The Strategy lays out the Commission’s approach to reduce the impact of plastic pollution, including a commitment to investigate the scope of a legislative initiative on single-use plastics. [2]
“The European Commission is showing willingness to tackle the plastic pollution crisis”, said Delphine Lévi Alvarès, coordinator of Rethink Plastic, “but it is now essential to bring forward ambitious legislation to drastically reduce the consumption of both single-use plastic items and packaging within this Commission’s term”.
On the other hand, while restrictions on polluting oxo-plastics [3] are mentioned, the Strategy includes no detail on how this would be done. “There is no place for oxo-plastics in a true circular economy. If the Commission is to be serious about halting the use of these damaging materials, a ban is urgently needed”, said Lévi Alvarès.
In addition, Rethink Plastic:
The Rethink Plastic alliance expects the European Commission to deliver, within its term, on the above commitments, and show true global leadership towards a future free from plastic pollution.
Carsten Wachholz of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) said:
“Our seas are choking on plastic. We are close to a point of no return, meaning it’s time for governments and businesses to face reality.
“We welcome the initiative, but the European Commission must now come up with legally-binding measures to reduce the availability of specific single-use plastic items, make packaging reusable and easily recyclable, and restrict the use of microplastics.”
NOTES
[1] The European Environmental Bureau is a member organisation of the Rethink Plastic campaign, an alliance of leading European NGOs working to ensure a future that is free from plastic pollution.
[2] http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-18-5_en.htm
[3] Oxoplastics are supposedly biodegradable plastics, which in reality break down into small fragments and contribute to harmful microplastic pollution in the oceans and other ecosystems. Over 150 organisations called for an outright ban in 2017.