Library

Our resources

Welcome to our library, where you can find the full range of infographics, reports,  position papers and videos on plastic pollution by the Rethink Plastic alliance and its member organisations. Browse our latest publications!

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February 21, 2024

Functionalisation of Paper and Cardboard. How to make Paper/Cardboard impervious for packaging?

Paper and cardboard require functionalisation so that they can be used in contact with food. Functionalisation may include adding a barrier function to water, grease, gases, etc. This is mainly achieved through the use of plastic, i.e. the combination of polymer(s) + additive(s). Paper and cardboard
food packaging are therefore not free from plastic. As such, most paper and cardboard packaging remain at the same level as “single-use plastics”, as defined in the European Directive on Single-Use Plastics.

February 5, 2024

Open Letter on Chemicals in the PPWR

In line with our letter sent to Commissioners on 30 November 2023 regarding substances of concern in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR)1, we are now calling on negotiators […]

February 5, 2024

Big tobacco: poisoning (long-due) extended producer responsibility schemes

Single Use Plastics Directive Implementation Assessment Report February 2024 Focus on Extended Producer Responsibility schemes on tobacco-related products Cigarette buts are the most commonly found litter worldwide in clean-up activities […]

January 16, 2024

Open Letter to the Members of the European Parliament: The Plastic Pellet Crisis Exposes Weakness in proposed EU Regulation

After yet another container loss, the shores of Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria(Spain), along the Atlantic coast, are under siege from a relentless tide ofmicroplastics. Those small particles washing ashore are […]

plastic pellets

December 12, 2023

EU Regulation on preventing plastic pellet losses needs mandatory requirements for all operators to reduce microplastic pollution

Plastic pellets, whether derived from virgin material, recycled sources or biomass, constitute the primary building blocks for the majority of plastic products. The European Commission’s Proposal for a Regulation on […]

November 8, 2023

Prevention and reuse – the only solution to record levels of packaging waste

Levels of packaging waste in Europe are at an all-time high. Over the last decade, its growthoutpaced the economy rising faster than the volume of traded goods. The latest Eurostat […]

October 2, 2023

SCIP Database – Does it enhance transparency on Substances of Concern in a Circular Economy?

September 13, 2023

Disposable Paper-based Food Packaging. The false solution to the packaging waste crisis.

A new report by the Rethink Plastic Alliance, European Environmental Bureau, Zero Waste Europe, Fern and the Environmental Paper Network reveals the environmental harm caused by replacing single-use plastic with […]

fries in a cardboard box

August 24, 2023

Unveiling the Complexities: Exploring LCAs of Reusable Packaging in the TakeAway Sector

Heavily cited studies which favour single-use over reuse often lack transparency and have implicit biases against reuse due to funders’ interests, cherrypicked scenarios and false assumptions, according to a new report by Reloop and Zero Waste Europe.

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