Environmental groups accuse EU of 'watering down' curbs on plastic waste

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), which is Europe's largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations, blasted the proposals as "meagre", saying the Commission had "pared back" following industry pressure.

New EU proposals to curb growing waste around packaging, such as banning single-use plastics used for mini shampoo bottles and multipack soft drinks, were "watered down" in the face of intense industry lobbying.

That is according to environmental groups, who were reacting to European Commission proposals unveiled this week to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from packaging to 43 million tonnes by 2030, compared to 66 million tonnes in the business-as-usual scenario.

The costs of environmental damage for the economy and society would be reduced by €6.4bn by 2030, the Commission said, as it also outlined proposals that would mean clear labelling for consumers about what can and cannot go in the recycling bin, and mandatory rates of recycled content that producers would have to include in new plastic packaging.

Ireland South MEP Grace O'Sullivan will negotiate the Commission proposals in the European Parliament for the Greens-European Free Alliance political grouping.

"It’s time to say goodbye to throwaway culture and embrace reuse again. Recycling is not enough, we need to reduce production of useless packaging waste. Despite massive support for climate and environmental action, on a daily basis we are forced to accept ridiculous amounts of waste in supermarkets, bars, hotels and deliveries. 

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"People don’t want millions of single-use shampoo bottles, or double packaging and shrink wrap, yet we’re forced to buy it and then pay for its recycling," the Tramore-based MEP said. Ms O'Sullivan acknowledged that the proposals did not go far enough for some environmental campaigners following industry pressure.

"I have to admit I am disappointed, however, that the Commission has watered down its proposals after intense lobbying from the plastics and packaging industry. The Parliament must now work to undo their damage," she said.

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), which is Europe's largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations, blasted the proposals as "meagre", saying the Commission had "pared back" following industry pressure.

A number of leaks in the build-up to the proposals saw heavy lobbying from industry resulting in environmental ambition and targets being watered down, the organisation claimed. The EEB lamented what it called "lost ambition compared to a previous draft widely circulated".

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Reuse targets were reduced by as much as 50%, a ban on expanded polystyrene has been dropped, and technical details on the approach to define recyclability were scaled back, it said.

However, it did acknowledge what it called an "important shift towards waste prevention, reuse, and recycling" that are "urgently needed".

"Parliament and Council must focus on improving the proposals so that genuine reuse and recycling can be scaled up, avoiding fake solutions.” EEB circular economy deputy manager Jean-Pierre Schweitzer said.