White House releases plan to reduce impacts of plastic across the entire lifecycle; aims to eliminate single-use plastic in federal food service by 2027, and in all federal operations by 2045
EU Commission presents EDC strategy
European Commission publishes communication outlining the EU’s strategic approach to managing endocrine disruptors; NGOs criticize lack of specific actions and missing timeline to reduce EDC exposure
Alternatives to perfluorinated chemicals
New study reviews environmental releases, persistence and exposure of perfluorinated chemical alternatives, looks at 20 fluorinated substances including eight used in FCMs
EFSA assesses co-monomer for use in multilayer FCMs
EFSA’s CEF Panel considers 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid, dimethyl ester safe for use in polyester layers, not intended for direct food contact, under certain conditions
Oligomers in PEF polyester
Scientists find ‘abundant’ oligomers in polyethylene furanoate, identify 20 circular and linear oligomer species sized <1000 Da; exact quantities of migrating oligomers to be determined in future investigations
NIAS in laminated bioplastics
Study investigates composition of biodegradable adhesive and chemical migration from bioplastics laminates, identifies several NIAS, shows importance for migration testing of finished material
Peru increasing circular economy, regulating plastic bag contents and claims
Ministry of Production proposes technical regulation on plastic bags to reduce use of harmful substances, increase recycled content, and decrease microplastics production; also bans unsupported claims like “eco-friendly”, “green”, etc.; proposal open for comment until August 14, 2024
How to integrate chemical aspects into the global plastic treaty
Scientists share perspective that all chemicals in plastics need considering in the global plastic treaty also to not hamper technological solutions; recommend key elements to tackle plastic pollution problem holistically including less complexity, as well as more transparency and incentives
Ghana publishes roadmap for ‘radical’ reduction of plastic pollution
Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership publishes roadmap to reduce plastic use and pollution in the country; includes 11 case studies of projects already underway; outlines strategies for both public and private institutions to contribute to the vision
EU food alert system annual report 2015
Rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF) 2015 annual report published; 152 notifications for food contact materials; migration of chromium most notified issue