The European Commission has published a set of measures aimed at reducing microplastic pollution from pellets. Currently, between 52 and 184 thousand tonnes of pellets are released in the environment each year due to mishandling throughout the entire supply chain. The commission predicts that reducing pellet losses from 22,628 tonnes a year to 126 559 tonnes a year (54% to 74% decrease compared to the baseline) has the potential to achieve up to one fourth of the overall reduction target of 30% release of microplastics by 2030, as established by the Zero Pollution Action Plan.
The proposals suggest steps operators should take, in the following order of priority: prevention to avoid any pellet spills; containment of spilled pellets to make sure they do not pollute the environment; and, as a final option, clean up after a spill or loss event. The proposals include best handling practices for operators, depending on the size of the installation or transport activity; mandatory certification issued by an independent third-party for larger operators and self-declarations for smaller companies. The Commission also announced that standardised bodies will develop a harmonised methodology to estimate losses, to help operators monitor their losses and tackle some of the remaining gaps.
Operators will be responsible for bearing the costs of the measures required to comply with the requirements, as well as the costs for demonstrating compliance via third-party certification or self-declaration. The Commission said these costs are expected to be ‘limited’. Member states will be responsible for checking compliance, and in the case of non-compliance, for imposing corrective measures and, where relevant, penalties.
The Commission also said that the announced requirements will be ‘lighter’ for small and medium enterprises, which makes a large share of the pellet supply chain. Operators with a yearly capacity below 1,000 tonnes will be excluded from the obligations to carry out internal assessments; establishing an awareness and training programme; settling the procedures for informing drivers, suppliers, and subcontractors about the relevant procedures to prevent, contain, and clean up spills and losses, amongst others.
The new provisions go beyond those addressed in the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) legislation, which provides information on pellet losses but does not address directly preventing or reducing pellet losses. The Commission estimates that fewer pellet loss will lead to economic gains in the order of €23 million to €127 million.
The proposal will next be discussed by the European Parliament and the Council. All economic operators, both EU and non-EU, will need to comply with the requirements set out in the regulation within 18 months of its entry into force