Across Europe, an estimated 41,000 tons of plastic pellets are lost to the environment each year. To put this into perspective, this amount is equivalent to more than 11 billion plastic bottles.

Today, the Council adopted its position ('general approach') on a regulation on preventing the loss of plastic pellets – the industrial raw materials used to make plastic products – to the environment ...

Only 23% of the 49 tons that were spilled were recovered. In 2019, 342 containers of plastic pellets spilled into the North Sea. Awareness is growing about the huge threat posed by the tiny pellets.

Also known as “mermaid tears”, these small plastic pellets are a feedstock in the plastic industry. Instead of being converted into household items, many end up in the ocean, collecting toxins ...

This press release was updated on 23 July 2025 to add the agreed text Today, the Council and the European Parliament provisionally agreed on a regulation on preventing the loss of plastic pellets – ...

Plastic pellet pollution is not just a problem for wealthy nations; it is already affecting communities worldwide. In Mombasa and other coastal towns in Kenya, local fishermen have reported tiny ...

These lentil-sized pellets are used to make everyday plastic products. When they spill into the sea, they cause lasting damage. IMO, the UN body that regulates global shipping, held a high-stakes ...

Under the rules, large companies, defined as handling more than 1,500 metric tons of pellets a year, will need to obtain a third-party certificate to prove they are complying.

A coalition of leading European environmental groups has cautiously welcomed a “landmark” agreement by lawmakers in Brussels on new rules aimed at curbing a major source of microplastic pollution in ...