In a major move to cut back on harmful microplastic pollution, the European Union has agreed on a first-of-its-kind set of rules aimed at stopping plastic pellets from slipping through the cracks of the global supply chain.
Plastic pellets — tiny beads used to make nearly all plastic products — may be small, but they pack a major environmental punch. Every year, about 7,300 truckloads' worth of these pellets end up in nature, infiltrating food systems and polluting land and sea.
Under the new rules, all businesses involved in handling plastic pellets — whether inside or outside the EU — will be required to create risk management plans, improve packaging and loading practices, and ensure their staff is properly trained.
Larger companies (those handling over 1,500 tonnes of pellets a year) will need to pass independent audits and earn third-party certifications. Smaller operators will have lighter obligations, like filing self-certifications within five years.
The legislation also tightens regulations on maritime transport, which has historically lacked robust accountability for pellet spills. Ships will now be required to use high-quality packaging and report cargo data in line with International Maritime Organization guidelines.
"Plastic pellet pollution is the third-largest source of so-called unintentional microplastic pollution and the mandatory risk management plans expose what many companies have concealed for decades: preventable pollution disguised as 'accidents,'" said Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet & Plastic Health Council.
"But if we're really going to see change, the focus has to be on stopping plastic at the source. It's another step forward and reinforces the EU's leadership on plastic regulation globally."
Falco Martin from Fauna & Flora added that this step reinforces a global precedent: "If we're serious about protecting our waters and ecosystems and ultimately human health, measures like this must be part of a broader international push, with prevention, not just cleanup, as the priority."
Microplastics like these pellets are known to make their way into our food, air, and drinking water, posing risks to human health. By targeting one of the largest sources of unintentional microplastic pollution at its origin, this new policy takes a big step toward safeguarding ecosystems and communities alike.
This development follows a growing wave of efforts worldwide to tackle microplastics. From new methods to remove plastics from drinking water to innovative alternatives like seaweed-based materials, the global momentum is building — and the EU's new rules could be the tipping point for long-overdue change.
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