Tag: microplastics

• EU ecodesign rules must address microplastics in clothing

  The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) offers the opportunity to limit microplastic pollution from clothing - but the Commission’s preliminary study on apparel does not offer any performance, or even information, requirements, despite existing research that identifies hotspots of microplastic pollution across the life cycle of textiles, as well as design and manufacturing techniques that can reduce microplastics shedding from clothing.

• Addressing microplastics release from apparel

  Textiles are among the most significant sources of environmental microplastic pollution in the EU. The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation offers an opportunity to introduce mandatory ecodesign requirements on microplastics release to help address this growing environmental concern. We outline recommendations for the delegated act on ecodesign for apparel, drawing on published standardised methodologies (ISO 4484 series).

• Euro 7: New EU car emission standard not enough to reduce microplastic pollution from tyres

  The EU has agreed on a new car emission standard, Euro 7, that will (among other things) set limits on emissions stemming from the abrasion of tyres while driving – a massive source of microplastic pollution. Although this is a step in the right direction, Euro 7 will unfortunately not sufficiently address Europe’s microplastic problem.

• Position paper: How can EU legislation tackle microplastic pollution

  With plastic production expected to skyrocket in the coming years, microplastic pollution is set to become a runaway challenge if adequate preventive measures are not put in place quickly. Effective solutions that prioritise prevention must be implemented now to prevent microplastic pollution and minimise its impacts on our global ecosystems and climate for the generations to come. We urgently need to phase down material and resource use to sustainable levels within planetary boundaries and choose carefully which applications we use plastics for.