Page 40 - PET worldwide issue 01/2022

Sustainability

PLA calls for a ban on

mineral cat litter

Around 4.8 mio tonnes of refuse are created every year by min-
eral cat litter in Europe alone. The Plant Litter Association (PLA),

which operates across Europe, is therefore calling for a ban on
mineral products in favour of sustainable plant fibre litter.

Data from the Fediaf industry
association indicates that over
110 mio cats were living in Euro-
pean households during 2020.
This figure was an increase of
four million compared with the
previous year. Although the pet
supplies sector has benefited
perceptibly from this trend in the
last two years, a larger number
of felines is not necessarily ben-
eficial for the environment. The
In the pet supplies trade, mineral
cat litter products dominate the majority of cat owners still use
range in many countries. mineral litter, giving rise to con-

Michael Behnke is the PLA repre­
sentative for Germany and France.

siderable refuse that cannot be
recycled and does not contrib-
ute to energy or heat recovery.
Instead it must be incinerated for
the most part. On completion of
the combustion process, mineral
cat litter is a constituent of ash
and cinders that may still contain
toxic residues.
“Around 4.8 mio tonnes of
refuse are created every year
by mineral cat litter in Europe

40 PET worldwide 1|2022

PWW2022-01_Buch.indb 40 04.02.2022 09:48:49