Plastics Europe Statement on the 2 June vote of the European Parliament Environment Committee on the RoHS Directive

"European Parliament ENVI Committee’s proposal for restrictions on PVC in EEE applications is just another example of scaremongering" says PlasticEurope..... 

The European Plastics Industry welcomes the European Parliament Environmental Committee’s efforts to recast the RoHS Directive, sharing its objective of reducing environmental impacts of products placed on the European market. However the industry is extremely concerned by its decision to include PVC in the priority list for substitution in electrical and electronic (EEE) products.

Wilfried Haensel, Executive Director of PlasticsEurope commented, “We are very disappointed that yet again we face a proposal that has no basis in sound scientific evidence or care for appropriate methodology. Calling for the restriction of a material without consistency with REACH is just another example of scaremongering which would have a significant and unjustified negative impact on the European economy, potentially to the tune of €1bn per year for the European society.”

PVC and PVC waste are not classified as hazardous by the European Commission’s own programme on the safe use of chemicals – REACH – and is compatible with recycling and recovery, as proven by one of the most successful voluntary sustainability programmes in Europe, Vinyl 2010 - www.vinyl2010.org. Since the beginning of the programme in 2000, nearly 700,000 tonnes of PVC have been safely recycled across Europe.

PlasticsEurope strongly believes that a full alignment with the restriction rules laid down by the REACH Regulation is crucial, meaning that a substance should only be restricted if a defined process has been followed and a risk assessment has been conducted. Substance restrictions should be based on sound science, proper methodology and should consider the whole life cycle of a substance.

This is valid for all substances which have been added to annex III of the RoHS Directive; consistency with REACH is a must to avoid unjustified phase out of thoroughly tested substances.

The European plastics industry once again underlines its commitment to work together with the European institutions and other stakeholders to work towards the constant improvement of its products. Mr. Haensel concluded, “We have more than 50 years experience in dealing with PVC, making it one of the most studied and tested materials on the planet. It is proved to be safe for use and we are still committed to its continuous innovation. We are confident that the upcoming final decision on the RoHS Directive involving the European Council and the European Parliament will be based on sound scientific data and prevent an unnecessary cost burden to European society, should companies be forced to choose more expensive alternatives that are not regulated as tightly.”

For more information on the comprehensive investigation made by the European Commission on  PVC issues from the period 2000-2006 (PVC Horizontal Initiative), please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pvc/index.htm

Hanane Taidi
Tel: +32 2 676 17 40
[email protected]

PlasticsEurope is one of the leading European trade associations with centres in Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan and Paris. We are networking with European and national plastics associations and have more than 100 member companies, producing over 90% of all polymers across the EU27 member states plus Norway, Switzerland, Croatia and Turkey.

The European plastics industry makes a significant contribution to the welfare in Europe by enabling innovation, creating quality of life to citizens and facilitating resource efficiency and climate protection. More than 1.6 million people are working in about 50.000 companies (mainly small and medium sized companies in the converting sector) to create a turnover in excess of 280 billion € per year.

The plastics industry includes polymer producers - represented by PlasticsEurope, converters - represented by EuPC and machine manufacturers - represented by EUROMAP. For further info see the web links: www.plasticseurope.org , www.plasticsconverters.eu , www.euromap.org