Though there are private investment initiatives that fund solutions (and false solutions) to plastic pollution, they are not sufficient. Public investments must step-up to enable the systemic change needed to fund real solutions to the plastic pollution crisis. Let’s explore how this can work!
Plastic – The (in)Visible Pollution. Plastic pollutes more than what the human eye can see
Emissions from petrochemical sites, plastic production plants, incinerators and landfills pollute the
air and impact the health of surrounding communities and ecosystems. Toxic substances emitted
during the production process also pollute the soil and the water, with impacts on the food we
grow and water we consume, as well as on biodiversity.
Health And Safety Not Guaranteed – Exposing plastics’ impact on human health
Communities living near fossil fuel extraction, petrochemical refineries and transport routes and
the workers employed in these facilities, face increased risks of respiratory issues and cancer
from emissions, fires, and flares: just one example of how the detrimental effects of plastic on
human health start long before it is created for human use.
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.
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 to maintain the ambition of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) within the PPWR.
In particular, we ask the negotiators to:
- Introduce restrictions in the cases of significant risks to human health or the environment with wording aligned with the ESPR, and
- Introduce bans on PFAS and BPA in packaging.
Image by Freepik
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 with over 4.5
trillion estimated to be discarded annually. Cigarette butts are found in almost all environments:
they are found massively along roadways, along waterways, on the beach but also in parks and
playgrounds, and in cities. As our citizen science projects prove, cigarettes have constantly been
the number one litter item picked up on European beaches, in city streets or along water bodies
during the Surfrider Europe’s Ocean Initiatives: 2,409,580 cigarette butts were collected in 2022
(1). In 2022, cigarette butts were collected in 89% of our operations and there were 1072
cigarette butts counted on average at each clean-up organised that year. And in every country
where Ocean Initiatives took place, cigarette butts were found. At global level, of the 137 million
cigarette butts discarded onto the ground every day, 40% end up in the oceans.
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 of
microplastics. Those small particles washing ashore are plastic pellets, which are
the raw material used to manufacture all plastic items.