Circular Economy

Single-Use Plastics (SUPs)

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Definition

Single-use plastics are plastic products designed to be used once, or for a short time, before being discarded: carrier bags, straws, cutlery, plates, cups, food containers, sachets and much packaging. Because they combine high leakage probability with short use-life and fossil feedstock, they are the priority target of plastic regulation — the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904) bans several items and imposes design, labelling and producer-responsibility requirements on others.

References

environment.ec.europa.euBulk import source

Source imported for editorial provenance.

Source organisationSupporting reference

This reference provides supporting context for how “Single-Use Plastics (SUPs)” is defined and used.

Overview

How it is used

The category structures national bans and levies worldwide, the EU SUP Directive, corporate packaging commitments, and the global plastics treaty negotiations.

Why it matters

Single-use plastics are the most visible symptom of the throwaway economy; regulating them is the entry point for broader material-system change.