Denmark clarified companies are responsible for plastic production

By Gyeongju Hyun

Companies need much less packaging when wrapping their products. The Danish Parliament agreed to extend the responsibility of plastic packaging and single-use plastics to the manufacturers.

For information on how much plastic is thrown away in Europe and Denmark, watch this video:

The new policy will set out the specific details of plastic producer responsibilities. This agreement is the implementation of the EU requirements. Denmark must implement a new policy by 31 December 2024. Naja Andersen, a senior policy advisor of Oceana, said, “This is maybe a small step, but a step in the right direction. Basically, we’re just following the EU law.”

Take away packaging in Copenhagen (By Gyeongju Hyun)

EU legislation currently requires recycling, but not an actual reduction of plastic materials. Oceania has thought that recycling won’t solve the whole plastic crisis. This is because recycling means still single-use packaging. They end up in the environment, even if they go to the recycling facility. “For many years, we have been more or less only focusing on improving recycling. We can’t wait for the EU. Denmark needs to focus more on prevention and reuse,” said Andersen.

Oceania suggested solutions such as implementing different kinds of legislation that support more reuse. For example, Denmark can put a fee on single-use containers for take-away food and drinks. Or the use of single-use containers for large events could also be banned.

This article is for the Danish and EU countries. It can be published in the Copenhagen post.