PRESS RELEASE
Berlin plastic bags strengthens compostable
European Bioplastics e.V.
EU decision to phase10117out
bags
European Bioplastics e.V. Marienstr. 19/20
Marienstr. 19/20, 10117 Berlin
Berlin, 30 April 2015 – On Tuesday, 28 April 2015, the European
Parliament gave its final
phone +49.30.28 48 23 50
approval for the previously agreed legislation amending the Packaging
fax +49.30.28and
48 23Packaging
59
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Waste Directive (PPWD) to reduce the use of conventional single use plastic carrier
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bags. European Bioplastics welcomes the decision as it recognises
the benefits of compostable bags and paves the way for further development of EU-wide standardisation
and labelling of compostability for a resource efficient Europe.
The new legislation obliges EU Member States to introduce measures that reduce the use of
lightweight plastic bags by almost 50 percent by the end of 2019 and by 80 percent by the end
of 2025 compared to 2010. “We highly appreciate the strong environmental commitment of
the European institutions demonstrated by these ambitious targets. The new legislation reaffirms the potential of biodegradable and compostable shopping bags to tackle the challenges
of plastic bag consumption and lead to a more resource efficient Europe,” says François de
Bie, Chairman of European Bioplastics. Compostable plastic bags have important ecological
advantages, enhance the separate collection of biowaste, and thereby divert it from landfill.
Compostable bags should be clearly marked and labelled so consumers can easily identify
them as suitable for organic waste collection, which keeps these bags out of traditional plastic
waste streams. Against this background, European Bioplastics welcomes the endorsement
of EN13432 in the PPWD as the standard to certify biodegradation, and the commitment to
further develop EU-wide standardisation of compostability and coherent labelling. The ‘Seedling’ (© European Bioplastics) is an internationally recognized compostability label that is connected to the EN 13432/EN 14995 standards and the certification process managed by the
independent institutions DIN CERTCO and Vinçotte. “For the advantages of compostable
bags to take full effect, clear standards, coherent labelling, as well as separate collection of
biowaste should be promoted across Europe”, de Bie concludes.
European Bioplastics is the European association representing the interests of the industry along the entire bioplastics‘ value
chain. Its members produce, refine, and distribute Bioplastics, i.e. plastics that are either biobased, biodegradable, or both.
More information is available on www.european-bioplastics.org.
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Kristy-Barbara Lange,
Head ofBLZ
Communications,
European
Bioplastics,
Marienstr.
19/20,
Berlin,
Tel: +49 (0) 30 28482 356, Fax: +49 (0)30 284 82 359, [email protected]