Outlook on the European Union Sustainability

A summary of the Waste Technical Adaption Committee meeting was presented by the Commission. Further, the commission also answered questions from the Member States representatives.

FREMONT, CA: The Commission, in June 2021, presented a summary of the latest meeting of its Waste Technical Adaption Committee. The Commission further answered numerous questions from the Member States representatives in that comitology committee regarding the implementation of the Single-use Plastics Directive 2019/904 (SUPD), the Commission's guidelines on the scope of the SUPD, and the Implementing Regulation 2020/2151 on marking specifications. The Commission also announced that the first draft of the implementing act on reporting and quality check of post-consumer waste from tobacco filters was circulated to the Member States for written comments.

The Commission stated that in regards to the calculation and reporting of the consumption reduction target for single-use plastic food containers and beverage cups,  it would propose a method to ensure consistency with the reporting required under Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62 (PPWD), which will be based on the weight of plastic, including coatings that are contained in those products. Additionally, it will be optional to report on item count. Member states will likely be motivated to focus on reducing the weight of plastic in these products.

Furthermore, regarding the concept of placing on the market in the SUPD, a draft of an explanatory document in view of its Blue Guide on the implementation of EU product rules was also released by the Commission. The Member States representatives in the Commission Committee on Waste delivered a positive opinion on the draft implementing act laying down calculation, verification, and reporting rules of data on the separate collection of waste single-use plastic beverage bottles, in which 26 Member States voted in favor and only one in against. To ensure data comparability across the EU, the Commission will implement an act under which the SUPD is addressed to the Member States.