Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
This data set provides data on consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags according to Directive (EU) 2015/720. This Directive requires Member States to take measures to sustainably reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags in their territory, and to report annual lightweight plastic carrier bag consumption for monitoring that reduction. A summary of the measures taken by Member States in accordance with Article 4(1a) of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive is annexed to this report.
The data were published for the first time in February 2021 for the reference year 2018. The comparability of the results across countries is still imperfect, due to a flexibility granted to Member States on which basis they report the information (see below 3.4 and 18.1).
3.2. Classification system
This data set classifies the lightweight plastic carrier bags by wall thickness.
Less than 50 microns:
From 15 to 49 microns.
Less than 15 microns.
50 microns or over:
Additionally, Member States can voluntarily report the consumption of heavier plastic carrier bags with a wall thickness of 50 microns or over. This supplementary data enables both Member States and Eurostat to track any shifts in consumption patterns over time, capturing possible substitution and avoidance effects.
3.3. Coverage - sector
All lightweight plastic carrier bags supplied to customers at the point of sale of goods in a country are covered, whether these are bags placed on the market or calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Directive (EU) 2015/720 defines lightweight plastic carrier bags as carrier bags, with or without a handle, that are made of plastic, are supplied to customers at the point of sale of goods or products, and that have a wall thickness below 50 microns.
Member States may report the national consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags by either number or weight. Member States must complete at least one of the tables contained in the Annex of Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/896. However, they are encouraged to voluntarily complete the other tables, depending on the approaches and measures they have implemented to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags within their territory.
The types of data captured by the four reporting tables are as follows:
Table 4 – The number of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the market.
Table 5 – The number of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies.
Table 6 – The weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the market.
Table 7 – The weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies.
Mandatory data:
Member States must provide the number or the weight of all plastic carrier bags below 50 microns consumed in their territory, regardless of whether such bags are exempted from the national consumption reduction measures.
Voluntary data:
Reporting on the split of bags having a wall thickness of < 15 microns and bags having a wall thickness of 15 < 50 microns is voluntary. Reporting on the consumption of plastic carrier bags with a wall thickness of 50 microns or over is also voluntary.
3.5. Statistical unit
Member States are asked to ensure that their datasets are drawn from sources that represent the fullest possible coverage and representation of the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags within their territory, including not only data from economic operators, but also data from other sources as needed.
The observation unit is the number or the weight of plastic carrier bags.
3.6. Statistical population
Annual consumption of all carrier bags made of plastic, that are supplied to customers at the point of sale of goods or products, and that have a wall thickness below 50 microns.
3.7. Reference area
EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and (from reference year 2021 to 2023) Northern Ireland.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data are published for each year from 2018 onwards.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of bags.
Number of bags per capita.
The reference period is the calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Directive (EU) 2015/720 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2015 amending Directive 94/62/EC as regards reducing the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags (until reference year 2026 included).
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/896 of 19 June 2018 laying down the methodology for the calculation of the annual consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags and amending Decision 2005/270/EC.
European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC of 20 December 1994 on packaging and packaging waste. This Directive was adopted in order to prevent or reduce the impact of packaging and packaging waste on the environment. Although plastic carrier bags constitute packaging within the meaning of that Directive, it does not contain specific measures on the consumption of such bags.
Commission Decision 2005/270/EC of 22 March 2005 establishing the formats relating to the database system pursuant to Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
There is no data sharing with other international organisations; international organisations can use the data as published in the dissemination database.
Not applicable, there are no confidential data in this dataset.
8.1. Release calendar
There is no release calendar, data dissemination is explained in item 9 below.
8.2. Release calendar access
See 8.1.
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the European Union legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice, Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
Data received by 30 June, 18 months after the end of the reference period (T+18; where T = reference year), will be published four months later (T+22).
Information (e.g. manuals, electronic questionnaires) is available on Eurostat's website: (Methodology).
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Reporting countries submit a quality report together with the completed tables. This quality report includes a description of how the data have been compiled.
11.1. Quality assurance
The original data collection is made by the Member States, while Eurostat collects and checks the assembled country compilations. The quality assurance and documentation of the quality is a joint responsibility of Eurostat and the Member States.
Certain data format checks are carried out during the data entry into the country questionnaire. The validation routines at Eurostat include checks related to consistency, plausibility and development over time and observations are discussed with the countries.
A validation report is submitted each year to the European Commission DG Environment, as the responsible body for the monitoring of the implementation of the Packaging Directive.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Quality management is good. Validation procedures, estimation of missing statistical data (gap filling) and quality reporting are in place. The Waste Statistics Expert Group, encompassing representatives of all Member States, Eurostat and other stakeholders, discusses quality improvements in case of need.
Data quality can still be improved in particular for some countries.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The main user is the European Commission, for purposes of monitoring the implementation of Directive (EU) 2015/720.
User needs as defined in Directive (EU) 2005/720:
To promote sustained reductions of the average consumption level of lightweight plastic carrier bags, Member States should take measures to significantly reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags in line with the overall objectives of the Union's waste policy and the waste hierarchy as provided for in Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. By sharing this data, users will be able to monitor progress in reducing the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags.
Other users are the Council, the European Parliament, researchers, politicians, general public, etc.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
No systematic user satisfaction survey has been conducted.
12.3. Completeness
Reporting is mandatory.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
See 10.7 and 11.1.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Countries must submit the data 18 months after the reference period (T+18). The delay between the reference period and the data publication is about 22 months (T+22). However, it may occur that Member States send data belatedly.
14.2. Punctuality
Countries must submit the data 18 months after the reference period. For reference year 2024, 27 countries out of 30 submitted the information in time or less than a month late.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The comparability across countries may be hampered by the different approaches and measures the countries have implemented to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags within their territory.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Reporting is mandatory; comparability over time should be high.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not available.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Eurostat provides guidelines to ensure internal coherence thus aggregates are coherent with sub-aggregates.
Every year Eurostat publishes the complete time series, which may include revisions of data previously published. Data are revised once in between annual releases.
17.2. Data revision - practice
All reported errors (once validated) result in corrections of the disseminated data. Corrections for reported errors are carried out in connection with the regular scheduled data dissemination.
Data may be published even if they are missing for certain countries or are flagged as provisional. They are replaced with data once transmitted and validated, at the time of the regular scheduled data dissemination. European aggregates are updated for consistency with new country data.
Data are usually revised for the last 2 years. Aggregates and components are revised at the same time.
18.1. Source data
Member States follow different approaches and measures to report on Directive (EU) 2015/720.
Member States collect data from various sources depending on the calculation method chosen.
Countries that have chosen the calculation method contained in Article 2(1)(a) of Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/896, must provide data for the ‘Number of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the market’.
For this, they are required to enter the total number of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the national market for the reference year. This should be calculated as the sum total of all lightweight plastic carrier bags that economic operators have reported placing on the national market, plus those bags accounted for through supplementary data sources in order to make corrections to the data provided by economic operators. The final figure should be for all plastic carrier bags below 50 microns consumed in their territory regardless of whether such bags are exempted from the national consumption reduction measures.
Countries that have chosen the calculation method contained in Article 2(1)(b) must provide data for ‘a) Number of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies as declared or reported by economic operators’.
For this, they are required to enter the sum total of the number of lightweight plastic carrier bags subject to mandatory taxes, charges or levies in their territory for the reporting year. This should be calculated from the data reported by economic operators (or other data sources) in the administration of the mandatory tax, charge or levy schemes that you have implemented in order to reduce the national consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags.
It is mandatory to provide data for ‘b) Number of lightweight plastic carrier bags exempt from mandatory taxes, charges or levies reported by economic operators’.
It is also mandatory to provide data for ‘Number of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges of levies, Total of a) and b)’.
Countries that have chosen the calculation method contained in Article 3(1)(a) must provide data for ‘Weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the market (in tonnes)’.
For this, they are required to enter the total weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the national market for the reference year. This should be calculated as the sum total weight of all lightweight plastic carrier bags that economic operators have reported placing on the national market. The final figure should be for all plastic carrier bags below 50 microns consumed in their territory including bags exempted from the national consumption reduction measures.
It is also mandatory to provide data for ‘Weighted average weight per lightweight plastic carrier bag as reported by economic operators (in grams)’.
Countries that have chosen the calculation method contained in Article 3(1)(b) must provide data for ‘(a) Weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies as declared or reported by economic operators (in tonnes)’.
For this, they are required to enter the total weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags subject to mandatory taxes, charges or levies in your territory for the reporting year. This should be calculated from the data reported by economic operators (or other data sources) in the administration of the mandatory tax, charge or levy schemes that they have implemented in order to reduce the national consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags.
It is also mandatory to provide data for ‘(b) Weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags exempt from mandatory taxes, charges or levies as reported by economic operators (in tonnes)’.
For this, they are required to enter the total weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags exempt from mandatory taxes, charges or levies in their territory for the reporting year. As this data will not necessarily be captured in the administration of mandatory tax, charge or levy schemes, they will need to implement measures through which to gather this data from economic operators, or other data sources.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual.
18.3. Data collection
Data collection is done by Member States, usually by the Ministry of Environment or Environmental Protection Agencies.
Member States are transmitting data via questionnaires through EDAMIS.
The EDAMIS workflow for consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags is WASTE_PBAG_A.
The Member States also transmit a quality report included in the questionnaire.
Potential data collection methods used by the institutions listed above include:
Surveys of economic operators.
Reporting of data generated as part of the administration of mandatory taxes, charges or levies.
Reporting of data on carrier bags given away by retailers where no mandatory taxes, charges or levies are in place, but there is a mandate on retailers to report the number / weight of bags they provide.
Estimates made by government departments, research institutes or consultancies, used to correct for gaps in the data provided by economic operators.
Any other surveys made of organisations not mentioned.
18.4. Data validation
Eurostat performs data validation in close cooperation with Member States' competent authorities.
Certain data format checks are carried out during the data entry into the questionnaire. The validation routines at Eurostat include checks related to consistency, plausibility and development over time, and clarification requests are sent to countries in case of observations.
Methodology reports from countries are consulted during the validation process. In case of revision of data, the Member State transmits a new questionnaire.
18.5. Data compilation
The European aggregates are calculated by adding up the national amounts. EU aggregates are compiled when the Member States which have reported data represent 60% of the population and 55% of the number of Member States defining the aggregate; missing data for Member States which did not report are estimated on the basis of the previous year and rounded to the closest thousand.
For the calculation of number of bags per capita, the national numbers of plastic bags are divided by the average population of the relevant year.
The average population for the calculation of number of bags per capita is taken from the table "Demographic balance and crude rates" (demo_gind, indic_de=AVG) in Eurobase.
This data set provides data on consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags according to Directive (EU) 2015/720. This Directive requires Member States to take measures to sustainably reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags in their territory, and to report annual lightweight plastic carrier bag consumption for monitoring that reduction. A summary of the measures taken by Member States in accordance with Article 4(1a) of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive is annexed to this report.
The data were published for the first time in February 2021 for the reference year 2018. The comparability of the results across countries is still imperfect, due to a flexibility granted to Member States on which basis they report the information (see below 3.4 and 18.1).
22 October 2026
Directive (EU) 2015/720 defines lightweight plastic carrier bags as carrier bags, with or without a handle, that are made of plastic, are supplied to customers at the point of sale of goods or products, and that have a wall thickness below 50 microns.
Member States may report the national consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags by either number or weight. Member States must complete at least one of the tables contained in the Annex of Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/896. However, they are encouraged to voluntarily complete the other tables, depending on the approaches and measures they have implemented to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags within their territory.
The types of data captured by the four reporting tables are as follows:
Table 4 – The number of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the market.
Table 5 – The number of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies.
Table 6 – The weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the market.
Table 7 – The weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies.
Mandatory data:
Member States must provide the number or the weight of all plastic carrier bags below 50 microns consumed in their territory, regardless of whether such bags are exempted from the national consumption reduction measures.
Voluntary data:
Reporting on the split of bags having a wall thickness of < 15 microns and bags having a wall thickness of 15 < 50 microns is voluntary. Reporting on the consumption of plastic carrier bags with a wall thickness of 50 microns or over is also voluntary.
Member States are asked to ensure that their datasets are drawn from sources that represent the fullest possible coverage and representation of the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags within their territory, including not only data from economic operators, but also data from other sources as needed.
The observation unit is the number or the weight of plastic carrier bags.
Annual consumption of all carrier bags made of plastic, that are supplied to customers at the point of sale of goods or products, and that have a wall thickness below 50 microns.
EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and (from reference year 2021 to 2023) Northern Ireland.
The reference period is the calendar year.
See 10.7 and 11.1.
Number of bags.
Number of bags per capita.
The European aggregates are calculated by adding up the national amounts. EU aggregates are compiled when the Member States which have reported data represent 60% of the population and 55% of the number of Member States defining the aggregate; missing data for Member States which did not report are estimated on the basis of the previous year and rounded to the closest thousand.
For the calculation of number of bags per capita, the national numbers of plastic bags are divided by the average population of the relevant year.
The average population for the calculation of number of bags per capita is taken from the table "Demographic balance and crude rates" (demo_gind, indic_de=AVG) in Eurobase.
Member States follow different approaches and measures to report on Directive (EU) 2015/720.
Member States collect data from various sources depending on the calculation method chosen.
Countries that have chosen the calculation method contained in Article 2(1)(a) of Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/896, must provide data for the ‘Number of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the market’.
For this, they are required to enter the total number of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the national market for the reference year. This should be calculated as the sum total of all lightweight plastic carrier bags that economic operators have reported placing on the national market, plus those bags accounted for through supplementary data sources in order to make corrections to the data provided by economic operators. The final figure should be for all plastic carrier bags below 50 microns consumed in their territory regardless of whether such bags are exempted from the national consumption reduction measures.
Countries that have chosen the calculation method contained in Article 2(1)(b) must provide data for ‘a) Number of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies as declared or reported by economic operators’.
For this, they are required to enter the sum total of the number of lightweight plastic carrier bags subject to mandatory taxes, charges or levies in their territory for the reporting year. This should be calculated from the data reported by economic operators (or other data sources) in the administration of the mandatory tax, charge or levy schemes that you have implemented in order to reduce the national consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags.
It is mandatory to provide data for ‘b) Number of lightweight plastic carrier bags exempt from mandatory taxes, charges or levies reported by economic operators’.
It is also mandatory to provide data for ‘Number of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges of levies, Total of a) and b)’.
Countries that have chosen the calculation method contained in Article 3(1)(a) must provide data for ‘Weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the market (in tonnes)’.
For this, they are required to enter the total weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags placed on the national market for the reference year. This should be calculated as the sum total weight of all lightweight plastic carrier bags that economic operators have reported placing on the national market. The final figure should be for all plastic carrier bags below 50 microns consumed in their territory including bags exempted from the national consumption reduction measures.
It is also mandatory to provide data for ‘Weighted average weight per lightweight plastic carrier bag as reported by economic operators (in grams)’.
Countries that have chosen the calculation method contained in Article 3(1)(b) must provide data for ‘(a) Weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags calculated from mandatory taxes, charges or levies as declared or reported by economic operators (in tonnes)’.
For this, they are required to enter the total weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags subject to mandatory taxes, charges or levies in your territory for the reporting year. This should be calculated from the data reported by economic operators (or other data sources) in the administration of the mandatory tax, charge or levy schemes that they have implemented in order to reduce the national consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags.
It is also mandatory to provide data for ‘(b) Weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags exempt from mandatory taxes, charges or levies as reported by economic operators (in tonnes)’.
For this, they are required to enter the total weight of lightweight plastic carrier bags exempt from mandatory taxes, charges or levies in their territory for the reporting year. As this data will not necessarily be captured in the administration of mandatory tax, charge or levy schemes, they will need to implement measures through which to gather this data from economic operators, or other data sources.
Data received by 30 June, 18 months after the end of the reference period (T+18; where T = reference year), will be published four months later (T+22).
Countries must submit the data 18 months after the reference period (T+18). The delay between the reference period and the data publication is about 22 months (T+22). However, it may occur that Member States send data belatedly.
The comparability across countries may be hampered by the different approaches and measures the countries have implemented to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags within their territory.
Reporting is mandatory; comparability over time should be high.
