July 6, 2026 14:46
Ten European associations from different industrial sectors - including Plastics Europe, EuPC and Europen - have issued a joint appeal to European authorities to maintain the current legal text of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), adopted in 2019.
The initiative comes a few months after the European Commission published its first report on the data submitted by Member States under the SUP Directive.
“Reopening the Directive now will create legal uncertainty, add disproportionate burden for economic operators that are already navigating partial and often divergent national transpositions, and increase the risk of regulatory overlaps or contradictions with existing and upcoming legislation,” the opening passage reads.
In the document, Brussels is urged to prevent further market fragmentation and regulatory gold-plating, which are sources of legal uncertainty for businesses. This could result in significant economic costs for operators, particularly in terms of investment delays likely to persist throughout the entire SUPD revision process, estimated at two to three years.
Moreover, according to the associations that signed the appeal, revising the SUP Directive while the Ecodesign and Packaging Regulations (PPWR) are still being implemented, and as negotiations on the Circular Economy Act begin, increases the risk of regulatory overlaps and contradictions.
“At a time when EU leaders have made regulatory simplifications and a fully integrated Single Market central to Europe’s competitiveness agenda,” the document concludes, “we urge EU policymakers to focus legislative efforts where they are most needed and avoid reopening a framework that has yet to deliver concrete results.”
The appeal was signed by AIM - European Brands Association; AmCham EU - American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union; Cosmetics Europe; Detergents Europe; Edana - The Voice of Nonwovens; EuPC - European Plastics Converters; EuPF; Euratex - The European Apparel and Textile Confederation; Europen; and Plastics Europe.
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