As part of the EU strategy on the production and consumption of plastic, set in the context of the European Green Deal, that set of policies aimed at reducing the eco-impactUnion environment in the medium and long term, focusing on the progressive abandonment of carbonfossil and disposable sources, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on the issue of bioplastics and the role that they can have for the achievement of European objectives.
All this with a view to creating a common Community framework and regulation for bio-based plastics (ie from renewable sources), biodegradable and compostable.
This participatory instrument follows the roadmap, which was recently consulted, which aims to establish a clear policy framework on the use of biobased, biodegradable and compostable plastics, in order to foster greater coherence in the development of European policies, increase environmental protection, reduce consumer confusion, enhance the certainty of investments in the internal market and encourage competitiveness and innovation.
With the current public consultation, the European Commission wants to examine three issues in particular:
• the sustainability of biological raw materials used to produce bioplastics, taking into account the entire life cycle of the product;
• the real effectiveness of the environmental transformation given by bioplastics, that is if there is a complete and widespread biodegradation of this type of products;
• widespread confusion concerning information on the mode of production and composition of the product up to disposal mode.Elements on which there is still a lack of clarity and homogeneity of practices.
The online form of the consultation, open a few days after the Italian transposition of the SUP occurred on 14 January 2022, is on the portal of the European Commission and can be filled in by all citizens, bodies, institutions and companies in the sector that have an interest in participating until 15 March 2022.