The EU ban promises for single-use cutlery, straws, stirrers and the like to be banned as of 2021, given that some 70% of marine litter falls under this category.

However, in its 24 January announcement, Greenpeace Luxembourg expressed its concerns that the EU measure, while a step in the right direction, lacks the necessary urgency to deal with the problem. 

It points to several multinationals--Nestle, Danone, Unilever, P&G, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, among others--as using “more and more” plastic packaging. 

An online petition has therefore been launched, requesting that companies be transparent about their plastic waste and production and aim to eliminate all useless, disposable plastics by the year 2020. 

It further asks companies not only to commit to reducing their plastic footprint by setting up annual targets, but also that they be more forward-thinking and invest in new systems to prevent plastic waste for the future. 

“Disposable plastic is designed to be used for a few minutes and then thrown away,” the environmental watchdog outlined in its press release. “It disappears from our lives quickly, but stays in the environment for centuries, polluting our oceans, rivers and the soil, harming animals as well as humans.”