“Would you buy a toxic product?": eliminating persistent organic pollutants

As the EU moves towards a circular economy, it is taking action to ensure toxic chemicals do not become concentrated in recycled materials.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including so-called ‘forever chemicals’, are compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation.

Once used in industry, they pose a problem because of their longevity: they accumulate in waste, soil, air and water with potentially adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

That’s why Parliament has passed rules that aim to eliminate them. Rapporteur Martin Hojsík explains what POPs are, why they are dangerous and the changes to legislation Parliament pushed for.