EC introduces new rules that prohibit certain plastic pellets from entering the EU

• The EC introduces new rules for importing plastic pellets, which will restrict the import of such products from the EU.
• Starting from de minimis threshold of up to 150 euros; otherwise, the application of these rules will create problems for the import of goods without exception and with no exceptions.
• For all shipments, without exception, both the type and the stage at which the material is located must be taken into account.

The European Commission has introduced two new regulations in order to ensure compliance with the ban on plastic pellets: new rules that will apply to imports of e-commerce plastic pellets.

The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU will introduce a “ban on environmental pollution” for European businesses. She also said that imports of the new regulation will be increased by 3 years.

In addition, the European Commission, the rules that will apply to imports of plastic pellets, will be implemented in order to ensure that the production of plastic pellets is carried out in compliance with the “global minimum level of environmental protection” and with “stringent European environmental standards.” The Commission also noted that the EU is increasing the number of shipments that will be banned, and that the EU will ban plastic pellets in order to protect the environment.

Starting from the end of 2025, the EC will restrict imports of plastic pellets to the EU by 360 million euros, or almost 1 million euros by 2026.

Under the new plastic pellets import rules, the EC will apply the “de minimis” threshold for imports of up to 150 euros. In addition, it is expected that the Chinese companies Temu and Shein will control about 90% of the market for these shipments. The EC is also considering introducing additional restrictions, under which in 2025 the EC will ban imports of e-commerce shipments to the EU by 5.9 billion euros, while in 2022 it was about 1.4 billion euros. At the same time, it is expected that 97% of traffic will be handled by the same suppliers, while only about 2% will be handled by other companies, and the remaining shipments will be subject to strict environmental standards.

New rules also require that plastic pellets be shipped without exception in volumes of 18.3 million metric tons of raw materials, with a maximum of 50% of the types of shipments. In addition, it will become mandatory to ship materials using the “melt and pour” method, otherwise the shipment will be considered non-compliant with the EU regulations.

The material is also expected to be banned across Europe: plastic pellets will be banned in 2026, starting from the “strictly prohibited” category. It is also expected that imports of the EC will be reduced, with the exception of imports from the UK, Ukraine, India, Taiwan, Turkey, Japan, and South Korea, while other trade will be allowed. China, which is already subject to new rules, is expected to face new restrictions on plastic pellet imports.

Tags: Economy/Ecology/Europe