Hintergrundpapier: Plastikpolitik in Deutschland und der EU

Aktuelle Gesetze und Initiativen

Publication: Report
Citation: Mederake, Linda; Hinzmann, Mandy; Langsdorf, Susanne (2020): Hintergrundpapier: Plastikpolitik in Deutschland und der EU. Ecologic Institut: Berlin.

Plastic pollution – especially the dramatic littering of the oceans – and the public concerns about it have powerfully brought the issue on the European and German political agenda. Since then, there have been a whole series of new initiatives to regulate plastics - especially at EU level.

This background paper provides an overview of existing and new laws and initiatives regarding plastics in Germany and the EU. Despite the multitude of approaches, guidelines and laws, regulatory gaps remain. The greatest need for action exists in the areas of strengthening recycling and use of recycled plastics as well as waste prevention. Waste prevention remains the unwanted child in the resource discourse, although it almost always represents the best option in terms of environmental policy.

The authors Linda Mederake, Mandy Hinzmann and Susanne Langsdorf accordingly urge for a stronger systems thinking. An interdepartmental, coordinated plastics strategy in Germany could combine the relevant activities of the plastics policy, work out an overarching plan taking into account the waste hierarchy and contribute to its implementation. In addition, clearly formulated and measurable goals should be defined and a process-accompanying success control should be established.

Background Paper: Plastics Policy in Germany and the EU

Towards an Effective Science-Policy Interface for a Global Plastics Treaty

Year 2024

Publication:Policy Brief

Amidst intense global efforts to tackle plastic pollution, the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty highlights the critical role of reducing primary plastic polymers. The Scientists' Coalition, consisting of leading scientists worldwide, argues in its latest policy brief that without a significant reduction in the production of these polymers, the effective fight against plastic pollution is not possible. The urgent call aims to draw attention to the need to break the plastic cycle at its source - the production of primary plastic polymers. This approach is crucial as it directly reduces the amount of plastics that end up in our environment.

Primary Plastic Polymers: Urgently needed upstream reduction

Year 2024

Presentation:Speech

On 13 March 2024, Doris Knoblauch (Ecologic Institute) gave a lecture on "Plastics and the Environment" highlighting the need for a global plastics treaty at a postgraduate course, where 21 experts from ministries, authorities, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and industry from low-income countries and emerging economies were represented and exchanged. The focus was on why plastic pollution is a problem and why we urgently need an international, legally binding plastics treaty.

Plastics & the Environment – Why We Need a Plastics Treaty

13 March 2024
Doris Knoblauch

News

Doris Knoblauch was an observer at the negotiations in Nairobi during the week and, as part of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (Scientist's Coalition for short), provided various negotiating delegations with scientific information. The Scientist's Coalition is an independent network of scientists around the world who conduct research on plastics, chemicals, and health, covering various disciplines and aspects. A team was on site to answer open questions quickly, scientifically and independently.

UN Negotiations on a Potential Plastics Agreement were Stuck in Nairobi

A long way to go

13 - 19 November 2023

Publication:Article

Plastics Treaty Text Must Center Ecosystems

Letter in Science

Year 2023

Publication:Article

This article illustrates the communication strategies that were successfully applied in the citizen science program Plastic Pirates in Germany. The program engages schoolchildren, teachers and youth groups in plastic pollution research. A variety of communication strategies have been implemented and continuously revised and adapted since the start of the program in 2016.

Sharing Communication Insights of the Citizen Science Program Plastic Pirates

Best practices from 7 years of engaging schoolchildren and teachers in plastic pollution research

Year 2023

News

Photo, taken during the plastic negotiations. Text "Help us to empower the independent voice of science by supporting our involvement in the plastics treaty negotiations" and a donation button

Ecologic Institute is a UN-accredited voice for a global plastics agreement. But we lack funding for the next decisive round of negotiations in Busan (South Korea) in November 2024. By participating, we are contributing to counteracting lobbying and enabling delegates to be properly informed. In Ottawa, we are currently providing specialist information on the effects of plastic production and consumption. Your donation will enable us to strengthen independent science and continue this important work!

Strengthen the Independent Voice of Science

Support our participation in the global plastics negotiations!

22 April 2024

News

After the euphoria had been dampened at the beginning of the negotiation week in Paris, there was a good result in the end: The Chair H.E. Mr. Gustavo Adolfo Meza-Cuadra Velasquez and the INC Secretariat were given a mandate to present a first draft ("zero draft") in the run-up to the next negotiations. This is an important next step. Doris Knoblauch accompanied the INC-2 negotiations in Paris for Ecologic Institute.

Why the Negotiations on the UN Plastics Agreement in Paris were a Success

An important step

29 May - 2 June 2023

Publication:Book

For many people, plastic bottles have become an indispensable part of everyday life. However, the production and throwing away of plastic bottles is harmful to the environment and the climate. Ideally, PET bottles are recycled and reused. But what happens to the bottles during the recycling process? "Die Geisterstunde" by Christian Tielmann is the third PIXI book produced as part of the BMBF research focus "Plastics in the Environment" with Stiftung Lesen and Carlsen Verlag and is dedicated to the recycling of plastic bottles.

Die Geisterstunde

Year 2023

Language: German
Authorship: Linda Mederake

Mandy Hinzmann

Susanne Langsdorf
Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
Published by: Ecologic Institute, Germany
Year: 2020
Dimension: 34 pp.
Project: Scientific Coordination of Research Projects on "Plastics in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions" (PlastikNet)
Project ID: 2295
Table of contents: Click to show full table of contents

1 Einführung
2 Plastikpolitik in der EU
2.1 EU-Kunststoffstrategie
2.2 Einwegplastikrichtlinie
2.3 Geplantes Mikroplastikverbot unter REACH
2.4 Neuer Aktionsplan für die Kreislaufwirtschaft
2.5 Weitere relevante EU-Gesetzgebung
3 Plastikpolitik in Deutschland
3.1 Gesetze und Verordnungen zur Kunststoffsammlung und -verwertung
3.2 Politische Maßnahmen zur Vermeidung von Plastikmüll und Plastikeinträgen in die Umwelt
4 Fazit
Literatur
Keywords: EU

Governance

Plastics

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

plastic waste, waste prevention, plastic reduction, regulation, recycling, plastics strategy, plastics policy

Germany, Europe

Further Links

Project website: Plastics in the Environment

PublicationArticleMehr Kohärenz bitte!

This article (written in German) examines various policies and approaches that are currently being implemented or planned as solutions to the plastics crisis. It becomes clear that in national and international policies plastics are mainly described as a problem of... Read more

Mederake, L., Araujo Sosa, A. und Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. (2020): Mehr Kohärenz bitte! Plastikpolitik in Deutschland, Europa und weltweit. Politische Ökologie, Band 161, 76-82.

PublicationArticleShaping EU Plastic Policies

Anzahl von Pro-Argumenten für die Plastikregulierung nach Sub-Kategorien

This article by Ecologic Institute's Linda Mederake and Doris Knoblauch uses a structuring qualitative content analysis to investigate the parliamentary debates of two recently adopted plastic policies in the EU – namely the EU Plastics Strategy and the Single-Use... Read more

Mederake, Linda; Knoblauch, Doris (2019): Shaping EU Plastic Policies: The Role of Public Health vs. Environmental Arguments. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2019, 16, 3928.

PublicationPolicy BriefA Treaty on Plastic Waste

The discussion paper presents the rationale for a new treaty on tackling plastic waste and highlights its possible added value. The objective would be to reduce marine plastic litter through a comprehensive approach that also includes land-based sources, a life cycle... Read more

Bodle, Ralph; Sina, Stephan (2019), "A treaty on plastic waste. Discussion paper for the international round-table on Tackling global plastic pollution – Ways towards an international convention", Ecologic Institute, Berlin.

PublicationArticleRegulation: Solutions at the Wrong End.

Heinrich Boell Foundation

There are numerous regulatory approaches at international, regional and national level regarding the handling of plastic products and plastic waste. What they all have in common is their limited effectiveness. In their contribution, Linda Mederake, Stephan Gürtler and... Read more

Mederake, Linda; Gürtler, Stephan; Knoblauch, Doris (2019): Regulation: Solutions at the Wrong End. In: Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung und BUND – Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (Eds.): Plastic Atlas 2019. Facts and figures about the world of synthetic polymers. Berlin.

PublicationArticleDeveloping Countries in the Lead – What Drives the Diffusion of Plastic Bag Policies?

Plastiktütenpolitiken im Globalen Norden und Globalen Süden

While diffusion patterns are quite well understood in the context of the Global North, diffusion research has only been applied to a limited extent to investigate how policies spread across developing countries. In this article, Ecologic Institute's Doris Knoblauch,... Read more

Knoblauch, D.; Mederake, L.; Stein, U. Developing Countries in the Lead—What Drives the Diffusion of Plastic Bag Policies? Sustainability 2018, 10, 1994.

PublicationPosterPlastics in the Environment: Social Science Research – Poster Series

How is a topic such as microplastics socially problematised? How can consumers use plastics more sustainably? And what role do the interests and perceptions of different actors play in international plastics regulation? These and other questions are posed by social... Read more

Ecologic Institute 2019: Plastik in der Umwelt: Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung. Überblick über Forschungsgegenstände, Ergebnisarten und Zielgruppen der Projekte mit sozialwissenschaftlichem Anteil im BMBF-Forschungsschwerpunkt "Plastik in der Umwelt". PlastikNet Poster Series. Poster.

EventWorkshopPlastic Regulation – Who is responsible?

There are numerous regulatory approaches for handling plastic products and plastic waste in various areas such as waste and recycling policy, marine protection or chemicals policy. During the workshop, Linda Mederake gave an insight into existing plastic regulations and... Read more

Workshop:Plastic Regulation – Who is responsible?

Date: 7 September 2019
Location: Berlin, Germany