The European Parliament has approved a regulation aimed to reduce pollution from the plastic pellets called nurdles that comprise the building blocks of most plastic products. The EU said that plastic pellet spills are the third most significant source of microplastic pollution in Europe.
The EU said around 57 million tons of nurdles were produced and handled in the EU in 2021. Estimates show that between 52,000 and 185,000 tons of pellets were lost to the environment in the EU in 2019. This is equivalent to between 2,100 and 7,300 trucks full of pellets per year. Almost 40% of nurdles are transported by sea. It is estimated that 11.5 trillion nurdles end up in the ocean every year.
As nurdles are shipped, pellets can leak out of damaged packaging and containers on board ships, as well as being spilled in large quantities in disaster situations. In 2021, 1,680 tons of nurdles spilled into the ocean following the X-Press pearl shipwreck.
The new regulation is for companies that have handled more than five tons of plastic pellets in the EU in the previous calendar year and applies to both EU and non-EU carriers transporting pellets. It establishes a framework with clean-up obligations for cases of accidental losses. Each pellet handler must have a risk management plan with a clear set of measures for packaging, loading and unloading, staff training, as well as necessary equipment.
Non-EU carriers will have to designate an authorized representative in the EU to clean up any losses. For those transporting plastic pellets by sea there are rules for ensuring good quality packaging and providing transport and cargo-related information, following the guidelines of the International Maritime Organization.
Smaller companies that make and handle nurdles in in quantities under five tons will not be obligated to carry out internal assessments or establish an awareness and training program.
The Commission hopes the proposal will reduce pellet losses by 54-74% and says this should provide a 6% reduction in the total amount of unintentional microplastic releases. In turn, it expects to align with the Commission’s wider goal to slash microplastic leakages into the environment by 30%.
Additionally, the regulation is anticipated to improve information on the amount of plastic pellets lost throughout the supply chain – and its estimated costs are only projected to impact about 0.13% of the EU plastics sector’s turnover, representing a ‘minor negative impact’ on its competitiveness.
