The rise of the Green parties in the European Elections is likely to bolster efforts to curb plastic usage across the European Union.
Members of the Greens/EFA grouping, which includes most of Europe's Green parties as well as other liberal-minded parties such as Scotland's SNP, are likely to boost their seat numbers to 70 in the European Parliament.
This means the group is likely to be a kingmaker in terms of the formation of a progressive alliance.
War On Plastics
The Greens/EFA group was a major supporter of the recently-finalised Single Use Plastics Directive, which will lead to a ban on single-use items such as straws, cutlery and cotton buds, however Margaret Auken, plastics spokesperson at the group, said that this measure is just the beginning.
"The Single Use Plastics Directive is just the start and must be used as a catalyst for change on how we as a society produce less waste and become more sustainable," she said in March.
"Unless we change our attitude towards production, consumption and waste, then our species will become as disposable as a single-use coffee cup."
Endocrine Disruptors
Elsewhere, in April, the group called for the elimination of substances such as bisphenol A, in food packaging, which have been dubbed 'endocrine disruptors' due to their effect on the hormonal system.
In the food industry endocrine disrupters are applied for internal coatings of cans and lid gaskets as well as for plastic packaging.
"The European Commission must explain how it intends to defuse this ticking time bomb and to prevent the effects of a cocktail of toxic chemicals," commented Bas Eickhout, climate spokesman for the Greens/EFA group.
Carbon Tax
The group is also strongly behind a Union-wide carbon tax, as well as much heavier taxes on aviation and other 'most polluting means of transport'.
It has called for the shifting of freight transport 'from road to rail and water', called for an end to 'factory farming' as well as the import of 'crops responsible for massive deforestation (palm oil, soya)', and a 'significant reduction' in livestock farming across the EU.
Sustainable Future
Commenting on the performance of Greens/EFA members in the European Elections, Eickhout said, "It's time the European Union puts all its efforts into a sustainable future and starts caring for its citizens, this must be at the heart of the program of the next Commission President.
"The Greens/EFA group is the only credible political force when it comes to climate action and we will bring this voice to the negotiation table."
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
