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Written question asked by Theresa Villiers (Conservative) on Monday, 30 November 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 December 2020. It was answered by Rebecca Pow (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 December 2020 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Plastics: Biodegradability

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the opinion issued by the European Chemicals Agency on 30 October 2018 that they were not convinced that microplastics are formed by oxo-biodegradable plastic.

Answer

In January 2017, the European Commission asked the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to prepare an Annex XV restriction dossier concerning the placing on the market and use of oxo-degradable plastics. However, ECHA withdrew its intention to prepare the dossier in May 2019, on request from the European Commission, following the inclusion of oxo-degradable plastics in the Single-Use Plastics Directive.

This information can be found at: https://echa.europa.eu/registry-of-restriction-intentions/-/dislist/details/0b0236e18244d9bb.

This decision was a matter for the European Commission and it would not be appropriate to comment on an investigation which was not completed.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
122621
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Biodegradability Pollution Plastics
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk