European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy.

The overall purpose of this European Strategy is to achieve a smart, innovative and sustainable plastics industry, where design and production fully respects the needs of reuse, repair, and recycling, brings growth and jobs to Europe and helps cut EU's greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on imported fossil fuels. More sustainable and safer consumption and production patterns for plastics will be supported by citizens, government and industry in order to provide a fertile ground for social innovation and entrepreneurship, creating a wealth of opportunities for all Europeans.
This Strategy lays down measures to improve the economics and quality of plastics recycling, prevent plastic waste and littering, promote investment and innovation towards circular solutions, and harness global action. Product design will be improved considering the requirements to support the recyclability of plastics. The legal framework will be updated and new harmonised rules will be initiated to ensure that by 2030 all plastics packaging placed on the EU market can be reused or recycled in a cost-effective manner. The linkage between chemical, product and waste will be addressed in legislation to improve the traceability of chemicals and include legacy substances in recycled streams. The regulatory or economic incentives will be assessed for boosting the recycled content. Authorization procedures for plastics recycling processes as regards food-contact materials will be accelerated, the characterization of contaminants will be improved and monitoring system will be established. Quality standards will be developed for sorted plastics waste and recycled plastics in cooperation with the European Standardization Committee. The use of recycled plastics will be incentivized, including by developing adequate verification means. Separate collection of plastic waste will be improved by issuing new guidelines on separate collection and sorting of waste, and ensuring better implementation of existing obligations on separate collection. Furthermore, this policy lays down actions to reduce single-use plastics, tackle sea-based sources of marine litter, monitor and curb marine litter more effectively, prevent microplastics pollution, and to develop harmonised rules on defining and labelling compostable and biodegradable plastics. A legislative framework on port reception facilities will be developed for the delivery of waste from ships, and measures will be taken to reduce loss or abandonment at sea of fishing gear as well as to limit plastic loss from aquaculture. Monitoring and mapping of marine litter, including microplastics, will be improved on the basis of EU harmonized methods. A lifecycle assessment will be conducted to identify conditions where the use of compostable and biodegradable plastics is beneficial, and criteria for such application. The intentional addition of microplastics to products will be restricted, and the policy framework will be developed for reducing unintentional release of microplastics and plastic pellet spillage.
Investment and innovation in the value chain will be promoted, and financial support for infrastructure and innovation will be directed through the European Fund for Strategic Investment and other EU funding instruments. The feasibility of a private-led investment fund will be examined to finance investments in innovative solutions and new technologies aimed at reducing the environmental impacts of primary plastic production. The EU focuses on reduction of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean, cooperation on plastic waste prevention in major world river basins, and the project to reduce plastic waste and marine litter in East and South-East Asia to support sustainable consumption and production, the promotion of the waste hierarchy and extended producer responsibility, and improve recovery of fishing gear. In addition to that, the EU takes actions in support of multilateral initiatives on plastic, and actions relating to bilateral cooperation with non-EU countries and international trade.