Plastic Manufactured Items Added to CEPA Schedule 1

The Government of Canada has announced an amendment to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 to add plastic manufactured items to Schedule 1.

Plastic manufactured items  ·        Canada Gazette Order

The final Order adding plastic manufactured items to Schedule 1 to CEPA has been published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. A table summarizing all comments received on the proposed Order, and Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada’s responses, is available on the Canada.ca (Chemical Substances) website. The response letters from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to the notices of objection received on the proposed Order are available on the CEPA Registry.

Adding “plastic manufactured items” to Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) enables the Government of Canada to take regulatory and other risk management actions in support of reaching Canada’s zero plastic waste goal. Banning harmful single-use plastics, where warranted and supported by science, and establishing minimum recycled content requirements, are two actions that will complement the range of other initiatives the government has undertaken to date. 

Feedback received on the discussion paper describing a proposed integrated management approach for plastic products to prevent waste and pollution, published in October 2020, is being considered in developing proposed regulations to ban or restrict certain single-use plastics, and in developing proposed recycled content requirements. The proposed regulations to ban or restrict certain single-use plastics are expected to be published for public comment in the Canada Gazette, Part I this fall.

The Government of Canada’s agenda includes funding for the development of new and innovative technologies and approaches to address plastic waste, such as the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Marine Plastic Litter, the Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge for small- and medium-sized enterprises, and the Zero Plastic Waste Initiative. The government is also supporting industry-based solutions through targeted measures that set the necessary conditions to drive sustainable design, production, and after-use markets across industry sectors that use plastics. 

The Government of Canada recognizes the central role played by provinces and territories in reducing plastic waste and eliminating plastic pollution, and is collaborating with its provincial and territorial counterparts through the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment to implement the Canada-wide Strategy and Action Plan on Zero Plastic Waste.

The Government of Canada is also working with stakeholders and partners to address plastic waste and pollution, including through the Ocean Plastics Charter, which was spearheaded by Canada as part of its G7 presidency in 2018.  To date, 26 governments and over 70 businesses and organizations worldwide have endorsed the Charter, committing to take action to move toward a more resource efficient and sustainable approach to the management of plastics and to reduce plastic pollution.

Please direct questions to the Plastics and Marine Litter Division by email at ec.plastiques-plastics.ec@canada.ca.