The European Union has said no to plastic boots! Get ready for new expenses that will have an impact on your daily life.
Plastic shoes have invaded our daily lives. This has radically transformed the status of these objects: once commonplace, they are now more expensive and have an impact on the environment. Faced with this growing phenomenon, the European Union has taken on a guiding role. It has also introduced stricter standards governing the production and use of these materials. These new measures could bring about a real change in the daily lives of all Europeans.
Concern about plastic shoes
We’re invading! In our luggage, in our cars, even in our refrigerators. Plastic shoes, emblems of our consumer society, are the cause ofan ecological disaster. Every year, we buy thousands of these boots, turning them into waste that pollutes our landscapes and oceans.
Imagine: idyllic beaches, once worthy of postcards, transformed into open-air dumps. Bali, Indonesia, is just one example. In fact, this scourge knows no borders. Indeed, almost all coastal clean-up operators find plastic bottles on the beaches.
But that’s not all! In fact, the process of decomposing plastic bottles releases microplastics – invisible, but insidious. In detail, these microscopic particles infiltrate marine organisms, contaminating fish and shellfish. In turn, this has an impact on our own food supply.
An alternative, but not very effective
Faced with the problems posed by plastic bottles, recycling has been the obvious solution for years. However, this practice hides a grim reality. Every time plastic is recycled, it degrades. Manufacturers struggle to return recycled plastic bottles to their original shape.
What’s more, despite constant improvements, collection and sorting systems are struggling to cope with the continuous influx of plastic waste. In practice, many bottles escape the recycling process. In France, for example, recycling systems fail to process around 50% of plastic bottles.
There’s no need to explain where these unrecycled bottles end up. In fact, they end up buried, burnt or scattered in the environment. And of course, as mentioned above, all these destinations represent a health hazard.
The European Union takes matters into its own hands
Faced with the challenges posed by plastic bottles, Europe has tightened the screw. A radical change has already taken place, in July 2024. Namely, the European Union mandated that caps remain attached to bottles. This measure, now in force, aims to stop the proliferation of corks in the environment.
What’s more, since January 2025, bottle manufacturers have had to include at least 25% recycled plastic in their production. The ambitious target is to reach 30% by 2030. As you can see, these new rules are designed to stimulate the circular economy.
Inoltre, mirano a ridurre la nostra dipendenza dalla plastica vergine proveniente dal petrolio. However, these changes, while necessary, represent a threat to businesses and consumers alike. Given the complexity of recycling, it could end up with slightly more expensive plastic shoes.