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EVA Responds To EU Proposal On Restricting Disposables In Vending

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Vending and Coffee Service Association has responded to a draft directive from the European Union Commission that proposes legislation requiring member states to "significantly reduce" the use of plastic and plastic-lined paper cups, and to ban plastic stir-sticks. The proposed legislation is titled "Reducing marine litter: action on single-use plastics and fishing gear." EVA contends that disposable beverage service items should be permitted in vending, for two reasons....

August 1, 2018

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Vending and Coffee Service Association has responded to a draft directive from the European Union Commission that proposes legislation requiring member states to "significantly reduce" the use of plastic and plastic-lined paper cups, and to ban plastic stir-sticks. The proposed legislation is titled "Reducing marine litter: action on single-use plastics and fishing gear."

EVA contends that disposable beverage service items should be permitted in vending, for two reasons. First, there are real technical and hygienic challenges to replacing disposables in fully-automatic machines; and second, the vast majority of these machines are located in workplaces and similar "closed" sites where collection of single-use plastic materials would be easy to facilitate.

The draft directive will be reviewed by the European Parliament, particularly the Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), where Members of Parliament can propose amendments until Sept. 4, 2018. EVA thus plans to meet with the MEPs interested in this issue, in order to make its case in detail.

The EVA noted that it supports appropriate measures to reduce the negative environmental effects of plastic waste, and favors transition to a "circular" economy through development and use of innovative multipurpose materials. However, the proposal to curtail consumption of plastic cups (generally formed of polystyrene), and even coated paper cups containing a low percentage of polyethylene or bioplastic material, would be detrimental to the industry and threaten an important food and beverage distribution channel.

The association emphasizes that the vending and office coffee service industry places 90% of all its machines (4 million in Europe) on the premises of private and public companies, hospitals, schools, public administration and universities equipped with waste separation systems. Observing that the draft directive calls for "proportionality" in the final legislation, EVA observed that the impact of the plastic disposables ban would not be "proportionate" - it would unduly compromise the greatest part of the business. And the impact of vendible beverage containers  on "marine litter" is negligible. Moreover, the draft directive calls for member states to reduce plastic waste "without compromising food hygiene or food safety, good hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices, consumer information, or traceability requirements set out in Union food legislation." Severely restricting or banning plastic beverage service products certainly would compromise hygiene.

"Since our industry is principally in-house and mainly dedicated to providing food and drink to employees on site … we consider that beverage stirrers and single-use cups specifically designed for our industry should not be in the scope of this Directive," EVA concluded.

The European Vending and Coffee Service Association represents all segments of the vending industry in the European Union and adjacent nations.