Swedish MEP Beatrice Timgren (ECR) has challenged the European Commission over its guidelines on clean-up costs under the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), arguing that the document oversteps the directive's legal scope and imposes disproportionate burdens on industry and consumers. In a parliamentary question submitted on 2 July 2026, Timgren specifically targets the inclusion of waste water infrastructure cleaning costs, which she says the SUPD never envisaged. The MEP warns that the guidelines create legal uncertainty for national authorities and economic operators, while raising costs for manufacturers of essential hygiene products such as wet wipes and for families relying on them.
Timgren's question asks whether the Commission conducted an impact assessment of the guidelines' effects on industry and on the affordability of hygiene products, particularly for families with young children. She also questions whether the proportionality of the measure was assessed, given that infrastructure maintenance costs exist regardless of wet wipes. Finally, she presses the Commission on how the guidelines align with its own simplification agenda, which aims to reduce regulatory burdens.
The question reflects a broader tension between environmental objectives under the SUPD and concerns over regulatory overreach and economic impact. Wet wipes are a key product for hygiene in households with infants, elderly people, and persons with disabilities, and the sector supports manufacturing jobs and innovation in Europe. Timgren's intervention signals that the guidelines may face scrutiny from MEPs who view them as an extension of the directive's scope without proper legislative backing.
The Commission is expected to respond within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it considers the guidelines legally sound and whether it plans to revise them in light of the concerns raised.