European Directive
The European Directive 2019/904 on single used plastics is published
About us
Único is a management entity for single-use plastic waste, which was born in 2023 from the initiative of five companies that produce tobacco products with a filter that contains plastic, together with Electrão. Único supports companies in responding to the Extended Producer Responsibility Principle, which states that producers of these goods are responsible for ensuring their proper end-of-life.
We are the first entity in Portugal to take on the management of this end-of-life system, which is based on waste prevention, support for urban cleaning and awareness-raising and education for best environmental practices related to the end-of-life of single-use plastics, in order to preserve the environment.
1st producer responsability organisation for tobacco products with a filter that contains plastic
As a producer responsability organisation, we take responsibility from producers for the end of life of the products they put on the market and support companies in fulfilling their legal obligations.
Single-use plastics are products that are only used once, usually for short periods of time before being discarded, which makes their environmental impact significant.
Reasons why this waste is subject to specific legislation
In 2019, the European Directive 2019/904 was published, on the impact on the environment and the consequent need to manage single-use plastics:
70%
of marine waste consists of fishing equipment and disposable plastics
+ 150 million tons
of plastic currently exist in the oceans
4.8 to 12.7 million tons
of plastic enter the oceans every year
*Data from the European Parliament, available here.
ÚNICO's history
2021
2021
National transposition
Transposition of the Directive to National Legislation in Decree-Law No. 78/2021
2022
2022
1st campaign
First campaign for awareness and joint communication of tobacco products producers, within the scope of the Directive
2023
2023
Establishment of the Association
Único is created by five companies producing tobacco products and Electrão.
2024
2024
License assignment
Único obtains the license to manage the end of life of tobacco products with filters and their filters.
2025
2025
Cleaning Cost Dispatch for tobacco products with filters and filters marketed for use in combination with tobacco products, which contain plastic.
2026
2026
Publication of Order No. 431/2026, of January 15, 2026, which sets the amounts of the financial contribution owed by producers of tobacco products with filters containing plastics to municipalities
2026
2026
Order No. 611/2026, of March 23, approves the model of financial contributions, for the years 2026 and 2027 - Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action - Autonomous Region of the Azores.
2026
2026
Order No. 225/2026 of the Regional Secretariat for Tourism, Environment and Culture of Madeira, published in the Official Journal of the Autonomous Region of Madeira on May 21, 2026, approves the financial contribution owed by producers of tobacco products with plastic filters to local authorities to compensate for urban cleaning costs for the years 2026 and 2027.
2026
2026
Adhesion of FTM as a new member of Único.
2026
2026
Approval of the Financial Payment Model to be borne by producers of tobacco products adhering to SIGRPT (08/18/2026).
Mission
Educate, preserve and clean
This mission is carried out on a daily basis through the work of Único's team, which coordinates with municipalities and supports the urban cleaning of tobacco products and their filters, as well as raising awareness among the population of the need to dispose of these products correctly after use.
Values