On 12 June 2019, Directive 2019/904/EU—commonly known as the Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive—was published in the Official Journal of the EU.
This Directive, which entered into force at the start of July shall aim to address the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, by promoting circular approaches that give priority to sustainable and non-toxic re-usable products and re-use systems rather than to single-use products, aiming first and foremost to reduce the quantity of waste generated.
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Beverage containers made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET plastic) face specific technical and material standards under the directive.
Key compliance mandates include:
Recycled content integration: PET plastic bottles must contain at least 25% recycled content by 2025, rising to 30% across the polyethylene terephthalate market by 2030.
Mandatory tethered caps: Caps and lids must remain attached to beverage containers during use to prevent littering.
Environmental labelling: Compulsory consumer labelling for specific items (such as plastic cups, wet wipes, and tobacco filters) informing users of correct disposal methods and environmental impacts.
EPR financial contributions: Producers must finance waste collection, processing, and environmental cleanup operations.
The SUP Directive establishes extended producer responsibility schemes covering fast food containers, beverage cups, cigarette filters, balloons, wet wipes, and fishing gear.
Member States must meet strict collection targets for beverage containers:
77% separate collection of released beverage containers by 2025.
90% separate collection by 2029.
For disposable products without immediate substitutes (such as beverage cups and takeaway food containers), Member States must enforce consumption reduction measures through utilization restrictions or monetary incentives.
Beverage containers made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET plastic) face specific technical and material standards under the directive.
Key compliance mandates include:
Recycled content integration: PET plastic bottles must contain at least 25% recycled content by 2025, rising to 30% across the polyethylene terephthalate market by 2030.
Mandatory tethered caps: Caps and lids must remain attached to beverage containers during use to prevent littering.
Environmental labelling: Compulsory consumer labelling for specific items (such as plastic cups, wet wipes, and tobacco filters) informing users of correct disposal methods and environmental impacts.
EPR financial contributions: Producers must finance waste collection, processing, and environmental cleanup operations.
The SUP Directive explicitly defines which polymers and product formats are excluded or banned. Under Article 3, the only polymers excluded from the scope are natural polymers that have not been chemically modified.
Material exclusions and prohibitions include:
Chemically modified polymers: Biodegradable and compostable plastics (whether bio-based or fossil-derived) are classified as chemically modified polymers and are banned for single-use applications.
Composite materials: Paper plates or cutlery coated with plastic film or PET acrylic layers are prohibited.
List of products banned from the EU market:
Cotton bud sticks (except for medical use).
Plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks).
Plastic and plastic-laminated paper plates.
Straws and beverage stirrers.
Balloon sticks (excluding industrial or professional uses).
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) food containers, cups, and beverage packaging.
All oxo-degradable plastic products.
The EU ban on single use plastics is Directive 2019/904/EU, designed to reduce marine litter and environmental impact by prohibiting specific disposable plastic items, setting collection targets, and mandating circular recycling standards.
PET plastic bottles must contain at least 25% recycled content by 2025 (30% by 2030), utilize tethered caps that remain attached to the bottle, and meet separate collection targets of 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029.
No. Under Article 3 of the SUP Directive, biodegradable and compostable plastics are classified as chemically modified polymers and are subject to the same bans as traditional single-use plastics.
Banned products include plastic cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, cotton buds, balloon sticks, expanded polystyrene (EPS) food and beverage containers, and all oxo-degradable plastic products.