The EU aims to reduce microplastic releases by 30% by 2030 through:
- reducing plastic pollution (as these degrade into microplastics)
- restricting the use of intentionally added microplastics to products, and
- reducing unintentional microplastic releases
To achieve this goal, in addition to the introduction of the much-debated REACH restriction No. 78 concerning synthetic polymer microparticles intentionally added to products to confer a sought-after characteristic, and other targeted regulations, the Regulation on preventing plastic pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution is about to be published in the Official Journal.
The proposal has been approved by both the Council and the European Parliament. The new rules will enter into force 20 days after their publication in the EU Official Journal. Apart from specific derogations and exemptions, most of the provisions of the Regulation will start to apply two years after its entry into force.
We strongly recommend that companies handling plastic pellets for moulding in plastic product manufacturing operations, regardless of their actual use, begin to properly familiarise themselves with the Regulation, which will have a significant impact. We refer you to the page of the European Parliament’s Legislative Observatory: