ITALY
Legislative guidelines for non-biodegradable bag ban finally passed / Some controversy remains
A year after Italy became the first European country to ban non-biodegradable PE bags – see Plasteurope.com of 05.01.2011 – its council of ministers has only just implemented the legislation enforcing it. Regulations as to the permitted levels of degradability are still controversial. As retailers were permitted to use up their stocks of non-biodegradable bags up to the end of 2011, the switch evidently is not yet visible. But with former EU commissioner Mario Monti now in the prime minister’s seat, it appears that attempts by plastics industry groupings to torpedo the legislation have definitely failed.
For its own purposes, Italy will adopt the EU degradability standard EN 13432, part of the European Packaging Directive EC 94/62. This specifies, among other things, that the material must break down by at least 90% in less than six months. Some bag manufacturers and organisations are critical. Part of the trade union sector complains that the legislation will lead to many job losses, while others argue that it will benefit plans to set up a “green” plastics hub at the former Vinyls Italia site of Porto Torres in Sardinia – see Plasteurope.com of 10.08.2011. Plastics converters who produce bags contend that the cost of retooling equipment will be prohibitive.
The thickness of the reusable bags Italy calls “bioshoppers” will be determined after completion of a technical study. Fines for non-compliance with the new environmental legislation will range widely from EUR 2,500 to EUR 25,000, according to reports that note also that Italian consumers are still confused about which bags they will be allowed to use. What’s more, market research found only 10% of retailers to be already completely in compliance with the rules, with many claiming to be unaware of the legislation.
In mid-January, environmental organisations called on the European Commission (EC) to finally move toward regulating plastic bags – see Plasteurope.com of 11.01.2012. The high level of support shown by EU private citizens for such a move – 53% participating in an EU query strongly favoured an outright ban – “means that the Commission will be under pressure to take action,” the organisations said in a statement.
For its own purposes, Italy will adopt the EU degradability standard EN 13432, part of the European Packaging Directive EC 94/62. This specifies, among other things, that the material must break down by at least 90% in less than six months. Some bag manufacturers and organisations are critical. Part of the trade union sector complains that the legislation will lead to many job losses, while others argue that it will benefit plans to set up a “green” plastics hub at the former Vinyls Italia site of Porto Torres in Sardinia – see Plasteurope.com of 10.08.2011. Plastics converters who produce bags contend that the cost of retooling equipment will be prohibitive.
The thickness of the reusable bags Italy calls “bioshoppers” will be determined after completion of a technical study. Fines for non-compliance with the new environmental legislation will range widely from EUR 2,500 to EUR 25,000, according to reports that note also that Italian consumers are still confused about which bags they will be allowed to use. What’s more, market research found only 10% of retailers to be already completely in compliance with the rules, with many claiming to be unaware of the legislation.
In mid-January, environmental organisations called on the European Commission (EC) to finally move toward regulating plastic bags – see Plasteurope.com of 11.01.2012. The high level of support shown by EU private citizens for such a move – 53% participating in an EU query strongly favoured an outright ban – “means that the Commission will be under pressure to take action,” the organisations said in a statement.
25.01.2012 Plasteurope.com [221352-0]
Published on 25.01.2012