G/TBT/N/ITA/33  
 
22 June 2018  
(18-3924) Page: 1/2 
Committee on  Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: ITALY   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: Ministero dello sviluppo economico  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Ministry for economic development  
General Directorate for Market, Competition, Consumer, Vigilance and Technical 
Regulations  
Division XIII - Technical regulation  
00187 Rome I – Via Sallustiana, 53  
tel. ++39 06 4705 .5430  
ucn98.34.italia@mise.gov.it   
European Commission TBT Enquiry Point: GROW -EU-TBT@ec.europa.eu  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  
Cotton buds made of plastic or of any non -biodegradable and non -compostable material . 
Exfoliating rinse -off cosmetic products or detergents containing microplastics.  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Draft technical 
regulation banning the marketing of non -biodegradable and non -compostable cotton buds 
and exfoliating rinse -off cosmetic products or detergents containing microplastics (2 
page(s), in Italian)    
6. Description of content: The draft technical regulation that will be included in the 2018 
European legislation introduces:  
- a ban on the productio n and marketing on national territory of cotton buds made of 
plastic or of any non -biodegradable and non -compostable material, pursuant to Standard 
UNI EN 13432 (Article 180, paragraph 1h of Legislative Decree No 152 of 2006);  
- a ban on the marketing of e xfoliating rinse -off cosmetic products or detergents 
containing microplastics. This ban will apply from 1 January 2020 (Article 180, paragraph 
1i of Legislative Decree No 152 of 2006).  
The regulations in question are adopted and certain amendments made to Article 180 of 
Legislative Decree No 152 of 3 April 2006 on the prevention of waste production. New 
articles are also added, namely Article 261 -ter ‘Infringement of the ban on the marketing 
of cotton buds made of plastic or of other non -biodegradable and n on-compostable 
materials’ and Article 261 -quater ‘Infringement of the ban on the marketing of cosmetics 
containing microplastics  G/TBT/N/ITA/33  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: The intervention is specifically intende d to prevent marine waste, or 'marine 
litter' as it is commonly known, made of plastic or other non -biodegradable materials, 
which is improperly disposed of or released into drains and not intercepted by sewage 
treatment plants and which, therefore, accumu lates in the water and marine environment.  
Given the impact of the improper disposal and release of these products into bodies of 
water and marine environments, the Italian legislator has deemed it necessary to lay down 
specific provisions imposing measure s in order to significantly reduce the pollution caused 
by this phenomenon. The development of nearly 8000 km of Italy's coastline and its 
central position in the Mediterranean mean that it is particularly 'vulnerable' to the impact 
that this waste may hav e on the marine environment. Numerous scientific studies have 
shown that the plastic sticks from cotton buds are among the 10 most common types of 
waste found on beaches. The ban on the production and marketing of cosmetics and rinse -
off personal care prod ucts containing microbeads is also necessary, given the fact that 
they cause damage to marine life. These non -biodegradable microbeads accumulate in the 
marine environment. Once released into bodies of water, they are impossible to retrieve 
and, as with mi cro plastics in general, have an impact on biodiversity.  
8. Relevant documents:   
References to basic texts:  
Legislative Decree No 152/2006 - Articles 180 and 261: annexed  
Other texts: Explanatory report – annexed   
9. Proposed date of adoption: September 2018 
Proposed date of entry into force: January 2019 – January 2020  
10. Final date for comments: 7 September 2018  
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
[X] - see box 2  
Text on line at: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools -databases/tris/en/search  (Notification 
number: 2018/258/I)  
and/or at: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools -databases/tbt/en/search  
 
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