Plastics-labelling will bring ‘new market dynamics’, Lenzing says
European Union labelling requirements for products containing single-use plastics will change on July 3. Packaging or the products themselves will have to make it clear to consumers that they contain plastics that cannot currently be recycled.
Producer of wood-based, biodegradable cellulosic fibres Lenzing has said it expects this change to make a big difference to consumer attitudes to some non-woven textiles products, including hygiene products and wet wipes.
In the build-up to the July 3 changes, Lenzing issued a statement saying that 500,000 tonnes of petroleum-based fibres go into these products globally every year, and suggesting that nine out of ten consumers would immediately change their purchasing behaviour for wipes to avoid products that contain plastic. It said it expects “new market dynamics” to emerge once the labelling rules for single-use plastic products take effect.
In the statement, Lenzing director Robert van de Kerkhof said: “Pollution of the environment, especially marine pollution, is one of the biggest problems of our time. For this reason, we welcome the measures taken by the European Union to reduce certain single-use plastic products and the transition to closed-loop models.”
He said Lenzing had been investing in the development of sustainable solutions for textiles and nonwovens for many years and would continue to work to achieve “systemic change towards a circular economy”.
