ViSS publishes two policy briefs
The documents offer a roadmap for safe, sustainable bio-based plastics in Europe
The ViSS project publishes two policy briefs focused on critical gaps and solutions for the EU bio-based plastics sector. The briefs are an essential reading for policymakers shaping the transition to a climate-neutral, circular economy.
Bio-based plastics hold enormous promises for reducing environmental impact and supporting the EU’s climate-neutrality goals. Yet, their adoption remains limited, constrained by unclear regulatory frameworks, insufficient recycling infrastructure, and a lack of standardised approaches to assess safety, sustainability, and end-of-life performance.
The first policy brief explores the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, showing how sustainability and safety can be integrated from the earliest stages of product development. It demonstrates that bio-based solutions can match conventional plastics in performance and cost, while being fully recyclable and biodegradable. The policy brief highlights innovative approaches to involve value chain actors, tailor assessments to technology readiness levels, and develop practical, easy-to-use indicators for environmental, social, and economic impacts.
The second policy brief addresses gaps in standardisation and regulation. Current standards were largely developed for fossil-based plastics and often fail to reflect the unique properties of bio-based materials. ViSS provides recommendations to harmonise definitions, improve traceability and labelling, align recycling and composting systems, and foster policy frameworks that make bio-based plastics both safer and commercially viable.
Download ViSS SSbD EVALUATION FRAMEWORK AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BIO-BASED PLASTICS
These two policy briefs are just the beginning. The ViSS project will continue to release further policy briefs, each tackling critical challenges and solutions across the bio-based value chain, offering policymakers actionable tools to shape a sustainable, circular, and competitive plastics sector.