Single-use plastic items - market restrictions: consultation

Background

3. The SUP Directive aims to tackle pollution from single-use plastics and fishing gear (these being the items most commonly found on European beaches) and promote the transition to a circular economy.

What is single-use plastic?

The SUP Directive applies to the single-use plastic products listed, products made from oxo-degradable plastic and to fishing gear containing plastic.

The SUP Directive covers single-use plastic products that are fossil-based and bio-based, regardless of whether they are recyclable, biodegradable or compostable. Please note this includes some materials made from starch blends, such as maize/corn or potatoes, which might not be described as plastic but can be modified natural polymers. Single-use plastic products made of multi-layered or composite materials, such as plastic-coated paper or plastic-lined cartons, are also in scope of the SUP Directive. For a full definition of 'plastic', please refer to Article 3 of the SUP Directive^[1].

A single-use plastic product, for the purpose of the SUP Directive, is a product that is made wholly or partly from plastic and "is not conceived, designed or placed on the market to accomplish, within its life span, multiple trips or rotations by being returned to a producer for refill or re-used for the same purpose for which it was conceived".

4. The products identified in the SUP Directive are subject to a range of measures including consumption reduction initiatives, market restrictions, product and marking requirements, extended-producer responsibility schemes, separate collection targets and awareness raising.