EU to ban single-use plastics from July 2021

3. on July 2021, the EU’s ‘Single use plastic’ directive will come into force, and it will also come into force in Norway. What does the much talked about directive mean?

The aim of the Single Use Plastic Directive is to prevent and reduce the environmental impact of plastic products and to reduce and prevent marine pollution and the spread of microplastics.

The rules that come into force are:

It will be prohibited to trade in single-use plastic products. The regulation covers plastic cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, balloon spinners and cotton spinners, in addition to takeaway food containers, drink containers and beverage containers made of the plastic type expanded polystyrene (“isopor”), and all products made of oxo-degradable plastic. See the full regulation at Lovdata here.

The ban will contribute to a significant reduction in the use of plastics in the environment throughout the EU. In Norway alone, it could reduce the use of this type of single-use plastic by 1.9 billion units or about 3 600 tonnes a year, according to a study commissioned by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and carried out by the consultancy Mepex. Read more on the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s website.

It is relatively easy to replace the products that are now banned with products that can be reused as part of a circular economy or with disposable products made of other materials. The ban may thus open up new opportunities for suppliers who can offer good alternatives to single-use plastics.

If you use single-use plastics as packaging today and need advice on alternatives, you can contact our packaging specialists on tel 22 51 40 00 or post@rajapack.no.

See RAJA’s selection of environmentally friendly packaging here