The EU presented plans to curb pollution caused by microplastic leaks from pellets used extensively by industry, by introducing tougher rules for companies that use the tiny material.
The microscopic pellets, called nurdles, are the building blocks for most of the world’s plastic production, from car bumpers to salad bowls.
The legislation from the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, had been expected but since there had been no information about when it would be published, NGOs and EU lawmakers feared the plans had been put on ice.
The Rethink Plastic alliance of European NGOs cautiously welcomed the proposal, but called on the commission to look at other major sources of microplastic pollution.
The proposal demands operators handling pellets in the European Union take the necessary measures to limit the release of the material through mishandling.
The commission said that between 52 and 184,000 tonnes of pellets are released in the environment each year due to mishandling throughout the entire supply chain.
