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Data from: November 2024

Planned update: November 2025

Highlights

On average, a person living in the EU consumed 67 lightweight plastic carrier bags per year in 2022, down from 77 bags in 2021.
Between 2018 and 2022, the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags in the EU fell by 29%.

[[File:Consumption_of_plastic_carrier_bags_billion_2024-11.xlsx]]

Lightweight plastic carrier bags (LPCBs) consumption in the EU, 2018-2022

  • Note: Eurostat estimates.
  • Source: Eurostat (env_waspcb)

This article shows statistics on the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags (LPCBs) in the European Union (EU) countries and the EFTA countries. Official reporting on LPCBs was first implemented for the reference year 2018 and consumption data for the period 2018–2022 is now available for most EU countries. Information and data are based on Directive 2015/720 (The Plastic Bags Directive), which lays down consumption reduction requirements. The 'Plastic Bags Directive' aims to reduce consumption of LPCBs in order to combat littering, change consumer behaviour and promote waste prevention.


Data collection

Countries commonly collect their LPCB consumption data from producers and importers of carrier bags, or from retailers. Reporting by producers and importers is commonly made to either national packaging registries, organisations managing extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, or directly to government departments such as environmental and finance ministries. Reporting by retailers is commonly made either directly to government departments or via national registries. Several countries conduct surveys of retailers, either as a primary data collection method or to fill in data gaps.


Lightweight plastic carrier bag consumption

The EU inhabitants consumed 95 LPCBs per capita in 2018, falling to 93 LPCBs in 2019, 86 LPCBs in 2020, 77 LPCBs in 2021 and 67 LPCBs in 2022. In 2022, reported consumption for individual countries ranged from 4 LPCBs per capita in Belgium to 249 LPCBs in Lithuania, with the latter driven by high consumption of very lightweight plastic carrier bags (i.e. bags with a wall thickness below 15 microns).

As all EU countries now have consumption reduction measures required by the Plastic Bags Directive, the wide range seen in per capita consumption is primarily attributable to differences in the effectiveness of these measures, caused by a variety of economic, social, and policy factors.

The differences in consumption also reflect that some countries have had measures in place longer than others, allowing more time for consumption patterns to change.

A third potential cause for the differences in reported consumption is the variety of collection methodologies used by the countries. It cannot be ruled out that some extremes in the consumption data can be attributed to methodological issues, resulting in inaccurate data. Overall, data quality has improved each year and is expected to improve further.

Vertical bar chart showing the number per capita consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags in the EU, individual EU countries and EFTA countries. Each country has five columns representing the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Figure 1: Consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags, 2018-2022
(number per capita)
Source: Eurostat (env_waspcb)

Very lightweight plastic carrier bag consumption

EU countries are required to report the total number of LPCBs consumed in the country. In addition, they may provide more detailed data, differentiating between consumption of very lightweight plastic carrier bags (VLPCBs), which are bags with a wall thickness of less than 15 microns, and LPCBs with a wall thickness of 15 to <50 microns.

Among the 19 EU countries that provided detailed data for 2022 on consumption of VLPCBs and other sized LPCBs, respectively, the share of VLPCBs in total LPCB consumption ranged from 96.5% in Ireland to 14.8% in Sweden. Across these EU countries, VLPCBs accounted for 74.4% of LPCB consumption per capita.

Stacked vertical bar chart showing consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags, measured in number of bags per capita, in the EU, individual EU countries and EU countries. Most country columns have two stacks representing lightweight plastic carrier bags and very lightweight plastic carrier bags. Some countries have a column representing no breakdown reported. A line across all country columns represents the year 2025 target of 40 bags per capita.
Figure 2: Consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags, 2022
(number per capita)
Source: Eurostat (env_waspcb)

Conclusions

  • Between 2018 and 2022, the EU achieved an overall reduction of 29.4% in the total number of lightweight plastic carrier bags consumed.
  • The EU countries that voluntarily reported disaggregated data together achieved an overall reduction of 66.2% in 15 to <50 microns lpcb consumption from 2018 to 2022, while the of vlpcbs (<15 microns) decreased by 24.5%. overall, among these countries, represented 78.8% total number lpcbs consumed in 2022.<<
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Source data for tables and graphs

Data sources

The lightweight plastic carrier bag data are reported by EU countries as laid down in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/896. The reported data are usually available in the Eurostat database on waste approximately 21 months after the end of the reference year.

Context

Directive 2015/720 on reducing the consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags is an amendment to Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste (Packaging Waste Directive). It was the first EU directive requiring the EU countries to take measures to achieve a sustained reduction in the consumption of a specified product. It aims to reduce consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags in order to combat littering, change consumer behaviour and promote waste prevention. It requires the EU countries to either adopt measures to ensure that consumption does not exceed specified target levels, or to prohibit that points of sale provide lightweight plastic carrier bags free of charge. Countries may also implement a combination of these measures.

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/896 lays down the methodology for calculating the annual consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags.

  • Plastic carrier bags (PCBs) are defined as carrier bags, with or without handles, made of plastic, which are supplied to consumers at the point of sale of goods.
  • Lightweight plastic carrier bags (LPCBs) are defined as plastic carrier bags with a wall thickness below 50 microns.
  • Very lightweight plastic carrier bags (VLPCBs) are defined as plastic carrier bags with a wall thickness below 15 microns, which are required for hygiene purposes or provided as primary packaging for loose food when this helps to prevent food wastage.


Explore further

Other articles

Database
Waste streams (env_wasst)
Consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags by their wall thickness (env_waspcb)

Thematic section

Publications

Methodology

External links


Legislation


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