OTTAWA — Canada’s federal government has announced it is suspending a planned ban on the export of single-use plastics due to tariffs and supply chain issues that are “creating significant pressure on the domestic economy.”

The government launched a 70-day consultation period on Saturday in the Canada Gazette on whether to move forward with the ban.

The government’s announcement said the expected environmental benefits of the ban were disproportionate to its economic consequences.

The plastics industry is expected to generate $35 billion in revenue from single-use plastic exports by 2023, according to the announcement in the Gazette.

The announcement also noted that while many single-use plastic manufacturers have moved to produce alternatives such as paper, fiber and compostable materials, “a significant number” of manufacturers have yet to make the switch.

The government says most of these manufacturing units are small businesses and that suspending the export ban could reduce losses from production line closures and idle manufacturing assets.

Under the decision, companies that continue to produce single-use plastics will be required to keep records for five years showing that their products have been or are about to be exported.

Domestic bans on single-use plastics such as shopping bags, straws, plastic cutlery and can rings will remain in place.

The government’s announcement in the Gazette said the impact of the decision on domestic plastic pollution is assessed as “negligible.”

Internationally, the government has said that single-use plastics are part of a global market and that by eliminating Canadian products, customers will turn to other suppliers, so Canada’s export ban is not expected to have an impact on global plastic pollution.

News source