NL: Draft regulations banning free plastic bags published

27 October 2015

On 9 October 2015 state secretary Mansveld sent the draft regulations concerning reducing the amount of lightweight carrier bags to the Dutch House (Tweede Kamer). The aim is to have the regulations come into force on 1 January 2016. The regulations introduce a ban on giving away free plastic bags at points of sale, including web shops and mail-order companies. The ban includes compostable and biodegradable bags. The ban applies to all plastic bags regardless of how thick or thin they are. There are some exceptions like the lightweight plastic bags that are necessary for food safety reasons and the lightweight plastic bags that are used for packaging food that is sold separately.
Click here for the accompanying letter (in Dutch).
Click here for the draft regulations (738 kB, in Dutch).
With NVC MERGE (Members-only Environmental Regulations Guide) you can stay up-to-date with the environmental requirements for your packaging. MERGE is exclusively for NVC members and there are no costs involved.
Click here for more information about the NVC E-Workshop Sustainable Innovation in Packaging.

If you have any questions about this subject, please contact us: info@nvc.nl, +31-(0)182-512411. This item is also included in our monthly overview, the NVC Members-only Update.