe, and Zero Waste Europe. Together they represent thousands of active groups, supporters and citizens in every EU Member State working towards a future free from plastic pollution.

Today, the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) committee approved a resolution regarding the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2683 defining the methodology for accounting for recycled plastic content in single-use plastics. In this resolution, the ENVI committee invites the Commission to adopt a recycled content calculation methodology avoiding creative accounting. The Rethink Plastic alliance supports this decision which introduces safeguards in the definition of recycled content and acknowledges specificity between recycling technologies.   

In particular, the ENVI committee establishes a recycling hierarchy in which chemical recycling effectively only deals with plastic waste that cannot undergo mechanical recycling and ensures consistency with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). 

“With this vote, the ENVI Committee is demanding the Commission step up. This is a call to redefine the pecking order of technologies, ensuring that the recycled plastics hitting our markets are not only safe and transparent but also fair. It’s about sticking to the promises made in the PPWR — no compromises, no shortcuts. 

Lauriane Veillard, Chemical Recycling and Plastic-to-Fuels Policy Officer at Zero Waste Europe

“We cannot trust the results of mass balance accounting. The non-proportional allocation of recycled content is misleading and inconsistent with high-quality recycling. The ENVI Committee is rightfully asking the European Commission to revise its methodology to ensure transparent claims and drive true circularity.”

Mathilde Crêpy, Head of Environmental Transparency at Environmental Coalition on Standards

Following today’s adoption by the ENVI Committee, the resolution will be voted on next week during the last plenary session of the European Parliament’s mandate.

Media Contact: 

• For Zero Waste Europe:
  Sean Flynn, Media Outreach Officer |  +32 471 96 55 93 | [email protected] 
• For Rethink Plastic alliance:
  Caroline Will, Communications Coordinator | +32456560705 | [email protected]

About Zero Waste Europe 

Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) is the European network of communities, local leaders, experts, and change agents working towards a better use of resources and the elimination of waste in our society. We advocate for sustainable systems; for the redesign of our relationship with resources; and for a global shift towards environmental justice, accelerating a just transition towards zero waste for the benefit of people and the planet. www.zerowasteeurope.eu 

About Rethink Plastic 

Rethink Plastic is an alliance of leading European NGOs, representing thousands of active groups, supporters and citizens in every EU Member State. We are part of the global Break Free From Plastic movement, consisting of over 11,000 organisations and individuals worldwide demanding an end to plastic pollution. https://rethinkplasticalliance.eu/ 

About Environmental Coalition on Standards

ECOS, Environmental Coalition on Standards, is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws. We ensure the environmental voice is heard when they are developed and drive change by providing expertise to policymakers and industry players, leading to the implementation of strong environmental principles.https://ecostandard.org/

The Rethink Plastic alliance and Break Free From Plastic welcome the Council’s decision to endorse the revised text negotiated at Trilogue, which includes increased obligations and standards with regards to the shipment of EU plastic waste. 

This includes: 

• A phased-in 2.5 year ban of all plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries, to complement existing bans on the export of hazardous and Y48 plastic waste
• Increased obligations and standards both with regards to exporting waste to non-OECD and OECD countries 
• That intra-EU shipments of waste destined for disposal will only occur under exceptional circumstances 
• The digitisation of the exchange of information and data on waste shipments

Whilst the Rethink Plastic alliance and Break Free From Plastic movement have always evidenced the need for and advocated for a full ban of EU plastic waste outside the EU and EFTA, amongst other recommendations, the agreed trilogue text does set in motion increased protections and obligations for environmentally-sound management. It is now for the Commission and Member States to take all steps necessary to ensure effective transposition, implementation and enforcement. 

Regrettably, last year’s trilogue negotiations between the EU institutions did not result in a decision to stop exporting its plastic waste to all non-EU/ EFTA countries. For example, Türkiye (an OECD country) receives a significant amount of EU plastic waste – despite clear evidence of this resulting in environmental and human health harm. We strongly encourage that the necessary resources are set aside to ensure obligations are being met by all, and if not met, that the EU suspends exports to relevant recipient OECD countries also.

The EU’s revised Waste Shipment Regulation now forms some of the most ambitious waste exporting rules in the world. The EU must work to amplify this success, by reducing its plastic consumption and ensuring strict adherence to the waste hierarchy in managing its plastic waste.

Expert voices

“The EU has acknowledged the impact that its waste is having on the rest of the world, and through this agreement, has shown that it is taking steps to increase accountability and responsibility as a consequence. Whilst we have evidenced the need for a full EU plastic waste export ban, along with many others, including Parliament and certain Member States, we remain hopeful that the effective enforcement of this newly revised Regulation in turn puts an end to the environmental and human health harm that has been occurring for decades. We also hope this results in other high-income high-plastic waste exporting countries to step up.”

Lauren Weir, Senior Campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency

“While this agreement is better than the last Regulation, the possible continuation of exporting plastic waste to OECD member countries seriously risks undermining its effectiveness. Membership to the OECD does not guarantee a country is a safe destination for plastic waste. Moreover, growing evidence shows that this waste is causing serious air, water and soil pollution in OECD member countries, particularly Turkey, and that those importing this waste are exploiting illegal migrant labour, creating a significant human rights issue. Therefore, we fully expect the EU to take all this into account and look into suspending plastic waste shipments to OECD countries where it is clear they cause harm – reflecting the very same reasons behind the non-OECD ban soon to be in place. Otherwise, the EU will continue to be responsible for causing harm.”

Dr. Sedat Gündoğdu, a microplastics researcher at Çukurova University in Türkiye

“For years, Europe has been exporting their waste problems, putting communities and the environment in recipient countries at risk. We welcome the impending ban of all plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries but this should be expanded to all countries. To be effective, the Waste Shipment Regulation must be accompanied by robust, adequately resourced monitoring and enforcement measures in both exporting and importing countries. Loopholes must be plugged, including the export of hidden plastics in other waste streams. While improving domestic recycling infrastructure is a necessary step forward in Europe, it is clear that recycling and disposal is not the answer. We need to get to the root of the problem, that is, the proliferation and production of plastics.”

Mageswari Sangaralingam, Honorary Secretary of Sahabat Alam Malaysia

Media Contact: 

• For Environmental Investigation Agency:
  Paul Newman | +44 (0) 20 7354 7983 | [email protected]
• For Rethink Plastic alliance:
  Caroline Will | +32456560705 | [email protected]

Notes for editors: 

• More than 180.000 people signed a joint petition from the Rethink Plastic alliance, the Environmental Investigation Agency, the #BreakFreeFromPlastic movement, Eko and WeMove, urging the EU to ban plastic waste exports to both non-OECD and OECD countries. The petition was delivered to EU decision-makers before this last decisive meeting. 
• The Rethink Plastic alliance’s top 5 recommendations for the revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation can be found here. 
• Please refer to Rethink Plastic alliance  and EIA’s Truth behind Trash and Plastic Waste Power Play reports for background on the impact of the global plastic waste trade. 

About:

Rethink Plastic is an alliance of leading European NGOs, representing thousands of active groups, supporters and citizens in every EU Member State. We are part of the global Break Free From Plastic movement, consisting of over 11,000 organisations and individuals worldwide demanding an end to plastic pollution.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) investigates and campaigns against environmental crime and abuse. Its undercover investigations expose transnational wildlife crime, with a focus on elephants, pangolins and tigers and forest crimes such as illegal logging and deforestation for cash crops such as palm oil. It works to safeguard global marine ecosystems by addressing the threats posed by plastic pollution, bycatch and commercial exploitation of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Finally, it works to avert climate catastrophe by strengthening and enforcing regional and international agreements that tackle short-lived climate super-pollutants, including ozone-depleting substances, hydrofluorocarbons and methane, and advocating corporate and policy measures to promote transition to a sustainable cooling sector and away from fossil fuels. It uses its findings in hard-hitting reports to campaign for new legislation, improved governance and more effective enforcement. Its field experience is used to provide guidance to enforcement agencies and it forms partnerships with local groups and activists and support their work through hands-on training. 

With mounting studies linking microplastic contamination to human health risks such as stroke, heart attack and more, MEPs had the opportunity to adopt requirements to prevent a significant source of microplastic pollution: plastic pellets. Used to manufacture almost all plastic products, those small particles are in industries’ hands during their entire life cycle – from production to transport, storage, conversion, and recycling. 

As such, MEPs have supported the Commission’s approach to regulating the supply chain with minimum requirements for all carriers and operators, but they went the extra mile by making these binding, stronger and including maritime transport — a move civil society strongly supports in light of massive recent spillage at sea on the Spanish, French and Portuguese coasts. However, a supply chain approach can only be as efficient as its weakest links. In that sense, by choosing to exempt certain companies from audits and certification based on the scale of their operations, MEPs introduced an important loophole in the implementation of the text. 

After the ENVI vote, MEP’s next opportunity to protect the environment and public health from the dangers of pellets will be the Plenary vote in late April, which is the final plenary for this Parliament. If the proposed regulation passes, trilogue negotiations will continue once the new Parliament is electe

“It was high time for the ENVI Committee to address this pollution effectively, as MEPs have seen plastic pellet pollution making headlines, whether from catastrophic offshore spills such as in Galicia, or from chronic inland contamination sites in Ecaussinnes (Belgium) or Tarragona (Spain). Now, we need the plenary position to go further and the Council to make it a priority before the end of the mandate”.

Lucie Padovani (Surfrider Foundation Europe)

“We are relieved that MEPs chose to reinforce the Commission requirements and impose pellet loss prevention rules on the shipping industry. Still, proposed plans and compensations fail to include any remedial measures to restore affected ecosystems following pellet spills. We are tired of seeing plastic pellets flooding marine ecosystems and poisoning wildlife. It’s time to hold those responsible for pellet pollution accountable for the lasting negative impact they’ve made on the environment. We hope this regulation can be both an opportunity to make up for past spills and to beat pellet pollution for future generations”.

Frédérique Mongodin (Seas At Risk)

“Stronger does not mean that it is strong enough. While this is an important first step in mandating measures to achieve pellet loss reduction, gaps in the ENVI’s position create loopholes which make it difficult to achieve our ultimate objective – zero pellet loss. It is perplexing why certain industry players are given a pass when it comes to stringent audits, certification and implementing all necessary preventative, containment and clean-up measures when their actions have historically resulted in environmental degradation that threatens all life. The loopholes undermine the ambition of the regulation and signal a missed opportunity to hold all pellet handlers accountable for their contribution to plastic pellet pollution. We urge for the regulation to be strengthened before its final adoption”.

Amy Youngman (Environmental Investigation Agency)

Notes to the Editor:

• Plastic pellet pollution occurs across the supply chain in the EU (Plastic Giants report)
• It is estimated that as many as 184,290 tonnes of pellets are lost in Europe every year. (Impact assessment report from the European Commission)
• The exponential expansion of the production of raw plastic materials since 2005 has resulted in increased waste generation and over 170 trillion plastic particles in the world’s oceans. (TINY PLASTIC, BIG PROBLEM. THE CASE FOR PREVENTING PELLET POLLUTION.)
• More than 20 NGOs and organisations called on MEPs to strengthen the proposal by including maritime transport among others (Open letter)

Media contacts: 

For Surfrider Foundation Europe
Lionel Cheylus | +33 6 08 10 58 02 | [email protected]

For Seas At Risk
Adenieke Lewis-Gibbs | [email protected] For Environmental Investigation Agency
Amy Youngman | [email protected]

About:

Rethink Plastic is an alliance of leading European NGOs, representing thousands of active groups, supporters and citizens in every EU Member State. We are part of the global Break Free From Plastic movement, consisting of over 11,000 organisations and individuals worldwide demanding an end to plastic pollution. The Rethink Plastic alliance has been working on the packaging file together with an informal alliance of NGOs with expert knowledge and hands-on experience on the entire lifecycle of plastics and paper. The members of this informal coalition are Zero Waste Europe, European Environmental Bureau, ECOS, ClientEarth, Surfrider Foundation Europe, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Fern and the Environmental Paper Network.

Despite the unprecedented pressures and negative lobbying, EU institutions finally agreed on a set of rules to prevent the generation of packaging waste, promote reuse systems and reduce our dependence on single-use packaging; according to the press releases by the institutions.
To stop the uncontrolled growth of packaging waste the EU is setting binding packaging reduction targets for its Member States (5% by 2030, 10% by 2035 and 15% by 2040), as well as reuse targets for certain packaging segments, including beverages and transport packaging.

The coalition of NGOs working on EU packaging rules applauds stricter provisions on substances of concern and direct restrictions on a group of harmful and extremely persistent chemicals (PFAS) in food packaging. It is expected that a mandatory future report on the presence of substances of concern in packaging will bring more clarity about the extent to which they negatively affect circularity, as well as chemical safety and impact on human and environmental health.

The coalition however regrets that the initial proposal of the European Commission, published in November 2022, was watered down by a plethora of exemptions and derogations adopted under the pressure of throwaway lobbies. It is especially disappointing that the scope of restrictions for unnecessary packaging are limited only to single-use plastics and not to all single-use formats as foreseen in the original proposal (including single-use paper-based packaging).

It is also regrettable that cardboard packaging is excluded from the reuse targets for transport. These loopholes are the result of unprecedented pressures from single-use paper lobbies and risk undermining the regulation’s effectiveness, leading to an increase in paper packaging consumption, thus perpetuating wasteful practices and putting unsustainable pressure on forests.

“EU institutions have agreed on the urgent need to cut down packaging waste, reduce our dependence on disposable solutions and promote reuse systems. One of the most heavily lobbied files of this term survived the deceptive tactics of throwaway proponents. We will now have binding packaging waste reduction targets charting a clear path for the sector. Despite some regrettable setbacks and unjustified derogations, this compromise now gives the EU and its Member States a chance to stop the packaging waste crisis”

Marco Musso (EEB Senior Policy Officer for Circular Economy at the European Environmental Bureau)

“McDonalds’ and the paper packaging industry managed to distort and empty a regulation born to reduce single-use packaging, which now is promoting it, at the cost of the global forests and climate. Lobbyists are now celebrating, but consumers will continue to be flooded by increasing amounts of waste in their own homes – just this time made from paper.”

Sergio Baffoni (Environmental Paper Network’s Senior Paper Packaging Campaigner)

“This is a step in the right direction, but a much larger leap is needed. The reality is that growing unnecessary packaging and overpackaging is a waste of resources – and recycling alone is just not enough. We need more support for reuse and refill options to use less material and prevent waste”

Valeria Botta (Head of Circular Economy & Nature at Environmental Coalition on Standards – ECOS)

“We know that many of the chemicals commonly used in food packaging (both plastic and non-plastic) are harmful and can contribute to chronic diseases in our society. It is encouraging to witness a political will to ensure better consumer protection and eliminate the whole group of particularly problematic PFAS from food packaging – this action was indeed very urgently needed, and is very welcome by the coalition.”

Dorota Napierska (Toxic-free Circular Economy Policy Officer at Zero Waste Europe)

After 4 years of preparatory work and more than 15 months of negotiations marked by unprecedented levels of lobbying, the three EU institutions must waste no time to adopt this key regulation before the European elections. The European Parliament must ratify the compromise reached yesterday in the April Plenary putting an end to wasteful practices and unlocking the opportunities of genuinely circular packaging. The coalition also urges the European Commission to sign the agreement as soon as possible. 

The coalition of NGOs will continue to advocate for high ambition at EU level and proper implementation of the new rules to stop the uncontrolled growth of packaging waste through prevention and reuse. Numerous decisions on how to implement the measures of the Regulation will need to be taken further down the line and the Rethink Plastic alliance together with the coalition of NGOs will closely monitor this process.

Figures:

• The total packaging waste generation in the EU increased from 66 million tonnes in 2009 to 84.3 million tonnes in 2021 (27.7% growth) and is forecasted to increase to 92 million tonnes in 2030, and 107 million tonnes in 2040. 
• Annual packaging waste generation was estimated at about 190 kg per inhabitant in the EU annually. This waste has a significant environmental impact, contributing to 40% of plastic and 50% of paper use, along with carbon emissions equal to Hungary’s yearly emissions. (Source: Eurostat)
• Packaging is one of the main users of virgin materials (40 % of plastics and 50 % of paper used in the EU is destined for packaging) and accounts for 36 % of municipal solid waste.
• For more information, read our factsheet on Reusable Takeaway Packaging, our report on Disposable Paper-based Food Packaging. The false solution to the packaging waste crisis.

Media Contacts

• For Rethink Plastic alliance:
  Caroline Will | +32456560705 | [email protected]
• ECOS –  Environmental Coalition on Standards
  Alison Grace | +32 493 19 22 59 | [email protected]
• EEB – European Environmental Bureau
  Sarah Abou-Chleih | +32 2 790 43 86 | [email protected]

About:

Rethink Plastic is an alliance of leading European NGOs, representing thousands of active groups, supporters and citizens in every EU Member State.
We are part of the global Break Free From Plastic movement, consisting of over 11,000 organisations and individuals worldwide demanding an end to plastic pollution.
The Rethink Plastic alliance has been working on the packaging file together with an informal alliance of NGOs with expert knowledge and hands-on experience on the entire lifecycle of plastics and paper. The members of this informal coalition are Zero Waste Europe, European Environmental Bureau, ECOS, ClientEarth, Surfrider Foundation Europe, Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Recycling Netwerk Benelux, Fern and the Environmental Paper Network.

Plastic pellets, the plastic particles that are used to manufacture larger plastics, are a threat to the environment and public health. It is estimated that as many as 184,290 tonnes of pellets are lost in Europe¹ every year. In January, north-west Spain made headlines as millions of plastic pellets flooded the coast of Galicia after a cargo ship lost a container of pellets in the Atlantic. Yet, pellet pollution is not only a coastal issue. Chronic pellet pollution also occurs on land, particularly in Europe, where large quantities of pellets are manufactured. The chemicals contained in plastics can be toxic to human and animal health.

To put an end to this pollution, the European Commission presented a legislative text aimed at regulating it in October 2023 and introducing minimum requirements for all pellet handling companies.

It was against this backdrop that, on 22 February, The Pew Charitable Trusts and Surfrider Foundation with the support of Rethink Plastic Alliance and Seas At Risk, both members of the Rethink Plastic alliance, invited MEPs to witness chronic pellet pollution firsthand around Feluy, the industrial zone home to petrochemical operations in the Ecaussinnes municipality, near Brussels.

MEP Saskia Bricmont, in particular, answered the call as well as MEP Caroline Roose’s team, MEP Peter Hansen and Ska Keller ones. Accompanied by the NGOs, they were able to meet Arnaud Guérard, alderman for the environment of Ecaussinnes, who explained:

“I’ve been following this pollution since 2020, after some citizens from Ecaussinnes complained about the discovery of pellets in their fields and in the Sennette river, 8kms away from the zoning” But according to him, “it seems like the pollution existed since the beginning, considering that Total Petrochemical began its exploitation in the middle of the 70s.” He explains : “this pollution is permanent and widespread.”

Saskia Bricmont, Member of the European Parliament, Group of the Greens

The MEPs discovered that the cultivated fields, the roads, the area around the complex and the Sennette river are completely overrun with these microplastics. After showing a first site in the zoning, Arnaud Guérard adds : 

“Our first action was to alert firms about the pollution. The second one involved revising the authorizations granted by the town and Wallonian authorities to enhance preventive measures. However, at each stage, the companies challenged the proposed improvements to regulations.”

Arnaud Guérard, Alderman for the environment of Ecaussinnes

Indeed, even though the contaminated area is adjacent to the plastic pellet production site, it is important to remember that pellets are currently lost throughout the value chain, during production, transport, processing and storage, due to the lack of preventative measures. In addition to the loss of containers at sea, mishandling spills, road accidents and staff negligence combined with the washing of soil by rain and wind collectively contribute to the introduction of plastic pellets into the ocean.

“It is estimated that as many as 184,290 tonnes of plastic pellets are lost to the environment each year in the EU alone. That’s the equivalent of more than five kilograms being spilled every second. Once they are released, because of their tiny size, pellets are almost impossible to recover. However, unlike other sources of microplastics, pellet loss is preventable with appropriate policies in effect. We need urgent and binding action at an EU level as well as industry compliance to tackle the third-largest source of microplastic pollution in the EU,”

Natacha Tullis, officer, Preventing Ocean Plastics project at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Regarding the need for a dedicated regulation, MEP Saskia Bricmont declares :

“It’s better to have a framework than no framework at all, but that’s the first step. The second is that the text is not ambitious enough, but that it needs to be seen as a whole; the directive on environmental crime also punishes this type of pollution: it enables local justice systems to take criminal action. There’s also work in progress on the directive on due diligence of companies and their subcontractors: it’s clear here that the problem concerns both a “parent” company, Total Petrochemicals, and the subcontractors it works with for logistics and transport: it’s the whole value chain that will have to comply with due diligence. All this legislation will have to work together.”

Saskia Bricmont, Member of the European Parliament, Group of the Greens

“Voluntary initiatives by companies are not enough. The companies concerned say : ‘Let us do our job, we have a social responsibility which means we have to be careful’. We have to admit that the pollution is there, that it persists, that there is no systematic cleaning, that there is no vigilance to ensure that the containers are watertight, that when the microplastic beads are transported by truck, they are not spilled. Solutions do exist, and these companies need to implement and finance them,” According to her, “It’s not a very visible problem, but we know that the oceans are polluted, but it’s not easy for people to make the connection: a microplastic bead that comes out of the Feluy zoning area can end up in the North Sea. The current problem remains the impunity of companies, who must prevent pollution and repair it if there is a problem” she concludes.

Saskia Bricmont, Member of the European Parliament, Group of the Greens

Civil society agrees that there is a real and urgent need for Parliament’s ENVI Committee to adopt this regulation.

“Two years after our first visit to Ecaussinnes, we can see that industries cannot be trusted to self-regulate and prevent plastic pellet pollution. The stakes are too high, and the consequences too dire to delay action any longer. The Regulation proposal demonstrates that this problem is not addressed properly by the plastic pellet value chain. Ambitious and harmonised EU regulation is needed. The text now has to be improved, especially by setting binding measures for all the firms involved in the pellet value chain, regardless of their size. In addition, addressing the loss of containers at sea is crucial, as the current legislation on maritime transport is really silent concerning this topic.”

Lucie Padovani, policy officer for Surfrider Foundation.

We remain at the journalist’s disposal for any other information.

Link to the EU Procedure FIle

About The Pew Charitable Trusts

Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress. For more information, please visit https://www.pewtrusts.org

About Surfrider Foundation Europe

The NGO Surfrider Foundation is a group of positive activists who take concrete action on the ground every day to pass on a preserved ocean to future generations. Our mission: to make the voice of the ocean heard loud and clear! Our weapons? Raising awareness and mobilizing citizens, children and adults alike (thanks to 48 volunteer branches throughout Europe), using our scientific expertise to lobby and transform companies. Find out more about the association at https://surfrider.eu/en or via this video

About Rethink Plastic Alliance

Rethink Plastic is an alliance of leading European NGOs, with thousands of active groups, supporters and citizens in every EU Member State. We bring together policy and technical expertise from a variety of relevant fields, and work with European policy-makers to design and deliver policy solutions for a future that is free from plastic pollution. We are part of the global Break Free From Plastic movement, made up of 11,000 organsations and individual supporters from across the world who are demanding massive reductions in single-use plastics and to push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.

About Seas At Risk

Seas At Risk is an association of environmental organisations from across Europe, working together to ensure that life in our seas and oceans is abundant, diverse, climate resilient, and not threatened by human activities. Its mission is to promote ambitious policies for marine protection at European and international level. With over 30 members representing the majority of European countries, Seas At Risk speaks for millions of citizens that care deeply about the health and well-being of seas and oceans.

Contacts

• For The Pew Charitable Trusts
  Nicola Manomaiudom | +44 7376 804 667 | [email protected]
• For Surfrider Foundation Europe
  Lionel Cheylus | +33 6 08 10 58 02 | [email protected]
• For Rethink Plastic alliance
  Caroline Will | +49 1590 1425817 | [email protected] 
• For Seas At Risk
  Adenieke Lewis-Gibbs | +33 7 49 82 25 99 | [email protected] 

Surfrider Foundation Europe’s “Break the Plastic Wave” campaign is supported by the LIFE programme created by the European Commission. The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the content, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The extended producer responsibility obligations introduced by the SUP Directive are important provisions that are applauded by the Rethink Plastic alliance and Surfrider Foundation Europe. For the first time across almost a continent, the tobacco industry will have to pay for (some of) the pollution costs it generates because of putting polluting single-use plastic items on the market at the expense of the environment. The adoption of these provisions also made more concrete the application of the polluter-pay principle, that despite being a cornerstone of the EU environmental policy, continues to be very poorly applied at EU level.

The new report by the Rethink Plastic alliance, led by Surfrider Foundation Europe, released today, aims to provide an update on the implementation status of the EPR measures on tobacco products exactly one year after they were due. It also identifies shortcomings in the way the measure was first laid down in the Directive and transposed at national level, as well as in the way the EPR schemes were set, and explores potential ways forward through a concrete set of recommendations.

Among the many flaws and risks the new report reveals, are the following:

Little to no initiative nor increased ambition in the way the EU provisions were transposed and adapted

In most cases, Member States have transposed the Directive by copying and pasting the wording of the EU text without further specification or details, opting for a rather basic implementation of the Directive requirements and making many of the measures introduced de facto non-operational. Only a few countries have introduced further precisions or provisions which increase the potential of the Directive and its likely impacts. This is for example the case with which have set reduction targets. Other countries are also showing political leadership with calls for EU-wide bans on SUP filters and disposable e-cigarettes.

Significant delays in the implementation

Many Member States are late in implementing the EPR provisions laid down in the SUP Directive such as the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Poland or Slovakia.

A partial consideration of the costs incurred

Very little initiative has been taken by Member States to incorporate other costs than the ones listed in the EU text. Unfortunately, the EU list does not incorporate all the costs tobacco induced nor reflects the environmental harms caused by the tobacco industry. These costs were a minimum list of costs that should be covered by operators, meaning other costs could be accounted for in the extended producer responsibility schemes to be implemented at national level. They appear very low in view of the huge revenue cigarette sales generate. This is even more striking when litter clean-up costs are examined. And it is unfortunate some Member States have used the delay experienced by the European Commission in releasing its guidelines for criteria on the cost of cleaning up litter, off the record to justify their own delay or low ambition in specifying further how they will calculate these costs.

No recognition of the specificities of the tobacco industry

Tobacco products and tobacco players are not like any other products and any other producers. Extra attention is needed from decision-makers to adapt the ‘usual’ EPR obligations to this specific sector and make sure the schemes set at national level comply with international rules We believe national authorities must set EPR systems that exclude the producers of tobacco products with filters and filters and any tobacco sector player from the governance of the EPR scheme and from any decision or any activity conducted on behalf of the scheme, in compliance with international rules on tobacco control.

Awareness campaigns driven by the tobacco industry

Along this line, the report reveals confusion at best or arrangements made with the EU text at worst, in the EPR schemes set at national level between the financial responsibility and operational responsibility as regard awareness-raising. On the one hand, the SUPD lists awareness-raising costs among the costs to be covered by tobacco producers as part of the EPR schemes to be set. On the other hand, the SUPD stipulates that Member States shall take measures to inform consumers and to incentivise responsible consumer behaviour, in order to achieve a reduction in the littering of products covered by this Directive, including tobacco products with plastic filters and plastic filters. In practice, in many Member States, the responsibility for designing and launching campaigns was given to the Producer Responsibility Organisations. This presents the significant risk for the tobacco industry to portray itself as a corporate socially responsible actor despite clear international rules on the matter.

Making the most of the current EU text with opportunities ahead

The report calls Member States to make the most of what the current SUPD offers so that the tobacco industry pays and is finally held accountable for the products they put on the market and for the harms they cause to the planet and Humans alike.

It also identifies the review of the SUPD, expected by 2027 and the ongoing international negotiations as complementary opportunities to tackle the plastic pollution that tobacco products generate, with more ambition and impacts.

We remain at the disposal of journalists for any information or interview requests.

About Surfrider Foundation Europe

The NGO Surfrider Foundation is a group of positive activists who take concrete action on the ground every day to pass on a preserved ocean to future generations. Our mission: to make the voice of the ocean heard loud and clear! Our weapons? Raising awareness and mobilizing citizens, children and adults alike (thanks to 48 volunteer branches throughout Europe), using our scientific expertise to lobby and transform companies. Find out more about the association at https://surfrider.eu/en or via this video

About Rethink Plastic Alliance

Rethink Plastic is an alliance of leading European NGOs, with thousands of active groups, supporters and citizens in every EU Member State. We bring together policy and technical expertise from a variety of relevant fields, and work with European policy-makers to design and deliver policy solutions for a future that is free from plastic pollution. We are part of the global Break Free From Plastic movement, made up of 11,000 organizations and individual supporters from across the world who are demanding massive reductions in single-use plastics and to push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.

About Break Free From Plastic

BreakFreeFromPlastic is the global movement working to achieve a future free from plastic pollution. More than 12,000 organizations and individuals around the world have come together to demand reductions in single-use plastics and to advocate for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. BFFP members work together to bring about systemic change by tackling plastic pollution across the whole value chain – from extraction to disposal – focusing on prevention rather than cure. Find out more on https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/

Contacts

• For Rethink Plastic alliance:
  Caroline Will | +32456560705 | [email protected]
• For Surfrider Foundation Europe
  Lionel Cheylus | +33 6 08 10 58 02 | [email protected]

Surfrider Foundation Europe’s “Break the plastic wave” campaign is supported by the LIFE program of the European Commission. The European Commission’s support to produce this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the content, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.