While the small island of Dominica has banned the use of plastic, the European Union is dragging its feet on which plastic pollutants to ban by 2021…
A press release from the organization Someofus
“The EU’s legal network is targeting plastic polluters such as Coca-Cola and Nestlé” – but there's a gap that needs to be filled immediately!
An unfortunate mistake or a gift to polluting companies? The European Parliament's Environment Committee agreed on Wednesday to’a definition of «single-use plastic» that would allow polluters to market their polluting disposable plastic products as if they were reusable items.
MEPs can propose further amendments before they all vote on the EU directive on single-use plastics on October 23. They must correct this huge mistake and resist pressure from the industry, which wants to weaken the law.
Tell the European Parliament to amend the proposed plastics bill so that companies drastically reduce their single-use plastic pollution and marine life can breathe again.
We only have a week! The next European Parliament elections will take place in May 2019, which is close enough that even MEPs who are traditionally pro-industry are responding to pressure from European citizens.
Some of the amendments made by the Environment Committee to the bill are excellent. Expanded polystyrene food and beverage containers, for example, have been added to the list of plastic products that cause pollution and are to be banned by 2021. They also want governments to finally require tobacco manufacturers to cover the costs of collecting, transporting, and processing their plastic packaging and cigarette butts.
But it's not just about saving the seagulls or making polluters pay. The fight against plastic pollution is also a fight against the acceleration of climate change. The International Energy Agency warned in a report on Monday that the main driver of global oil demand growth over the next 10 to 15 years is the petrochemical industry – in other words: plastic.
Tell MEPs to fix the proposed plastics bill right now! A turtle choking on plastic—whether it’s relabeled or redesigned—is still a dead turtle.
Members of the European Parliament must ensure that the amendments made before the final vote on October 23 constitute legitimate improvements to the current rules and not compromises that benefit corporations. The risk now is that pro-plastic MEPs will try to weaken the rules—particularly the one requiring companies to pay—or will try to maintain a definition of single-use plastic that is so narrow that companies can easily circumvent the law.
We made headlines around the world this week with the #BreakFreeFromPlastic movement and our petition to the Environmental Commission. Thanks to SumOfUs members like you, we were also able to present the petition in Brussels before the Commission’s vote and run online ads across Europe targeting Members of the European Parliament, their staff, and their constituents.
This European law on single-use plastics affects nearly all polluting industries, from the oil industry to the tobacco industry. ”
