The European Commission's latest update on the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (UWWTD) has drawn sharp criticism from Cosmetics Europe. The trade association disputes the study's data, arguing the projected €1.56 billion annual cost by 2025 disproportionately burdens the cosmetics sector. Cosmetics Europe claims the current assessment overestimates the industry's contribution to water micropollutants by 15 times.
The industry body asserts that the commission's own data, when analysed correctly, shows cosmetics accounting for just 1.54% of the total toxic load, not the 26% previously suggested. Independent analyses from ECT Oekotoxikologie GmbH and the Danish Hydrological Institute (DHI) further corroborate this, placing the sector's contribution below 2%. This significant discrepancy suggests a fundamental flaw in how the directive assigns responsibility under the Polluter Pays Principle.
Cosmetics Europe highlights that the directive fails to adequately consider other significant contributors to water pollution, such as the chemical industry and agriculture. The association is calling for corrective measures to ensure data accuracy and the implementation of a fair and effective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Without these adjustments, the effectiveness of the directive in combating water pollution is jeopardised.
