EU single-use plastics · Directive (EU) 2019/904
Is your product banned under the EU plastics rules?
The Single-Use Plastics Directive prohibits placing certain single-use plastic products on the EU market — plus everything made of oxo-degradable plastic. Pick your product and find out whether it is banned, exempt, or not on the ban list.
The rule, in one line
Under Directive (EU) 2019/904, Article 5, Member States prohibit placing on the market the single-use plastic products in Part B of the Annex — cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, beverage stirrers, balloon sticks, and food containers, beverage containers and cups made of expanded polystyrene — and any product made of oxo-degradable plastic. Cotton bud sticks and straws used with medical devices are exempt, as are balloon sticks for industrial/professional use not given to consumers. Other single-use plastics (drink cups, bottles, wet wipes) are not banned but face other measures (marking, consumption reduction, design).
Official sources: Directive (EU) 2019/904 · European Commission — Single-use plastics · EUR-Lex summary
SUPD ban verdict
BANNED
This is a Part B single-use plastic product — placing it on the EU market is prohibited under Article 5.
What this verdict covers
This verdict is only about the Article 5 placing-on-the-market ban. Even when a product is not banned, it may still be subject to other SUPD measures — marking, consumption-reduction targets, tethered caps, recycled-content or extended-producer-responsibility obligations.
Per-product memo
SUPD ban memo (PDF) · €29
A print-ready pack for one product: the ban verdict, the legal basis (Part B / oxo / EPS / exemption), the other SUPD measures that may still apply, and source links — for your compliance file.
This is guidance, not legal advice. The export restates the ban for your product; it does not resolve borderline classification or the directive's other measures.
What this tool is — and isn't
This checker tells you whether the product type you pick is banned under the Single-Use Plastics Directive (EU) 2019/904 (EUR-Lex + the European Commission). It is an estimate and orientation, not legal advice, and it does not cover the directive's other measures (marking, consumption reduction, EPR, tethered caps) or borderline classification. Verify against the linked official sources.
How the determination works
1. Pick the product
The Article 5 ban targets a closed Part B list plus all oxo-degradable plastic products. You pick the closest match.
2. Material + single-use
The conventional Part B items are banned when single-use plastic. The expanded-polystyrene items are banned because of the material, and oxo-degradable products are banned outright.
3. Exemptions + other measures
Cotton bud sticks and straws used with medical devices are exempt. A 'not banned' result still leaves other SUPD measures (marking, consumption reduction, design) potentially in play.
Frequently asked questions
- Which products are banned?
- Cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, beverage stirrers, balloon sticks, EPS food/beverage containers and cups, and all oxo-degradable plastic products (Part B of the Annex + Article 5).
- Are reusable versions banned?
- No. The ban targets single-use plastic versions. A reusable or non-plastic plate, cup or cutlery item is not caught by the Part B ban — though other rules may apply.
- Are EPS cups really banned?
- Yes. Cups, beverage containers and food containers made of expanded polystyrene are on the Part B ban list, banned from being placed on the EU market.
- Is there a medical exemption?
- Yes. Cotton bud sticks and straws used with active implantable or other medical devices are exempt from the ban.
- My product isn't banned — am I done?
- Not necessarily. 'Not banned' only means the Article 5 ban does not apply. Other SUPD measures — marking, consumption-reduction targets, tethered caps, recycled content, EPR — may still apply.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. This tool tells you whether your product type is banned. It is orientation, not legal advice, and does not cover the directive's other measures or borderline classification. Verify against the linked official sources.