Circular Economy: Directive On Single-Use Plastics Comes Into Force

On 2 July 2019, Directive 2019/904 on the reduction of the impact of plastic products on the environment (the 'Directive') came into force. The Directive aims to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment¹ and, in so doing, promotes the transition to a circular economy that seeks to give priority to sustainable and non-toxic re-usable products and re-use systems as opposed to single-use plastic products.²

Single-use plastic products are those products manufactured wholly or partly from plastic that is not designed or placed on the market with the intent to accomplish multiple trips or rotations by being returned to a producer for re-fill or to be re-used for the same purpose for which it was manufactured.³ In other words, the term 'single-use plastic' refers to plastic which is used once and thrown away. Therefore, to reduce the negative impact such single-use plastic products can have on the environment, the use of products that are