EU has new rules against plastic pollution ready

Micropellets of very small plastic pellets are the raw material for the production of almost all plastic products. However, both during production and transport, these pellets are often spilled. As a result, the pellets, which are not biodegradable, unintentionally end up in the environment and pollute seas and oceans. It is estimated that up to 184,000 tons of pellets are lost annually in the EU.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and the member states reached an agreement on a regulation that aims to tackle this source of plastic pollution during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Companies must conduct a risk analysis, with procedures to avoid, limit, and clean up unintended losses. This will apply throughout the entire value chain, from production to packaging and loading and unloading, both on land and at sea.

Companies processing more than 1,500 tons per year must regularly prove that they comply with the obligations through a certificate issued by an independent body. Smaller companies are given more leeway and have up to 5 years after the rules come into effect to obtain a one-time certificate. For companies processing less than 1,500 tons, a self-declaration is sufficient.

The compromise must reconcile the environmental objectives of the original proposal from 2023 with the new European policy priority of reducing the administrative burden on companies. “The most difficult thing about politics is making the almost irreconcilable work. We have done that today. We protect nature without unnecessarily burdening the industry,” says Belgian MEP Liesbet Sommen (CD&V/EPP), who negotiated the agreement.