October 02, 2018
In under 24 hours, more than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling on the EU to play a pioneering role to tackle the scourge of single-use plastics by shifting responsibility for pollution to producers.
The campaign, launched yesterday, on World Habitat Day, by international consumer watchdog SumOfUs, targets MEPs on the Environment Committee ahead of a critical vote on the proposed EU Single Use Plastics Directive, on 10 October. It is urging the Committee to approve the ambitious legislation proposed by the European Commission that will ensure producers pay for their plastic pollution.
The proposed directive would restrict plastics consumption and pollution. SumOfUs and
Break Free From Plastic, the global movement working to stop plastic pollution, demand that producers take responsibility for the full lifecycle costs and impacts of their products and packaging.
“Imagine if plastic pollution wasn’t just an image problem for brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Nestlé, but instead they were forced to pay to clean up the waste they produce,” said Eoin Dubsky, campaigner at SumOfUs.
“The Single-Use Plastics Directive has the potential to turn the tide on plastic pollution. MEPs on the Environment Committee can be even more ambitious by enhancing business accountability, and not adding compromises for corporations. As more than 100,000 signatures show, only through ambitious legislation can MEPs keep pace with public opinion and lead in making the shared vision for a world free from plastic pollution reality.”
Following the vote at committee stage, the legislation will then go to the full European Parliament, which will the opportunity to further amend the draft legislation before a vote on 22 October.
Last year, hundreds of thousands of SumOfUs members signed and shared its EU plastics petition, tweeted at Commissioners and helped to fund huge billboards in Brussels calling on the European Commission to tackle the plastics crisis.
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View the petition here: