Single-use products under attack
in the fight against litter
David Schisler, C.E.E. R. SCHISLER
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
EU Action on Plastics Carrier Bags
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
The French bans
General EU rule: free access to compliant packaging
• The 1994 Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive does not allow
EU countries to discriminate against packaging so long as it
complies with “essential requirements”
• Italy banned plastics carrier bags illegally (unless bioplastics)
An exception made for single-use carrier plastics bags
• EU institutions changed the rules to legalise Italy’s position (new
rules published last month)
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
What is going on in France now?
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
The French bans
1
Single-use carrier plastics bags
• Now that EU law allows it, France
will ban single-use plastics
carrier bags by 2016.
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
The French bans: following the precedent
2
Single-use plastics tableware
• Green Party in France opportunistically took a step further: ban of
single-use plastics tableware by 2020 now on the table (unless
bio-sourced/compostable)
• This too is illegal under the EU
Packaging & Packaging Waste
Directive
• But, after the precedent set by
the plastics bag ban, French
Greens are now seeking new
targets
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
The context and politics behind it
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
The big picture
Part of larger proposal: Energy
Efficiency & Circular Economy
• Introduced by French government
• Environment Minister Segolène Royal
• This main focus of the proposal is to reduce French carbon emissions
by 40% in 2030
• The Greens opportunistically put forward an amendment to ban
tableware
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
The two houses of the
French Parliament are fighting it out
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
The big picture
* Has final say
* Proposal originally targeted
all single-use plastics tableware
• Now limited to cups and
plates
• Deadline: summer 2015
Proposed compromise of
introducing collecting/sorting
at source
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
Timeline
Key takeaways
 French government wants to be seen leading the way on
environmental matters (hosting world climate change talks at the
end of 2015 in Paris)
 Bioplastics industry likely pushing for this and create a market for
themselves
 Green Party is focussing big part of efforts on this
 The ban will be very hard to fight off/likely here to stay
 It will be challenged by Brussels (it is currently illegal under EU law)
 Single-use cups and plates will likely stay in legal limbo until the
situation is clarified at EU level or the French somehow undo this
later on
 Greens will fight with this tooth and nail to put pressure on EU to
do the same as France
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
Timeline
Meanwhile… in Berlin:
• The city of Berlin is considering placing litter tax on paper cups
• Despite the fact that this has been ruled unconstitutional in the
past
• Developing legal measures to address litter is very much part of
the public debate
• To be continued….
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
Thank you for your
attention
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
Thank you for your
attention
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London
Thank you for your
attention
Pack2Go Europe Spring meeting 2015
3-4-5 June – The Landmark, London