Single-use Plastics reporting, 2024

Directive 2019/904 of the European Union and the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment (henceforth "SUP Directive") aims at preventing and reducing the negative impact of certain plastic products on the (marine) environment and on human health, promoting the transition to a circular economy, and contributing to the efficient functioning of the internal market. Article 13 (Information systems and reporting) of the Directive establishes that Member States shall report the data and information specific for specific items, starting the reporting of the following four items in 2024 (reference year 2022): • Amounts of SUP cups for beverages and food containers placed on market (item a) • Measures to reduce the consumption of SUP cups for beverages and food containers (item b), where countries need to put in place measures for an ambitious and sustained reduction of the consumption • Separate collection of SUP beverage bottles (item c), where the Directive sets a 77% target by 2025 and 90% by 2029 • Fishing gear placed on the market and fishing gear collected as waste (item d), where this first-year reporting will provide the basis for potentially setting binding collection rates for waste fishing gear, following the evaluation of the SUP Directive in 2027. Article 13(1) of the SUP Directive states that Member States shall report these data and information electronically within 18 months of the end of the reporting year for which they were collected. The first reporting period shall be the calendar year 2022, which will cover items (a), (b), (c) and (d). This means that the deadline for reporting these items was end of June 2024. The reporting of (e) and (f) will start for the calendar year 2023 (to be reported until end of June 2025). Article 13(2) of the SUP Directive states that the data and information reported by Member States shall be accompanied by a quality check report where, among other aspects, the methods for the calculations and for data verification and control are described.