Plastics Europe supports EU agreement against pellet dispersal

Plastics Europe welcomes the news that a provisional agreement was reached last night between the European Parliament and the Council on mandatory pellet loss prevention measures. This is a critical step toward enhancing environmental protection and prompting a more sustainable plastics industry in Europe.

“Whilst we have not had an opportunity to study the agreement in detail, our initial assessment is that it builds upon our previous efforts and supports our industry’s pellet loss prevention goals. We appreciate that policymakers seem to have taken account of our voluntary efforts to prevent plastic pellet losses via Operation Clean Sweep. This is a pragmatic approach to policymaking – where new regulation builds on established best practices – helping minimise additional regulatory burden on industry. As a result, first movers who have already invested in on-site pellet loss prevention measures are well positioned to comply with new regulatory requirements despite ongoing competitiveness challenges for our industry. We believe this agreement can serve as an example of smart and competitive policymaking”, Virginias Janssens, Managing Director of Plastics Europe, stated.

Pellet loss can occur at any point in the supply chain, including pellet production, all types of transportation, storage, and conversion into final products. The association is, therefore, very encouraged that the European Parliament and the Council have recognised the importance of making pellet loss prevention mandatory for all players in the supply chain.

It now calls for prompt engagement by the European Parliament and the Council to endorse last night’s agreement in a timely manner. It is vital that a final legal text is published as soon as possible to enhance environmental protection and bring regulatory certainty for the European plastics value chain at a time of severe competitiveness pressure for our industry in Europe.