Supply chain News and trends

With the public consultation phase now closed, the forthcoming EU policy framework on bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics is nearing completion and is expected to be adopted in the second quarter of 2022. It is a crucial piece of legislation for the bioplastics industry, and European Bioplastics (EUBP) welcomes and fully supports the Commission’s initiative to promote bioplastics and to fully recognise their contributions to a sustainable plastics economy and the circular bioeconomy.

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Corporate greenwashing is an increasingly contentious topic around the globe. Now, European policymakers claim they are stepping up their fight against it. 

Amid a record inflow of investments into European climate-friendly funds, the region’s top markets regulator, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), published a new road map last month, in which it identified tackling greenwashing as a priority for the next two years.

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The European Commission’s Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy, unveiled in May 2020​, aims to engage all players along the supply chain – from, as the name suggests, farm-to-fork.

In an effort to improve human and planetary health, the Commission has set a host of actions directed at the agricultural sector. These include reduction targets for chemical and hazardous pesticides, and fertilisers, as well as improved animal welfare.

On the fork side of things, targets will be set to reduce food loss and waste, and plans are underway to bring in a mandatory and harmonised front-of-pack (FOP) labelling scheme.

Is this enough to ensure consumers are onboard with the strategy? Because as MEPs argued at a European Food Forum (EFF) event last week, much of the success of the F2F lies in consumers’ hands.

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German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir has joined the European Commission in dubbing agriculture a security issue. Making agriculture more sustainable and resilient is an important step towards more independence from Russia, he said in an address to German lawmakers.

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The European Commission has unveiled its proposals to introduce mandatory due diligence legislation which would make companies responsible for human rights and environmental issues in their global supply chains.

The law would initially apply to larger companies within the European Union (EU) with more than 500 employees and a global net turnover of more than €150 million (US$169m), and those based outside the EU but which generate the same turnover threshold within the single market.

After two years, it would be extended to smaller companies - with at least 250 employees and a turnover of €40 million (US$45m) - in "high impact sectors" including textiles, as well as agriculture and mining.

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The European Commission (EC) has adopted a Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability to further strengthen protection of human and environmental health, including a phase out of the most harmful substances and simplification of the risk assessment process.

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The Regulation, as agreed by the EU Institutions, is set to ensure sustainable sourcing for more than 95% of all EU imports of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, which will be covered by due diligence provisions as of 1 January 2021.  
In the meantime, the Commission and Member States will work to make sure that the necessary structures are in place to ensure EU-wide implementation.

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