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European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes report on plastics, their impact on the environment and climate, and their place in an EU circular economy; three joint pathways for achieving necessary change identified based on smarter use, increased circularity, and renewable raw material
The Intercept reports four career staff members of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claim that the agency is hiding risks discovered in toxicological assessments of chemicals; plans additional follow-up articles to further investigate the claims
Sustainable Packaging Coalition publishes updated report on the availability of residential recycling in the United States for 32 types of packaging materials; steel food cans, aluminum beverage cans, corrugated cardboard, paperboard, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles accepted by > 84% of facilities surveyed; foil and rigid polystyrene (PS) had fewest recycling options; access to recycling declined since 2016
European Commission receives 302 comments on inception impact assessment for revision of EU rules on food contact materials (FCM); Food Packaging Forum submits comments calling for revising definition to consider chemicals with difficult-to-identify safety levels, offers support to prioritize chemicals of concern
Publications from government, academia, civil society organizations, and consultancies paint problematic picture of a circular plastics economy; plastic packaging waste per person found to increase over last decade; low percentage of plastic produced is effectively recycled; pyrolysis (a type of chemical recycling) of plastics produces 9x more emissions than mechanical recycling; “biodegradable” and “compostable” plastics found to not break down in home compost systems
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejects two citizen petitions from 2016 asking it to remove 28 phthalates from food contact use for safety reasons; grants industry petition to remove 23 phthalates due to abandonment; FDA issues request for information on use and safety information of remaining phthalates; comments accepted until July 19, 2022
Greenpeace Switzerland publishes statement and report, criticizes increasing focus on plastic collection and recycling; argues this misleads consumers, hinders implementation of reuse and extended producer responsibility, recommends providing necessary infrastructure, adaptation of logistics, implementing reuse and return models
Costa Rican government commits to eliminating single-use plastic items by 2021; intends to promote biodegradable, water-soluble, and renewable materials
Qualitative research study explores utility of digitalization to adopt wider use of reusable packaging; identifies barriers for business adoption; shows how trackability through digitalization promotes a circular economy
Changing Markets Foundation and Break Free From Plastic investigate plastic pollution related actions made by 74 of the largest European supermarkets; Total average score of retailers was just 13/100, only Aldi UK and Aldi Ireland scored above 60; over 80% of companies had no information on total plastic use which “casts doubt” over plastic reduction pledges because there is no baseline data
