EU Puts an End to the Era of SUP!


COVID-19 can’t stop the war against single-use plastics

Threatened by the rapidly spreading virus, people give much preference to single-use products over reusable ones. As the virus is known to be easily spread by droplets, the value of hygiene is getting more attention than that of convenience from these products. When this current situation has affected and halted a plastic ban policy in each country, Europe is firmly taking steps to kick them out.

In fact, Europe declared war against plastic long ago. The European Commission hereinafter EC announced in May of 2018 that they were going to establish regulations to restrict on major disposable plastic products. According to the announcement, the products including straws, swabs, stirrers, and other single-use utensils will be completely banned by 2021, and manufactures should use alternatives for them. The EC also decided to reduce the use of containers for take-out foods and beverages that they cannot be provided for free in the EU member states. In addition, each country should set a target for reducing the use of disposables and make effort to achieve it with green strategies.

 

Indiscreet Use of Plastic, Why Should We Look Out?

Plastic, invented in 1869, is a familiar material used for almost everything around us, for its excellent practicality and cost-effectiveness. It has greatly contributed to global economic development and taken essential parts in varied industries.

However, its life span is short and it is not designed for reuse. More importantly, efficient recycling is hard to expect. The production and consumption pattern of plastic does not consider the entire circulation of the product. In fact, it is discovered that the single-use plastic items such as straws and stirrers cover about 70% of the total marine waste.

 


To make difference, the EC officially published the directives on SUP(single-use plastic) on June 5th, 2019. The directives collectively define ‘SUP’ as all the products that are not intended for reuse, regardless of the amount of plastic content. Therefore, conventional paper cups laminated with extrusion coatings such as PE, BioPE, PLA, PBS are classified as SUP and they will be eventually banned across European Union based on the directives.

Let’s read the directives more closely to find out how the EU tries to minimize environmental pollution!

 

①      Marking Requirements

As of July 3rd of 2020, all the plastic-coated products including disposable cups need to contain a warning label of the material. This is to remind the customers how their purchase would affect the environment and to reduce the use of the products.

The label will indicate plastic content, the right waste management, and a disposal way to be avoided. The icons and text will have to be printed in prescribed colors and the rest of the details is anticipated to be officially released in August of 2020.

 ②      Development and Support of Sustainable Alternatives

The directives ask for companies’ active participation, too, in order to prevent the environment. The EC says that all the relevant subjects should make an effort to minimize the negative impact of single-use plastic while promoting the development and use of sustainable alternatives.

Meanwhile, the directives clarify the fact that there are some so-called ‘environmentally friendly’ products, but they are not actually biodegradable causing the microplastic issue and polluting the current recycling system and that these greenwashing products should not be considered as sustainable alternatives. The ban on using the disposable food containers made of polystyrene is also stated in the directives.


The Value We Need to Pursue for the Post-Corona World

The Directives urge the member countries to act and cooperate so as to change the consumption pattern and find a sustainable solution. Again, it emphasizes on setting the reduction goal of disposable plastic and considering the impact on the environment from production to disposal as well as waste disposal system. It will only be able to achieve noticeable success when organizations, manufacturers, and consumers collectively work together.

 Experts expect that our life cannot be the same as before the COVID-19 outbreak. With the increase in un-contact activities and acknowledge of the importance of health and hygiene emerged, the use of single-use plastic packaging and containers is expected to grow continuously. Some may say this would slow down eco-friendly movements that have been actively progressed up to recently.

However, the pandemic also teaches us that human beings and nature are in correlation. The group of humans, animals, and plants are not a dogmatic assembly, but they are linked to one ecosystem circle.

Now it’s time to prepare the Post-Corona era. If using disposable products is inevitable, wouldn’t it be needed to design recyclable environment-friendly alternatives and to establish resource circulation system? We may be standing at the last crossroads to choose the right value over cost at the moment.


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