FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Brussels, 26/11/2018

“The fight against plastic pollution is one that we can win. The EU plastics laws initiated by the Commission and endorsed by the Parliament are a first step towards a future where plastic doesn’t poison us. If we commit to this together, nobody loses, everybody wins“, said European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans at a press conference today. “The industry is clearly now focusing its energy on the EU Council. It’s up to the Austrian presidency to resist, and maintain the level of ambition initiated by the Commission, and reinforced by Parliament. This is the perfect slot in our history to impulse the virtuous change demanded by citizens. Disappointing them would be tragic”, added Frédérique Ries, who represents the European Parliament in the negotiations on the single-use plastics law.

Mr Timmermans and Ms Ries were speaking beside a three-metre tall dragon spewing single-use plastic litter collected in beach clean-ups, which will stay in front of the Council till Wednesday.

“The Commission and Parliament plan would deal a significant first blow to the monster of plastic pollution, but this plan is at risk. Consumption of throwaway plastic needs to be cut drastically, and the companies making money on the back of this pollution must also be held responsible. If governments don’t ensure the polluter pays, they side with the dragon” said Delphine Lévi Alvarès, European Coordinator of Break Free From Plastic [1].

Campaigners warned that national governments risk weakening ambitious extended producer responsibility (EPR), whereby producers would cover costs for clean-up of litter, for management of plastic waste [2], as well as for awareness raising. Notably, countries may attempt to delay EPR implementation by four years, and exempt waste management costs for some items including the most littered plastic item in Europe: tobacco filters.

“We are at a turning point. Member States must break with short-termism, by holding producers accountable and supporting ambitious prevention and collection measures for fishing gear as well as single-use plastics. EU institutions have the unique chance to spearhead global action on swift and effective solutions to curb plastic pollution.” said Frédérique Mongodin, Seas At Risk senior marine litter policy officer, on behalf of Rethink Plastic. [3]

On November 28, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council are meeting for a second round of negotiations on single-use plastics laws. The third and last negotiation round is to take place on December 18.

ENDS

***
NOTES:

[1] Break Free From Plastic published in October the results of its global brand audits which identify top plastic polluters: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2018/

[2] Including putting relevant waste collection infrastructure in place and collecting, transporting and treating this waste.

[3] The European Parliament voted last month in favour of modulated financial contributions to promote eco-design as well as specific 50% collection and 15% recycling targets for fishing gear.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Brussels, 31/10/2018

 

Reacting to the Council of the EU’s position on the proposed single-use plastics Directive, [1] Sarah Baulch, Senior Ocean campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency, on behalf of the Rethink Plastic alliance, said:

 

“With today’s agreement, EU governments are attempting to undermine an ambitious and popular proposed law to slash plastic pollution.

The Council not only failed to back some key measures to cut single-use plastics, but also introduced a significant loophole that could give producers a free pass, instead of making them pay for the devastating environmental costs of their products.

Citizens across the EU will be counting on their governments to reverse this position and back a final law that ensures producers pay for their pollution during the final negotiations in the coming weeks.”

Today’s proposal would allow the use of voluntary agreements instead of binding Extended Producer Responsibility schemes, meaning that producers could be exempt from paying the costs of plastic pollution.

 

Free-to-use photos available here

 

ENDS

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[1] Council of the EU press release http://dsms.consilium.europa.eu/952/Actions/Newsletter.aspx?messageid=25291&customerid=56908&password=enc_346E5932314A376D31783861_enc

Final agreement on single-use plastics Directive: what’s happening and when?

• Tuesday 6th November: first negotiations between the European Parliament (represented by the rapporteur Frédérique Ries MEP, the Council (represented by the Austrian Presidency) and the European Commission
• November/December: negotiations continue until final agreement reached
• December 20th: (likely) sign off by national Ministers at Environment Council
• December – January: European Parliament signs off final agreement

 

***

Press contact: Sarah Baulch, Senior Ocean Campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency on behalf of Rethink Plastic [email protected] / +44 207 354 7960

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Brussels, 29/10/2018

After last week’s historic European Parliament vote on single-use plastics [1], national governments across Europe are already starting to weaken the final law. Here’s our look ahead to what to expect and when.

Photo Stunt
This morning, Global 2000/Friends of the Earth Austria dropped a giant banner off Graz castle reading “EU: Stopp Plastik!” Free-to use photos are available here.

Final agreement on single-use plastics law: what’s happening and when?

• Wednesday 31st October – EU Member States agree final Council text to bring into inter-institutional negotiations
• Tuesday 6th November – first negotiations between the European Parliament (represented by the rapporteur Frédérique Ries MEP, the Council (represented by the Austrian Presidency) and the European Commission
• November/December – negotiations continue until final agreement reached
• Mid-December – European Parliament signs off  final agreement
• December 20th – (likely) sign off by national Ministers at Environment Council. If it is not signed off, the process may continue into the next Commission in the second half of 2019.

Where will the European Council try to weaken the law?

Based on the latest Presidency text and further intelligence gathering, Rethink Plastic sees the following as the key issues to look out for in the coming weeks:

• Producers paying for plastic waste: Watch out for the Council trying to keep these schemes voluntary or removing the requirement for producers to pay for the full costs to deal with single-use plastic waste.
• Single-use plastic bans: Parliament added new items to the ban list – oxo-degradable plastics and expanded polystyrene food containers. The Council is not likely to add any new items but may support the addition of expanded polystyrene food containers. Watch out for the Council delaying the ban on plates that are made from paper with a plastic lining to 2023.
• Reducing consumption of plastic food containers and cups: The Parliament voted for a 25% reduction in consumption of these items by 2025. The Council may support the development of national targets followed by EU-wide targets, but watch out for the text remaining weak by dropping the target and simply suggesting a “sustained” reduction in consumption.
• Collection targets for drinks containers: The Parliament stuck to the Commission’s proposal of a 90% collection rate for single-use plastic beverage containers by 2025, but it is looking like the Council is watering this down to 75% by 2025.
• Is Tetra Pak single-use plastic or not?: (Yes it is.) But watch out for last minute efforts by the Council trying to make Tetra Pak and other “composite” plastics exempt from the law.
• Connecting the cap: The Parliament bowed to pressure from the drinks industry and introduced a delay of two years for carbonated drinks in single-use plastic bottles have lids permanently attached. It is likely the Council will follow suit.

The Break Free From Plastic movement Europe sent this letter to all Environment Ministers today, outlining our collective demands for the negotiations.

ENDS

NOTES:

[1] European Parliament takes historic stand against single-use plastic pollution >> http://www.foeeurope.org/european-parliament-historic-stand-single-use-plastic-pollution-241018

PRESS CONTACTS:

Meadhbh Bolger, resource justice campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe on behalf of Rethink Plastic
[email protected] / +32 483 65 94 97

Paul Hallows, communications officer at Friends of the Earth Europe
[email protected] / +32 (2) 893 10 10

Michael Lachsteiner, press officer at GLOBAL 2000/Friends of the Earth Austria
[email protected] / +43 699 14 2000 20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Strasbourg, 24/10/2018

The European Parliament has leapt forward to protect people and the environment from plastic pollution, and national governments must now show the same ambition, according to the Rethink Plastic alliance.

An overwhelming majority in the European Parliament voted today to strengthen the European Commission’s plan to cut pollution from single-use plastic items. [1] The Parliament voted to ban some of the most problematic throwaway products, such as expanded polystyrene food containers, and to ensure producers are held accountable for the costs of single-use plastic pollution. For fishing gear, one of the largest contributors to marine litter, harmonised standards will be developed and minimum collection and recycling targets will be set at the EU level. [2]

“The European Parliament has made history by voting to reduce single-use plastics and slash plastic pollution in our rivers and ocean” said Justine Maillot, EU Affairs Project Officer at Surfrider Foundation Europe on behalf of Rethink Plastic. “Citizens across Europe want to see an end to plastic pollution. It’s now up to national governments to keep the ambition high, and resist corporate pressure to continue a throwaway culture.”

However, campaigners are disappointed that the full Parliament did not adopt a ban on very light-weight single-use plastic bags supported by the Environment committee.

A leaked letter recently exposed how major plastic polluters such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Danone are lobbying national environment ministers to water down the directive. [3]

Representatives of EU national governments are expected to meet later this month to agree on their joint position, and the three-way negotiations between governments, the European Parliament, and the European Commission could then start as soon as early November.

ENDS

NOTES:

[1] European Commission steps forward to cut on single-use plastics – but it’s just the beginning, Rethink Plastic alliance

[2] The measures adopted include:

• A EU-wide ban of single-use plastic cotton buds, straws, plates and cutlery (with exemptions until 2023), beverage stirrers, balloon sticks, oxo-degradable plastics and expanded polystyrene food containers and cups
• An obligation for EU countries to adopt measures to achieve a 25% reduction of the consumption of food containers and cups for beverages
• An obligation for EU countries to reduce post-consumption waste from tobacco product filters containing plastic by 50 % by 2025 and 80 % by 2030,
• Extended Producer Responsibilty (EPR) schemes that include the cost of clean up and awareness raising measures
• Harmonised standards and an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for fishing gear, as well as a 50% collection target and a 15% recycling target for fishing gear by 2025
• An obligation to separately collect 90% of beverage containers and ensure they are produced from 35% recycled content by 2025
• An obligation to prevent the use of hazardous chemicals in the composition of sanitary items
• An obligation to label products to inform consumers about the presence of chemicals of concern in certain single-use plastic products

These measures apply to all single-use plastics listed in the Annexes including bio-based and biodegradable plastics.

[3] Coca Cola, Pepsi and Nestle attempt to water down new plastics laws, leaked letter reveals, The Independent; Drinks giants rail against EU bottle cap plan, Euractiv

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Brussels, 10/10/2018

Producers could simply market items like throwaway plastic cups as reusable, under changes to a draft EU laws on single-use plastics tabled today in the European Parliament, the Rethink Plastic alliance of NGOs has warned.

The European Parliament’s environment committee voted on a proposal that would introduce new rules on plastics including bans on certain single-use plastic products responsible for marine pollution, and require European governments to set reduction targets for others.

Campaigners are concerned that the committee’s proposed definition of ‘single-use’ plastic items is too narrow, and could lead to producers easily avoiding bans, and would allow them to ignore reduction targets and other measures to reduce plastic pollution. [1]

Speaking on behalf of the Rethink Plastic alliance, Greenpeace EU chemicals policy director Kevin Stairs​ said: “This loophole is a serious oversight by the Parliament and goes against common sense. Everyone knows a throwaway plastic cup or straw when they see one – companies simply marketing them as reusable won’t stop pollution of our rivers and oceans. A turtle choked on relabelled plastic is still a dead turtle.”

The environment committee added very lightweight plastic bags, polystyrene food and drink containers, and products made of ‘oxo-degradable’ plastic [2] to the list of banned items originally proposed by the European Commission. The proposed rules would also require plastic bottles to be made with 35% recycled plastic and introduce collection and recycling targets for fishing gear, a key contributor to marine pollution.

The European Parliament will vote in plenary in the week of 22 October on the environment committee’s proposals.

Yesterday, the global Break Free From Plastic movement published the results of 239 clean-ups and brand audits in 42 countries on six continents, revealing the extent of plastic pollution. The companies responsible for the most plastic pollution were Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé. Full details at bit.ly/brandauditreport2018.

On the same day, a 260,000-strong petition calling for the legislation to hold companies responsible for plastic pollution was delivered to members of the European Parliament’s environment committee by Rethink Plastic, Break Free From Plastic and Sum of Us.

ENDS

NOTES:

[1] The definition supported by the European Parliament’s environment committee concerns any plastic product “designed or placed on the market to be used only once over a short time span before it is discarded”.

[2] Oxo-degradable plastics are supposedly biodegradable plastics, which in reality break down into small fragments and contribute to harmful microplastic pollution in the oceans and other ecosystems.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Manila, Philippines, 9/10/2018

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé were the most frequent companies identified in 239 cleanups and brand audits spanning 42 countries and six continents, the Break Free From Plastic movement announced today. Over 187,000 pieces of plastic trash were audited, identifying thousands of brands whose packaging relies on the single-use plastics that pollute our oceans and waterways globally. Coca-Cola was the top polluter in the global audit, with Coke-branded plastic pollution found in 40 of the 42 participating countries. This brand audit effort is the most comprehensive snapshot of the worst plastic polluting companies around the world.

“These brand audits offer undeniable proof of the role that corporations play in perpetuating the global plastic pollution crisis,” said Global Coordinator of Break Free From Plastic Von Hernandez. “By continuing to churn out problematic and unrecyclable throwaway plastic packaging for their products, these companies are guilty of trashing the planet on a massive scale. It’s time they own up and stop shifting the blame to citizens for their wasteful and polluting products.”

The audits, led by Break Free From Plastic member organizations[1], found that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Danone, Mondelez International, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Perfetti van Melle, Mars Incorporated, and Colgate-Palmolive were the most frequent multinational brands collected in cleanups, in that order. This ranking of multinational companies included only brands that were found in at least ten of the 42 participating countries. Overall, polystyrene, which is not recyclable in most locations, was the most common type of plastic found, followed closely by PET, a material used in bottles, containers, and other packaging.

The top polluters in Asia, according to the analysis, were Coca-Cola, Perfetti van Melle, and Mondelez International brands. These brands accounted for 30 percent of all branded plastic pollution counted by volunteers across Asia. This year’s brand audits throughout Asia build upon a week-long cleanup and audit at the Philippines’ Freedom Island in 2017, which found Nestlé and Unilever to be the top polluters.

“We pay the price for multinational companies’ reliance on cheap throwaway plastic,” said Greenpeace Southeast Asia – Philippines Campaigner Abigail Aguilar. “We are the ones forced to clean up their plastic pollution in our streets and waterways. In the Philippines, we can clean entire beaches and the next day they are just as polluted with plastics. Through brand audits, we can name some of the worst polluters and demand that they stop producing plastic to begin with.”

In North and South America, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé brands were the top polluters identified, accounting for 64 and 70 percent of all the branded plastic pollution, respectively.

“In Latin America, brand audits put responsibility on the companies that produce useless plastics and the governments that allow corporations to place the burden, from extraction to disposal, in mostly vulnerable and poor communities,” said GAIA Coordinator for Latin America Magdalena Donoso. “BFFP members in Latin America are exposing this crisis  and promoting zero waste strategies in connection with our communities.”

In Europe, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestlé brands were again the top identified polluters, accounting for 45 percent of the plastic pollution found in the audits there. In Australia, 7-Eleven, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s brands were the top polluters identified, accounting for 82 percent of the plastic pollution found. And finally, in Africa, ASAS Group, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble brands were the top brands collected, accounting for 74 percent of the plastic pollution there.

“These brand audits are putting responsibility back where it belongs, with the corporations producing endless amounts of plastics that end up in the Indian Ocean,” said Griffins Ochieng, Programmes Coordinator for the Centre for Environment Justice and Development in Kenya. “We held cleanups and brand audits in two locations in Kenya to identify the worst corporate polluters in the region and hold them accountable. It is more urgent than ever, for the sake of communities that rely on the ocean for their livelihoods, health and well-being, to break free from plastic.

Break Free From Plastic is calling on corporations reduce their use of single-use plastic, redesign delivery systems to minimize or eliminate packaging, and take responsibility for the plastic pollution they are pumping into already strained waste management systems and the environment.

While the brand audits do not provide a complete picture of companies’ plastic pollution footprints, they are the best indication to date of the worst plastic polluters globally. The Break Free From Plastic movement is urging companies to end their reliance on single-use plastics, prioritizing innovation and alternative delivery systems for products.

ENDS

NOTES:

For the entire set of results, please find Break Free From Plastic’s brand audit report here: https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2018/

[1] Break Free From Plastic is a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Since its launch in September 2016, nearly 1,300 groups from across the world have joined the movement to demand massive reductions in single-use plastics and to push for lasting solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. These organizations share the common values of environmental protection and social justice, which guide their work at the community level and represent a global, unified vision. www.breakfreefromplastic.org

Photo and video:

For photo and video from brand audits around the world, click here: https://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJWQQ88P

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Strasbourg, 13/9/2018

Biodegradable and compostable plastics do not prevent plastic pollution and should not be an excuse to keep consuming single-use plastics, the European Parliament recognised in a vote today. The Parliament voted to strengthen the European Commission’s plans to slash plastic pollution, under the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy launched in January 2018.

Speaking on behalf of the Rethink Plastic alliance, ECOS programme manager Ioana Popescu said: “Biodegradable or not, plastics are clogging our land and oceans, threatening the health of humans and animals. The Parliament today has acknowledged that biodegradable plastics are not a silver bullet to our plastic pollution crisis, but merely a distraction from real solutions. Policies that dramatically cut our plastic footprint need to be urgently implemented.”

The European Parliament called for a number of additional measures that go beyond the Commission’s original proposals, including:

• A ban on microplastics in cosmetics, personal care products, detergents and cleaning products by 2020, and concrete measures to tackle other sources of microplastics;
• A complete ban on oxo-degradable plastics – a source of microplastic pollution – by 2020; [1]
• The reduction of hazardous substances in plastics, to ensure that what is recycled is free from dangerous chemicals; [2]
• That the priority should be to prevent plastic waste from being produced in the first place, followed by reuse and recycling, with landfill or incineration of plastic waste as a last resort.

However, the European Parliament failed to back measures to tackle widespread pollution from plastic pellets, which are melted down to make everyday plastic items. It also failed to support stronger economic incentives to reduce plastic production and consumption. [3]

The European Commission has already begun to implement some measures announced in its Plastics Strategy, notably a proposal on legislation to reduce marine pollution from single-use plastics and fishing gear, currently being discussed both in the European Parliament and by national  governments.

ENDS

NOTES:

[1] Oxo-degradable plastics are supposedly biodegradable plastics, which in reality break down into small fragments and contribute to harmful microplastic pollution in the oceans and other ecosystems.

[2] The European Parliament also reminded the Commission of the commitment, in the EU’s 7th Environmental Action Programme, to develop non-toxic material cycles. This is fundamental to ensure that the circular economy is a success for the environment. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32013D1386

[3] Effective economic incentives should include Extended Producer Responsibility fees for all plastic and plastic containing items, not only for packaging as is in current law.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Brussels, 4/9/2018

Taxing plastics can help lead to a responsible use of the material by triggering the necessary reduction of both production and consumption, a new report finds. However, a plastic tax will only work if designed to influence producer and consumer behaviour, rather than raising revenue.

The study “The price is right … or is it? The case for taxing plastic”, carried out by the New Economic Foundation for Zero Waste Europe and partners organisations from the Rethink Plastic alliance, reveals how the European Commission’s proposal to tax unrecycled plastic packaging will only incentivise Member States to increase recycling, without actually tackling the underlying problem of unsustainable production and consumption of plastic [1].

Speaking on behalf of Rethink Plastic, Ariadna Rodrigo, Sustainable Products Campaigner at Zero Waste Europe, said: “We cannot recycle our way out of plastic pollution. Given the scale and urgency of the problem, a set of economic incentives to cut the production of new plastic while promoting reuse and recycling is urgently needed to stop plastic pollution at source and accelerate the move towards a circular economy.”

The report also highlights how:

• Environmental taxation and other economic incentives have a strong role to play in fighting plastic pollution and accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

• While in the short term a new plastic tax could generate significant revenue, relying on this in the long term could lead to perverse consequences, such as political opposition to ambitious action to reduce the use of plastic.

• While a single tax will not by itself trigger the breadth of responses needed from producers and consumers, a set of measures targeting different stages of the production and supply chain of plastics would be a key step towards the reduction of its use

• In some cases, banning a certain use of plastics is more effective taxing it.

Ariadna Rodrigo continued: “Plastics have entered our food and water and are causing devastating impacts on our environment, yet the generation of plastic waste continues to escalate. Taxes are a key tool to help solve the plastic pollution problem.”

Rethink Plastic calls on the EU must broaden the scope of the proposed tax on non-recycled plastic packaging waste in the Multiannual Financial Framework, in order to ensure a focus on plastic prevention all along the supply chain.

***

NOTES:

[1] The report analyses five different types of plastic tax, their advantages and disadvantages. Whereas taxes on production are less likely to impact consumer behaviour, they are in theory easier to administer. On the other hand, taxes on consumption help to change both individual behaviour and shape the public debate, but may do little to change the production methods of the industry.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Brussels, 10/07/2018

The European Parliament’s environment committee today voted to strengthen the European Commission’s overall plans to cut plastic pollution, under the so-called Plastics Strategy.

On behalf of the Rethink Plastic alliance, Friends of the Earth Europe’s Resource Justice Campaigner Meadhbh Bolger said: “The environment committee has recognised that the Commission’s plans to tackle plastic pollution must be strengthened to protect our oceans. 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.”

The environment committee called for a number of measures that go beyond the Commission’s original proposals, including:

• – A ban on microplastics in cosmetics, personal care, detergents and cleaning products by 2020, and minimum requirements to tackle other sources of microplastics
• – A complete ban on oxo-degradable plastics – a source of microplastic pollution – by 2020 [1]
• – A recognition that biodegradable and compostable plastics do not prevent plastic waste in our oceans and should not be an excuse to keep using single-use plastics
• – Any financial contribution from taxing plastics should go towards preventing plastic waste generation
• The reduction of hazardous substances in plastics, to ensure that what is recycled is free from dangerous chemicals [2]

Bolger continued: “There’s a lot of greenwashing going on to try and present bio-based and biodegradable plastics as a silver bullet – but this is a sideshow, distracting from the real solutions: reduction and reuse. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics pollute our beaches and seas just like conventional plastics, and should be treated as such. It is hugely positive that the Parliament acknowledges this.”

However, the environment committee failed to back measures to tackle pollution from industrially-produced plastic pellets, which are melted down to make everyday plastic items.  It also failed to support stronger economic incentives to reduce plastic production and consumption. [3]

The full European Parliament will vote in September on the environment committee’s response to the Commission’s proposal.

***

NOTES:

[1] Oxo-degradables plastics are supposedly biodegradable plastics, which in reality break down into small fragments and contribute to harmful microplastic pollution in the oceans and other ecosystems.

[2] The Environment Committee also reminded the Commission of the EU commitment laid down in the 7th Environmental Action Programme (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32013D1386) for the development of non-toxic material cycles. This is fundamental to ensure that the circular economy is a success for the environment.

[3] Effective economic incentives would include Extended Producer Responsibility fees for all plastic and plastic containing items, not only for packaging as is in current law.