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Plastics
- Almost 26 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated in Europe every year
- Around 80% of marine litter is plastic
- 87% of Europeans are worried about the impact of plastic products on the environment
Plastics producers benefit from its customers’ industries such as the packaging sector which stands for almost 40% of the total demand. Building & construction with around 20% of total demand. Automotive sector with nearly 9%. The European country with the highest demand is Germany with approximately 25%, followed by Italy with over 14% and France with almost 10%.
The EU is taking action to tackle plastic pollution and marine litter to accelerate the transition to a circular and resource-efficient plastics economy. Specific rules and targets apply to certain areas, including single-use plastics, plastic packaging, microplastics, and soon bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics.
The EU’s plastics strategy, as part of the circular economy action plan, outlines specific actions in more detail.