New York Times article reports on grocery stores offering only bulk produce to engage consumers in weighing and measuring the quantities they buy and reduce packaging waste
Survey gauges consumers’ interest in recyclable packaging
Boston Consulting Group survey interviews 15,000 consumers across Europe, North America, South America; finds consumer environmental awareness and preference for recyclable packaging unaffected by pandemic, young consumers willing to pay more for sustainable packaging, miseducation exists about real recycling rates
BPF exposures on the rise
Detox Me project of Silent Spring Institute shows that consumers inclined to buy ‘BPA-free’ products do have lower levels of bisphenol A but higher levels of common substitute bisphenol F
New baseline for BPA exposure?
Environmental Health Perspectives reports on new sublingual BPA study, may set new baseline for BPA exposure
Recall of Dutch waffles highly contaminated with mineral oils
Dutch waffles recalled in Belgium and the Netherlands due to contamination with MOAH and MOSH at levels of up to 190 ppm and exceeding 1,000 ppm, respectively; exact source of contamination not known
Key aspects of sustainability of food packaging
Foster sustainability through holistic considerations along the food production and supply chain
Spain passes comprehensive waste reduction regulation, eases the way for reuse
New Spanish waste law includes extensive waste reduction measures and targets across the entire supply chain; bans bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates in food packaging; mandates food providers offer tap water for free and accept reusable containers if customers bring them; 20% of floor space in large grocery stores must be for food without packaging; establishes extended producer responsibility scheme and bottle-to-bottle recycling program
UV-328 qualifies for screening as POP
Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC) meeting finds antioxidant UV-328 (TINUVIN-328) fulfills all four criteria for screening as Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) under the Stockholm Convention; next step is the preparation of a draft risk profile for the widely used plastic additive
UN publishes Plastics Treaty zero draft
The «zero draft» is a starting point for discussion and amendments ahead of November’s Plastics Treaty negotiation in Kenya; each proposed treaty element includes options of varying ambition; Part II focuses on elements of plastics’ life cycle, including chemicals and polymers of concern; Option 1 imposes strict limitations, Option 2 mandates minimal usage, Option 3 leaves it to national action plans; Annex A provides potential criteria for determining chemicals and polymers of concern, along with options for development and usage within the Treaty
BPS may be adipogenic
Scientists show BPS treatment, similar to BPA, results in increased lipid accumulation and higher expression of adipogenesis-related genes in primary preadipocytes