Source: European Parliament
B9‑0447/2020
Motion for a European Parliament resolution on banning the production of tea bags containing plastic
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 143 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the European Union has restricted the placing on the market of certain single-use plastic products by 2021 and committed to reducing the consumption of others;
B. whereas relevant studies[1] have found that steeping a plastic tea bag at a brewing temperature of 95 °C releases around 11.6 billion microplastic and 3.1 billion nanoplastic particles into a single cup of tea;
C. whereas most single-use tea bags available on the EU market are made of nylon and polyethylene terephthalate (PET);
D. whereas reusable metal containers and biodegradable and compostable alternatives to plastic tea bags exist and are already available on the EU market;
1. Considers that tea bags should not contain plastic and that reusable or, where not possible, biodegradable and compostable materials should be used instead;
2. Calls on the Commission to put forward a legislative proposal to ban the placing on the EU market of tea bags containing plastic;
3. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission.
[1] Hernandez, L.M. et al., ‘Plastic Teabags Release Billions of Microparticles and Nanoparticles into Tea’, Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 53, No 21, ACS Publications, Washington, DC, 2019, pp. 12300–12310.
