According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), only 9% of all plastic waste gets recycled. Most of it ends up in landfills or in the environment. Plastic bags and foamed plastic products seem to be perceived by governments as the most problematic single use plastics, given their easily observable presence in the environment.

There is an ever-growing list of countries and provinces which suggested to implemented similar measures to fight single use plastic and its adverse effects on the environment. In 2019, at the Fourth UN Environment Assembly, 170 countries pledged to “significantly reduce” the use of plastics by 2030. Some of those countries have already acted by banning certain single use plastics. The list of countries with legislation drafts and implementation deadlines is also growing.

On March 12, India published a draft legislation to phase out single use plastic by 2022. The focus of this draft is on plastic bags in the first phase starting September 30, 2021; however, it will be extended on January 1, 2022 to other single use plastic products. In July 1, 2022, the single use plastic ban’s scope will extend to include food-contact articles.

Canada announced a federal Comprehensive plan includes banning harmful single-use plastic items like bags and straws on October 7, 2020. The regulation will be finalized by the end of 2021. This ban is a step in the government’s plan to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.

The European Commission published on December 17, 2020 the rules on harmonized marking specifications on single-use plastic products in relation to Directive (EU) 2019/904 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.

This directive has already been implemented by several EU member states. In Germany, as well as in Belgium, the new single use plastic ban, as well as labelling requirements will enter into force starting July 3, 2021.

If you want to stay informed on global regulatory changes, NovaLoop’s GLORIA (“Global Regulatory Impact Alerts”) offers a solution to keep up to date with constantly changing regulatory requirements.

If you also need to deal with country specific labelling requirements, NovaLoop’s ELLIE (Environmental Labeling & Information Inventory) will provide you with a complete and accurate picture based on the latest available information.

In case you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@novaloop.de. We will keep you updated as more countries implement single use plastic bans.