As the midway point of the transposition period for the SUP directive rapidly approaches, we see more and more countries starting to develop their own legislation and proposals making their way through the different national houses of government.
As a reminder, the EU Directive was accepted and signed into EU law on June 5th, 2019. For the banned products this means that there is a 2-year timeframe for the member states to develop and approve their own legislation efforts to assure the to-be-banned products are restricted from the market by July 3rd, 2021.
Most countries within the EU are not finished drafting this legislation, let alone getting it approved and signed into law, however we can see that various countries are further than others and we want to provide you with some examples from around the EU and the EU partner countries.
France:
On February 10, 2020, French President Emmanuel Macron signed into law Loi n° 2020-105 relative à la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l’économie circulaire (Law No. 2020-105 Regarding a Circular Economy and the Fight Against Waste). This law aims to help change the French society model ‘from a linear economy to a circular economy,’ where waste is minimized and resources are reused as much as possible. This new economic model would feature a low consumption of non-renewable resources, the reuse of waste as a resource, products that have a longer useful life, the recycling of 100% of plastics, and less wastefulness.
- From January 1st, 2020, Plastic plates, cups, cutlery, drinking straws all fall under the ban, as do cotton buds used for cleaning and hygiene.
- From January 1st, 2021, New single-use plastic products will be banned. This includes straws, stirrers, lids for takeaway cups, expanded polystyrene boxes (such as kebab boxes), steak sticks, balloon rods, plastic confetti and all objects made of oxo-degradable plastic
Source:
https://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/france-new-anti-waste-law-adopted/
https://www.thelocal.fr/20200217/how-frances-new-anti-waste-laws-will-affect-you
Hungary:
On May 13, 2020 the Government in Hungary announced they would bring forward a law proposal to be in line with the EU SUP Directive. This Hungarian law was planned to come into effect on January 1st, 2021 and would not only be well ahead of the EU set deadline of July 3rd, it would also include some additional products that would be banned. However, on May 19 the government withdrew the bill from the legislative agenda and clarified at a later point: “however, during the period of epidemiological preparedness, all jobs must be preserved, so that in order not to make it impossible for plastics companies to restart the economy, they must be given more time to prepare for the change in technology.”
Accordingly, in order to protect workplaces, the law on the ban on disposable plastics will be decided later by the National Assembly, they clarified. The ministry adds, « Contrary to the hasty conclusions of opposition parties and some media outlets, the government is working for a clean Hungary, to protect the created environment. disposal of single-use plastics for the development and dissemination of environmentally friendly substitutes. »
Source:
https://index.hu/gazdasag/2020/05/13/itm_boros_anita_egyszer_hasznalatos_muanyagok_betiltas_magyar/
Serbia:
Serbia, as a non-EU country has not signed the EU directive as such. However, their close relationship has prompted them to commit to the SUP-directive as well. Earlier this year they announced:
BELGRADE (Serbia), March 29 (SeeNews) – Serbia’s government plans to join the EU’s single-use plastic products ban, environment minister Goran Trivan said.
‘By the end of this year, we will adopt very decisive measures in this direction,’ Trivan said in a video file posted on the website of news agency Tanjug.
Source:
https://seenews.com/news/serbia-to-join-eu-single-use-plastic-products-ban-environment-min-648533
Most, if not all, other countries within and outside of the EU are working on their own legislations. Some of them are further in this than others, however we at BFG will assist you with keeping an eye on the developments and together we will be prepared for anything that comes our way.