North American Metal Packaging Association responds to study linking BPA with autism: «study was of poor design with no control over contamination»
Glass industry launches sustainability label
European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) announces the launch of a new symbol for recycling on glass packaging; describes it as highlighting the brands’ commitments towards sustainability and health; to be promoted for use on all glass packaging applications including food and beverage, pharma, perfumery, cosmetic products
Amendment to EU plastic FCM regulation
European Commission publishes 6th amendment to plastic FCM regulation; changes for 6 substances and inclusion of 10 new substances in Union List; new specific migration limits for aluminum and zinc; food simulants and compliance testing specified
Projects launched to support GHS implementation in Africa
Kenya, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Rwanda implementing Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) in national policy; Sierra Leone and Malawi partner with the UN Environment Program (UNEP) to study chemical and waste management within the countries to design long term policies and projects
FPF launches database on food brand and retailer packaging initiatives
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) releases global database of initiatives and commitments by food retailers and brands to voluntarily improve their food packaging; includes efforts to improve chemical safety and resource efficiency beyond legal requirements; currently contains over 250 unique companies and associations, will be regularly updated
Study finds microplastics impact colon cancer cells, could increase metastasis
Study of colon cancer cell lines finds polystyrene micro and nanoplastic particles (MNPs) can be absorbed into cancerous cells in experimental settings; the more aggressive cell line absorbed the most MNPs and presence of MNPs increased cell movement; evidence of persistence and bioaccumulation; authors argue MNPs fit criteria as substance of concern under REACH
Microplastics and human health: knowns and unknowns
Article published in Science lays out key knowledge gaps hindering human health risk assessments of microplastics, highlights lack of analytical tools to assess small microplastics and nanoplastics; estimated low exposure does not imply low risk
UNEP: Over 3000 chemicals of concern in plastics
Technical report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) informs about “chemical-related issues of plastic pollution and options to address them”; finds 13,000 chemicals present in plastic; 7,000 have hazard data of which 3,200 are chemicals of concern; outlines chemical groups, use sectors of concern, human and ecosystem exposure, gaps and improvement options including substitution and waste management in a circular economy
US government and stakeholders debate how to improve recycling
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
The chemical and waste footprint of food delivery in China
Study uses online food delivery sales data from nearly 200 Chinese cities, combined with packaging samples from 18 of those cities to model packaging waste generation and chemical exposure from waste incineration; some degradation products with higher concentrations than intentionally added parent product; over 50 tons of the targeted additives likely released into the atmosphere from Chinese waste incinerators