Directive 2019/904 - Reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 155/1

The high functionality and relatively low cost of plastic means that this material is increasingly ubiquitous in everyday life. While plastic plays a useful role in the economy and provides essential applications in many sectors, its growing use in short-lived applications, which are not designed for re-use or cost-effective recycling, means that related production and consumption patterns have become increasingly inefficient and linear. Therefore, in the context of the Circular Economy Action Plan laid down in the Communication of the Commission of 2 December 2015 entitled ‘Closing the loop – An EU action plan for the Circular Economy’, the Commission concluded in the European Strategy for Plastics laid down in its Communication of 16 January 2018 entitled ‘A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy’ that the steady increase in plastic waste generation and the leakage of plastic waste into the environment, in particular into the marine environment, must be tackled in order to achieve a circular life cycle for plastics. The European Strategy for Plastics is a step towards establishing a circular economy in which the design and production of plastics and plastic products fully respect re-use, repair and recycling needs and in which more sustainable materials are developed and promoted. The significant negative environmental, health and economic impact of certain plastic products calls for the setting up of a specific legal framework to effectively reduce those negative effects.

This Directive promotes circular approaches that give priority to sustainable and non-toxic re-usable products and re-use systems rather than to single-use products, aiming first and foremost to reduce the quantity of waste generated. Such waste prevention is at the pinnacle of the waste hierarchy enshrined in Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (4). This Directive will contribute to the achievement of United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 12 to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, which is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2015. By retaining the value of products and materials for as long as possible and generating less waste, the economy of the Union can become more competitive and more resilient, while reducing pressure on precious resources and the environment.

Marine litter is transboundary in nature and is recognised as a growing global problem. Reducing marine litter is a key action for the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 which calls to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. The Union must play its part in preventing and tackling marine litter and aim to be a standard setter for the world. In that context, the Union is working with partners in many international fora such as G20, G7 and the UN to promote concerted action and this Directive is part of the Union’s efforts in that regard. In order for those efforts to be effective, it is also...