Where we are on Plastic? (2/2)
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Europe want to lead the World Plastic Revolution, by modifying the whole life cycle of plastic. Not only with new rules (EU Directives and Regulations), but also promoting a new design, research and product recycling.

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Up to now the EU has partially regulated the plastic cycle, especially for packaging and waste treatment.

Recently, the European Commission has commissioned studies aimed at identifying the problems arising from a certain use of plastics and all new polymers, in order to lay the foundations for a holistic approach. These projects were entrusted to consultants with an involvement of ECHA, the EU Chemicals Agency.

At the end of this survey phase, during which the stackholders were involved through public consultations, the EU Commission published a Communication on "Plastic in a circular economy".

The European Parliament adopted a Resolution, which broadly shares the ambitious objectives of the EU Commission. It has already debated this subject several times, both as a legislator, with the approval of EU Directives and Regulations, as a political actor, promoting debates and initiatives of his own.​

Commission and Parliament are in tune with regard to plastic restrictions and the need to regulate their whole life cycle and are working on the circular economy package, with very ambitious objectives.

The Waste Directive has recently been changed and new targets for recycling have been scheduled for plastics, new bag limits set and new rules on biodegradability.

Only the EU Council of Ministers, co-legislator with the EU Parliament, has the potential to curb European ambitions, as it is a direct expression of EU member states.

An EU calendar of the next measures is ready and includes the modification of existing rules and the completion of the plastic cycle with important measures to limit its use and to make almost everything recyclable in a few years.

It will also be an important opportunity for research. Innovative plastics will have to be found and new manufacturing or disposal processes must be developed for those considered most harmful.

All the details are presented in this eDossier.

So, now begins a real revolution, which will first touch producers and manufacturers who, to remain on the market, will not only have to update themselves but also become actors of the change taking place.

And this is possible, because through public consultations and decision-making processes, which are important steps of the EU legislative processes, stakeholders can make their own voice heard and give suggestions.

For example, for the plastics industry it is not just about reaching the new recycling targets for packaging (respectively 50% to 2025 and 55% to 2030) but to abandon the logic of production and linear consumption "take-make-dispose" that destroys in one use 95% of the economic value of the plastic products. And the industry itself will be called to find the most suitable, most promising and economically most interesting technological solutions.

Most companies that have already made known the voluntary measures taken to reduce the impact and quantities of plastic used are well-known brands of multinational companies that have joined the EU call (see in-depth reports) or the New Year three-year program Plastics Economy (NPE) of the Ellen McArthur Foundation (EMF) and participated in the drafting of the Action Plan NPE: Catalysing Action published at the beginning of 2017.

The urgency of the EU also stems from the desire to prepare rules that are shared by everyone and not decided unilaterally only by a part of the industry.

By Paolo Licandro

Engineer, decades as Director and Deputy Secretary General at the European Parliament