Revised legislative package on waste acknowledges that bioplastics play a key role in achieving EU recycling goals Berlin, 28 February 2018 – The provisional agreements reached by the European Council and Parliament on the EU waste legislative package published by the Commission in 2015, recognise the benefits of bioplastics. The new legislation acknowledges that [...]
The European Commission has recommended EU-wide measures be taken against so-called ‘oxo-degradable‘ plastics. In a report published earlier this month, the Commission said that "a process to restrict the use of oxo-plastics in the EU will be started". European Bioplastics (EUBP), the association of the bioplastics industry in Europe, strongly welcomes this clear commitment [...]
But European Commission misses chance to fully embrace circular benefits of bio-based plastics and biodegradable plastics Berlin, 17 January 2018 – The European Strategy for Plastics, published on Tuesday by the European Commission, sets clear goals to curb plastic waste, increase resource efficiency, and to create value and job growth in Europe, but falls [...]
Oxo statement, New Plastics Economy, 2017 Oxo-degradable plastics are being produced and sold in many countries, with society being led to believe they safely biodegrade in nature. Yet significant evidence suggests oxo-degradable plastics do not safely biodegrade but fragment into small pieces, contributing to microplastics pollution. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics [...]
Berlin, 21 September 2017 – In the light of the current debates and consultations on the upcoming EU Strategy on Plastics and the revision of the EU waste legislation, European Bioplastics (EUBP), the association for the bioplastics industry in Europe, echoes the call for greater investments in the implementation of separate recycling streams, made [...]
On the occasion of the International Plastic Bag Free Day at the beginning of July, German-based research institute Fraunhofer UMSICHT published a position paper on plastic bags that looks at the pros and cons of the use of plastic bags compared to other alternatives such as paper or cotton bags from a scientific perspective, [...]
As set out in the amemdment of the EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste from 2015, the European Commission was tasked to assess the impacts of so-called “oxo-degradable” plastics on the environment and propose “a set of measures to limit their consumption or to reduce any harmful impacts“. To inform the Commission’s decision [...]
Spain announced plans to ban the sale of lightweight oxo-degradable bags from 2018 onwards under a new law drafted by the Spanish agriculture and environment ministry. The law implements an EU directive to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags. The draft also includes a minimum price on plastic bags above 15 microns [...]
EUBP stresses importance of improving waste management on land to solve the problem of marine litter Press Statement Berlin, 6 June 2016 – In a recent report on ‘marine plastic debris and microplastics’ published earlier last month, the UNEP describes the sources and effects of plastics and microplastics in the oceans and outlines potential [...]
Oxo-Degradable Plastics So-called ‘oxo-biodegradables’ and other additive-mediated plastics are not bioplastics Products made with additive-technology and available on the market include film applications such as shopping bags, agricultural mulch films and, most recently, certain plastic bottles. Experts from the plastics industry, waste management, and environment protection voice serious [...]