Press release | A new report, commissioned by the Rethink Plastic alliance, ECOS, and Zero Waste Europe, exposes serious methodological failures in a recent study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) on plastics recycling technologies.
Plastics in products have a huge impact on human health and the environment - yet they are not prioritised in the EU's new ecodesign rules. In the final text of the EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation the plastics and polymers sector is not listed in the intermediate product priorities. With the Rethink Plastic alliance, we sent a letter to the European Commission outlining the crucial reasons why plastics should be prioritised in the first ESPR working plan.
Plastic pollution is a monumental challenge requiring a united global response. In November 2024, negotiators are meeting for at INC-5, the fifth and final session of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to forge a Global Plastics Treaty. This historic opportunity is a chance to confront plastic pollution at its root and protect human and environmental health. How can this be realised? Find out in our recommendations,
The Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, has published a 'Non-Paper' to act as a basis for discussions. This paper is the most feasible route forward for reaching an agreement within a reasonable timeline. However, it doesn't guarantee a high-impact treaty on plastic pollution. Read the details in our response to the paper.
World leaders are on their way to Busan, South Korea, for a historic negotiation: INC-5, the final round of negotiations for a UN treaty to end plastic pollution. What can we expect? How can a plastics treaty confront plastic pollution at its root, protect health, and preserve the environment? Read our blog to find out.
The way we currently design, produce, consume, and dispose of plastic is highly unsustainable and inefficient. It is crucial to rethink the place of plastic in our society, prevent the ever-growing pollution it generates, and develop a responsible approach to plastic. To minimise the environmental and health footprint of one of the most widely used materials in countless products, plastic requires a comprehensive ecodesign approach.
Plastics and polymers should be included as an intermediate product in the first working plan under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. In our paper we show that by prioritising plastics and polymers, the EU will take a major step in addressing the plastic pollution crisis, working to minimise the environmental footprint of plastic and polymer production. We also look at the limitations of the current methodology that look into polymer production.
Over 130 civil society organisations express concern about participation in the Intersessional process of the Global Plastics We call for an open application process that allows accredited Observer organisations to register at least one representative for an in-person meeting, without the need for a letter of support from their governments. We also request for a hybrid solution to allow observer to follow the meetings from abroad.
Join us on 10 July (new date) for an insightful online session to discuss critical developments from the Plastics Treaty negotiations. We will look at outcomes from the last negotiations as well as next steps, the expectations for the upcoming negotiations, and the role of standards in implementing a treaty that reduces plastic pollution.
ECOS is looking for experts in the field of plastic pellet pollution and more specifically on methods to estimate plastic pellet losses to represent and defend environmental interests in the development of standards and related policies.
ECOS is co-funded by the European Commission and EFTA
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EISMEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
