The European Commission has in recent weeks showed its commitment to reducing the use of plastic, with the launch of a green paper on plastic waste. Yet, as you reported recently, the Commission is delaying a proposal to outlaw plastic carrier bags (“Commission ‘holding back’ ban on plastic carrier bags”, 7-13 March). 

The Commission is not the only EU institution that is struggling to practise what it preaches, by curbing the escalating environmental impact of plastics.

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Last year, I pushed the European Parliament to end the use of plastic water bottles in its buildings. MEPs were very eager to sign the petition. But some then crossed out their names when they realised the alleged impact of their green impulse on their national bottling industry.

The Parliament’s use of plastic water bottles continues unabated. It distributes over one million water bottles a year during its many meetings, a figure that has grown every year since 2006.

The Parliament’s own eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) service has shown that the use of plastic water bottles is the least environmentally friendly way of providing water. A litre of bottled water emits 300 times more CO2 than tap water and may be up to 325 times more expensive. In their defence, bottled water companies say that their bottles are designed to be partially or fully recycled. But avoiding plastic altogether is far better environmentally. Tap water is also a safe alternative (thanks in part to the good implementation of the European directive on water for human consumption).

A ban on plastic water bottles is an issue that everyone – including the European Parliament – has preferred to avoid. This week I will hand over a petition to the Parliament’s secretary-general, calling for an alternative. So far, 140 fellow MEPs have co-signed. Hopefully, the EU will realise it should practise what it preaches. If EU institutions cannot address their own wasteful behaviour, what hope is there of us dealing with the severe environmental problems we have yet to face?