Segnalazione da Eurocommerce

Lightweight Plastic Carrier Bags: proposed Directive should also focus on improved collection rates and recyclability

The European Commission proposal[1] to amend the packaging and packaging waste Directive, aimed at reducing the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags, ignores already existing voluntary initiatives and good practices, many of which are driven by retail and wholesale companies.

Christian Verschueren commented: “The commerce sector supports the fight against littering; it is fundamental to prevent lightweight plastic bags from ending up in the world’s oceans. However, the most effective way to reduce the environmental impact of a carrier bags is to reuse the bag, or in the case of lightweight plastic carrier bags, to ensure better collection rates and higher levels of recyclability. It is also important to recognise that these plastic bags play a role in maintaining food safety.”

 

The objectives of this proposal are in line with the commerce sector’s commitment to reduce its consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags. Improvements have already been made in the last decade, by providing consumers with alternatives (i.e. reusable bags made of recycled material etc). Furthermore, retail and wholesale companies, either alone, as a sector, or in cooperation with public authorities, have set up voluntary initiatives to raise consumer awareness and encourage them to modify their consumption behaviours. These actions have enabled the number of plastic bags used to be reduced from an average of 500 for every EU citizen in 2008[2], to 198 in 2010.

Today’s proposal does not, however, reward member states or companies that have already done something to reduce their consumption of lightweight carrier bags. On the contrary, new reduction efforts are demanded, even for countries that are best-in-class.

The commerce sector also questions the need for a European policy specifically addressing plastic bags as they are considered to be packaging material, the rules of which are up for review in 2014.

[1] This proposal which was adopted today, targets plastic bags with a thickness below 50 microns (0.05 millimetres) and which are supplied to consumers at the point of sale of goods or products. It calls on all member states to take measures – including economic instruments – to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic bags and to report on progress. 

2 “Commission seeks views on reducing plastic bag use”, European Commission, 18 May 2011 (http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-11-580_en.htm)