The European Parliament and the European Council are moving forward with plans for a new regulation aimed at preventing microplastic pollution from plastic pellets.
The Commission says that between 52,000 and 184,000 tonnes of pellets are released in the environment each year due to mishandling throughout the entire supply chain. The proposal aims to ensure that all operators handling pellets in the EU take the necessary precautionary measures.
The new rules, the Commission says, are expected to reduce plastic pellet losses by up to 74%. Once in the environment, plastic pellets contaminate water and soil, including agricultural land, and negatively impact ecosystems and biodiversity, and microplastics are also very difficult to remove from the environment. The Commission said that the new regulation will benefit sectors including agriculture, acquaculture and tourism.
“The proposed regulation will protect the environment, while ensuring that European industries can continue to operate and expand sustainably,” the Commission said.
There will be mandatory certification for companies handling more than 1,500 tonnes of plastic pellets each year while smaller companies will be able to make a self-declaration, and smaller companies will also get assistance to help them comply with the new regulation.
Jessica Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy said: “All ecosystems will benefit from these new handling measures to limit pellet losses […] By maintaining lighter requirements for small companies, we’ve developed smart environmental legislation, positioning the EU as a global leader in reducing pellet losses and a smart regulator that avoids unnecessary burden.”
The provisional agreement together with the restrictions on intentionally added microplastics adopted during September 2023, are the first EU measures specifically designed to tackle microplastic pollution at source. Together, they contribute to the target of reducing microplastics releases into the environment by 30% by 2030 established by the Zero Pollution Action Plan.
The European Parliament and the European Council now have to adopt the new regulation before it can enter into force. It will then enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
At the end of 2024, talks held in Busan, Korea, to establish an international legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, ended without agreement.
Further reading
• Antimicrobial resistance: How microplastics can increase the spread of AMR
• Unilever leads stakeholder call to finalise global plastics treaty
• Australian research centre is plotting a greener future for plastics
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