Single-use Plastic

Promising research continues to emerge around alternative materials to single-use plastic. However, labels like “compostable” and “biodegradable” are misleading. The case study offers greater transparency around these novel materials, their behavior in the environment, and other concerns.

In this report, Greenpeace International exposes the blight of Unilever’s single-use sachets on low-income communities and the glaring gap that exists between what the company says it will do, and what it actually does.

This analysis reveals that the planned trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur will eliminate tariffs for plastics exports from the EU to South America – including tariffs for plastic items whose trade and use are banned in the EU in order to protect the environment and human health.

In the ongoing negotiations of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the realities of disposable paper-based food packaging should not be ignored. Legislators must seize the opportunity to curb the growing levels of packaging waste driven by overreliance on single-use products.

When it comes to packaging for food and beverages, misconceptions about its relation to food hygiene, health concerns, and food waste have been spread by the interested industry for some time. This factsheet aims to bust some of the most common myths.

Promoting the reuse of packaging is crucial for resource conservation, the fight against plastic pollution, and, even more importantly, is an essential part of a climate-friendly new Circular Economy Action Plan.

The study shows that under the right conditions including a supporting policy framework, reuse can thrive in the EU, and more importantly, it can reduce the environmental impacts of packaging and save companies as well as consumers money.

For the first time in Germany, major civil society actors have come together in an alliance to resolve the plastics crisis and have formulated 15 demands for the German government to act on.

This report directly responds to the UNEA resolution 2/11. It aims to clarify the interlinkages between environmental justice and plastic pollution, and also examines impacts of plastic pollution on people’s rights and health.

This website accompanies the report "Making Reuse a Reality" and provides additional information such as an explainer and a petition.