in the fight against litter David Schisler, C.E.E. R. SCHISLER - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Single-use products under attack in the fight against litter

David Schisler, C.E.E. R. SCHISLER

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

EU Action on Plastics Carrier Bags

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

The French bans

• The 1994 Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive does not allow

EU countries to discriminate against packaging so long as it complies with “essential requirements”

• Italy banned plastics carrier bags illegally (unless bioplastics)

General EU rule: free access to compliant packaging

An exception made for single-use carrier plastics bags

• EU institutions changed the rules to legalise Italy’s position (new

rules published last month)

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

What is going on in France now?

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

The French bans

1

• Now that EU law allows it, France

will ban single-use plastics carrier bags by 2016.

Single-use carrier plastics bags

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

The French bans: following the precedent

2

• Green Party in France opportunistically took a step further: ban of

single-use plastics tableware by 2020 now on the table (unless bio-sourced/compostable)

Single-use plastics tableware

• This too is illegal under the EU

Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive

• But, after the precedent set by

the plastics bag ban, French Greens are now seeking new targets

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

The context and politics behind it

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

The big picture

• Introduced by French government
• Environment Minister Segolène Royal

Part of larger proposal: Energy Efficiency & Circular Economy

• This main focus of the proposal is to reduce French carbon emissions

by 40% in 2030

• The Greens opportunistically put forward an amendment to ban

tableware

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

The two houses of the French Parliament are fighting it out

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

The big picture

* Has final say * Proposal originally targeted all single-use plastics tableware

• Now limited to cups and

plates

• Deadline: summer 2015

Proposed compromise of introducing collecting/sorting at source

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

Timeline

• French government wants to be seen leading the way on

environmental matters (hosting world climate change talks at the end of 2015 in Paris)

• Bioplastics industry likely pushing for this and create a market for

themselves

• Green Party is focussing big part of efforts on this
• The ban will be very hard to fight off/likely here to stay
• It will be challenged by Brussels (it is currently illegal under EU law)
• Single-use cups and plates will likely stay in legal limbo until the

situation is clarified at EU level or the French somehow undo this later on

• Greens will fight with this tooth and nail to put pressure on EU to

do the same as France

Key takeaways

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

Timeline

• The city of Berlin is considering placing litter tax on paper cups
• Despite the fact that this has been ruled unconstitutional in the

past

• Developing legal measures to address litter is very much part of

the public debate

• To be continued….

Meanwhile… in Berlin:

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

Thank you for your attention

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

Thank you for your attention

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London

Thank you for your attention

Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015 3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London