We are pleased to see the initiative take shape: microplastics release and accumulation are ramping up at a dramatic pace, and the EU should take decisive steps to stop this stream of plastic pollution with mandatory regulatory actions. Decades of scientific research on the negative impacts of microplastics are more than enough to justify ambitious policy measures at EU level. Microplastics are pervasive, chronic, persistent, transboundary pollutants with proven harmful impacts on the environment.
ECOS calls on the Commission to be even more ambitious than in the presented roadmap: prevention and reduction at source are fundamental strategies to stop microplastics pollution and should be further reinforced – it is not enough to focus on damage control measures.
_______________________________________________________________________
Read Also : Climate Change Performance Index 2021: India slips down by one position to 10th rank,…
_______________________________________________________________________
Read our views on how the microplastics initiative can go even further and take a look at our brochure on how EU policy can tackle microplastics pollution, developed in collaboration with Seas at Risk, the EEB and Surfrider.
What we are working on
- Advocate for a comprehensive policy framework and ambitious mandatory rules to reduce microplastic pollution;
- Support the development of harmonised methods to quantify tyre abrasion, the shedding of microfibres from synthetic textiles and a harmonised set of best practices to minimise pellet loss throughout the supply chain to inform regulatory action to limit microplastics released into the environment —driving innovation towards more durable goods.
_______________________________________________________________________
Read Also : Acid Rain: Causes, Effects, Solution | Everything You Need to Know
________________________________________________________________________
- Assessment of the presence of microplastics in various environmental compartments: harmonised data collection to account for microplastics found in the environment is key to helping address microplastics pollution and set up ambitious regulatory limits.
- Push for very ambitious technical criteria for biodegradable plastics to avoid unintentional microplastics pollution.
NOTE – This article was originally published in ecostandard and can be viewed here
