After two years of negotiations, the European Parliament gave its final approval on October 20 for the regulation on the prevention of plastic pellet loss, a key measure to reduce microplastic pollution.
These plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, are small fragments of about 5 mm used as raw material to manufacture almost all plastic products. Widely dispersed during transport or handling, they represent the third-largest source of microplastic pollution in the European Union. According to the European Commission, up to 184,000 tonnes are lost each year.
Rethink Plastic Alliance (RPA), which has campaigned for more than a decade for this legislation, hailed it in a statement as “a major step” toward the goal of zero pellet loss, while regretting the exemptions granted to small and medium-sized enterprises. The regulation requires preventive measures across the entire supply chain, mandatory independent certification for large operators, and an annual reporting of pellet losses.
“For decades, producers were not held accountable for the billions of pellets lost into the environment. This legislation finally sets a crucial benchmark for responsibility,” emphasized Amy Youngman, legal and policy specialist at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).
Source: reporterre
