Recently, the European Commission has introduced and put into effect a set of relevant regulations aimed at preventing plastic pellets from leaking into the environment. These regulations apply to enterprises handling more than 5 tonnes of plastic pellets per year within the EU, including manufacturers, recyclers, processors, wholesalers and other distributors. They also cover plastic pellet carriers, including shipping companies. Relevant enterprises must avoid, control and clean up plastic pellet leaks, and formulate and implement risk management plans.

Carriers are not required to develop risk management plans, but must take specific measures to prevent, control and respond to such leaks. Medium and large-sized enterprises handling over 1,500 tonnes of plastic pellets annually must obtain compliance certificates or permits. The European Commission stated that it will prepare promotional and training materials by 17 December 2026. In addition, European standardization bodies are required to develop unified standards for emission estimation.