US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets target national recycling rate of 50% by 2030; stakeholders identify recycling data gaps as key limitation; call for new national standards and legislation improving reporting, use of recycled content; upcoming changes in government administration create uncertainty
Plastics value chain stakeholders sign declaration
Over 100 stakeholders commit to reaching target to annually use 10 million tons of recycled plastics in new products in Europe by 2025; Coca-Cola executive discusses need for a call to action within the industry; ACC publishes infographic on chemical recycling
EU Parliament approves new waste policy
EU Parliament votes in favor of waste legislation package; 2030 recycling targets set at 60% for municipal waste and 70% for packaging; manufacturers to make information on SVHC content in products available to public
How to increase the recyclability of paper packaging
Confederation of Paper Industries, publishes guide for packaging designers to increase recyclability of paper products; to improve recycling quality, suggests limiting laminates, coatings, inks, varnishes, and adhesives to no more than 10% of pack weight, aspirational goal of 5%; standard paper mills cannot process much laminate, e.g. coffee cups, cold cups, beverage cartons
PFAAs and DDE may affect thyroid hormone levels
Prenatal exposure to PFAAs and DDE may be associated with T4 levels in infants, Dutch study shows
EU Parliament vetoes EDC criteria
EU Parliament’s vote rejects EU Commission’s proposal for EDC identification criteria for pesticides; asks to remove exemption for the substances with intended endocrine mode of action, deliver new proposal ‘without delay’
New safety assessment procedure for unknown NIAS
New safety assessment of unknown non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) in food contact materials (FCM) presented
FDA adds 18 new substances to FCS inventory
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adds 18 new entries to its Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substances (FCS)
EU publishes PFOA regulation
European Commission regulation restricts use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA-related compounds as a persistent organic pollutants; sets maximum concentration of 0.025 mg/kg for PFOA and salts, 1 mg/kg for related compounds; series of exemptions also in place
New method to evaluate effects of electron beam treatment on chemical migration in PP films
New two-dimensional gas chromatography method assesses effects of electron beam treatment of polypropylene films on composition of chemical migration extracts.