Ottawa Suspends Ban on Single-Use Plastic Exports

Canada is suspending the planned export ban on single-use plastics due to tariffs and supply chain issues “creating significant pressure on the domestic economy,” the federal government announced just before the holiday.

Ottawa launched a 70-day consultation about not moving forward with the single-use plastic export ban on Saturday, Dec. 21 through the Canada Gazette.

The government said the environmental benefit expected from the export ban would not be proportional to the economic impact.

The plastics sector generated $35 billion in revenue shipping single-use plastics in 2023, according to the notice in the Gazette.

The posting noted that while many producers of single-use plastics have shifted toward paper, fibre, and compostable alternatives, a “significant number” of producers have not made the conversions.

The government said a majority of these operations are small businesses and stopping the export ban would minimize losses associated with shuttered production lines and stranded manufacturing assets.

Businesses that continue to produce single-use plastics will have to keep records for five years showing that products have been or will be exported.

The domestic ban on single-use plastics such as grocery bags, straws, cutlery, and ring carriers for cans remains in place.

The government notice in the Gazette said the effect on domestic plastic pollution is expected to be “negligible.”

On the international side, the Gazette posting said single-use plastics are a global market and removing Canadian products just means customers will find another supplier, so the government does not expect international plastics pollution to change as a result of a Canadian export ban.

The export ban had been scheduled to take effect Dec. 20.

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