On August 5, the Italian Council passed the European Parliament's Single-use Plastics Act (SUP Directive) on reducing environmental impact and approved the implementation of the SUP Directive.
The directive aims to prevent and reduce the environmental impact of certain plastic products by introducing a series of specific measures, and to promote the transition to a circular economy, including banning the use of disposable plastic products when alternatives are available.
Compared with the version approved by the European Parliament two years ago (the SUP Directive was approved in 2019), this time the Council of Ministers introduced two exceptions:
When the plastic used for the plastic coating does not exceed 10% of the weight of the entire product, it does not constitute the main component of the product, then it cannot be classified as a disposable plastic. (Not within the scope of the ban)
Previously, the SUP directive issued a document that included paper-based disposable products containing plastic linings or coatings as disposable plastics and included them in the scope of the ban.
In other words, commonly used disposable coated paper cups and other products can be used in Italy, as long as it meets the condition that the coated plastic does not exceed 10% of the total weight of the product.
Compare to the previous SUP instruction section 2.2:
Based on the above considerations, paper-based and board-based disposable products made of only paper-based and board-based materials without plastic lining or coating should not be regarded as disposable plastic products in the sense of the directive.
However, when a plastic coating or lining is applied to the surface of a paper or board or other material to provide water or fat protection, the final product is considered to be a composite product composed of multiple materials, one of which is plastic.
In this case, the final product is considered to be partially made of plastic. Therefore, disposable paper-based or cardboard-based products with plastic coating or lining are partially made of plastic and fall within the scope of this directive.
In the absence of alternatives, the ban on compostable plastic disposable products can be exempted
The Italian Council emphasized that compostable disposable plastic products can be used without alternatives. This situation also includes other exceptions, such as reusable products "cannot guarantee hygiene and safety", and the environment for reusable products The impact is worse than compostable disposable products.
At the end of the article, it is also emphasized that for the products of a specific company (Annex A and Annex B), if you purchase their reusable and biodegradable or compostable products, you can enjoy a 20% tax deduction.
Italy began to implement the "plastic tax" on January 1, 2021, imposing a tax of 0.45 Euro/kg on disposable plastics used in packaging, EU countries have banned disposable plastics, 23 countries have legislated, and Italy collects a plastic tax!
The most important thing in this Italian revision is the exemption of specific plastic coated products. In addition, it focuses on composting and widens the exemption scope for disposable plastic bags in the SUP Directive.
The previous SUP directive only excluded garbage bags and plastic bags with a thickness of more than 0.05mm from the scope of the directive.
The SUP Directive is not a mandatory directive. Member states can make appropriate amendments in accordance with their national laws. The final confirmation of the SUP Directive still needs to wait until the revision in 2022.
At present, most European countries have responded to the SUP Directive, while a few countries, such as Cyprus, have not yet translated the SUP Directive into national legislation and are "not ready".
Italy’s move is the most thorough manifestation of its previous clear opposition to the SUP directive. So, will other EU countries be affected by Italy and make corresponding amendments to the SUP directive for compostable plastics and coated products? They will watch it later.
A brief introduction to Italy’s opposition to the SUP directive:
As early as before the official start of the SUP Directive (July 3), Italy expressed its clear opposition to it. What happened to the EU SUP Directive? Italy strongly opposed! Ireland is the first to support!
In opposition, Italy has stated that the domestic biodegradable plastics and compostable plastics industry in Italy is developed (the leading bioplastics companies such as Novamont are located in Italy), and the EU SUP Directive is not a one-size-fits-all form.
"We all agree that plastic should be reduced. There is no doubt about it. When I arrived a few months ago, I read the guide and found out that the only plastic products allowed to be used are reusable. All other plastics, even the most popular, plant fiber-based plastics, are defined as unusable, which is a rather old interpretation of the latest technology. "Italian Minister of Ecological Transformation Roberto Singolani once said.
