Make producers responsible for water pollution caused by microplastics

Amsterdam, 22 January 2020 – Billions of euros are needed to remove microplastics and micropollutants from water. Will these costs soon be passed on to the consumer? European water companies are arguing that EU regulations should be applied more rigorously, that polluting producers should be held responsible and should bear the costs.

‘Consumers should not be presented with the bill, because they are not to blame for the pollution. In order to keep clean water affordable for all, the costs should be allocated to the responsible companies through extended producer responsibility’. This is the main conclusion of the consulting firm Deloitte to the EurEau, the European Federation of national umbrella organizations in the water and wastewater sector. The advice issued this month is based on two principles: the precautionary principle and the principle that the polluter pays.

Precautionary principle

Plastic products that contribute to pollution are not yet widely used. There is insufficient control over what may and may not be sold. As a result, people and all other living organisms are constantly exposed to undesirable things. Therefore, according to Deloitte, rapid and corrective action is needed, and this can be done on the basis of the precautionary principle. This principle states that government intervention is justified in the event of (imminent) irreversible environmental damage. In order to prevent our waters from becoming further polluted, Deloitte considers tackling pollution at source to be essential.

Polluter pays principle

The polluter pays principle must be applied through extended producer responsibility. The legal basis for this is there. The polluter pays principle is included in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU, art. 191.2), as well as in the Water Framework Directive. The problem is that this principle is not (yet) being applied in practice.

For example, synthetic textiles

Wastewater treatment plants have to deal with billions and billions of microfibres that come from the machine washing of synthetic textiles. In order to prevent this fiber loss, an approach at the source is advised. According to the report, what should we think about? There is currently no obligation to provide information on clothing labels about potentially harmful substances or the release of microplastics. An obligation for producers to provide information could be introduced here. Extended producer responsibility could also take shape through the compulsory collection of discarded clothing. Or synthetic garments could be made more expensive compared to garments made of natural fibers to finance the installation of filters that capture microfibers in washing machines.

Read here the Deloitte report Study on the feasibility of applying extended producer responsibility to micropollutants and microplastics emitted in the aquatic environment from products during their life cycle.

Read also – Plastic microfibers contaminate tap water across the world

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