Source: European Commission Read in the following an article by Katharina Hinse, Environmental Affairs Manager at European Bioplastics (EUBP). I thought plastic straws, plastic cutlery, and EPS take-away boxes were banned this summer. So why do I still find them everywhere? Well, as always, it’s complicated: Even though the Directive (EU 2019/904) [...]
On 8 February, the European Parliament adopted its Own Initiative Report on the Circular Economy which recognised the role of bioplastics for the future. Amongst other issues highlighted, the MEPs emphasised the potential role of bio-based and biodegradable and compostable plastics in the circular economy whilst noting that bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics alone will not provide a solution to the environmental concerns related to plastics. [...]
For quite some time now, the European Commission (EC) is putting a special focus on biodegradable and compostable polymers when assessing the general role of bioplastics. This becomes obvious when looking at the number of related EU studies and reports that had been published in 2020. The last publication in this regard was the [...]
This year has already seen quite an impressive number of studies, reports, and additional publications related to bioplastics that were published by the European Commission (EC). Most of them contribute to the development of a framework for bioplastics included in the EC’s Circular Economy Action Plan. For the bioplastics industry, a clear framework is [...]
The European Commission (EC) is currently revising the Essential Requirements for Packaging as part of the amendment of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD). They relate to the manufacturing and composition of packaging, its reusable and recoverable nature as well as to the minimization of hazardous materials. These requirements, and the associated [...]
In the course of implementing the European Strategy for Plastics, so far, the European Commission (EC) initiated a remarkable number of research studies. The recently published study on the ‘Relevance of biodegradable and compostable plastic products in a circular economy’ ranks amongst the most important ones for the bioplastics industry. It aims at contributing [...]
Almost a year has passed since the European Parliament and the European Council adopted the Single-use Plastics Directive (SUPD) in summer 2019. In order to comply with the SUPD, Member States (MS) have two years to bring into force the necessary laws, regulations and administrative provisions. Now, with the deadline ending on 3 July [...]
Covid-19 is said to have caused the greatest crisis after WW II, having a massive impact not only on European citizens and businesses, but on the people around the entire globe. In the European Union (EU) Member States have individually taken security measures to protect their citizens. These measures also focus on the exchange [...]
After the publication of its European Green Deal (Annex) in early December last year, the European Commission (EC) recently issued one of the deal’s key deliverables: the new Circular Economy Action Plan (nCEAP). Amongst several other crucial elements, whose publication was scheduled for March, the nCEAP is of special significance for the bioplastics industry. [...]
