Events 2023 Workshop

Achieving safe and sustainable food packaging: Where are we now?

On September 28, 2023, the Food Packaging Forum held its 11th annual workshop under the theme of achieving safe & sustainable food packaging and assessing where we are now. Featuring a diverse range of expert speakers representing different stakeholder groups, participants heard keynote presentations on the latest science and policy, discussed key questions in break-out groups, engaged in an in-depth panel discussion on reuse, and shared their perspectives and open questions. Over 170 registered participants from more than 20 different […]

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Provisional agreement reached on EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation

European Parliament and Council conclude negotiations on packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR); bans all PFAS in food packaging; targets at least 10% reusable beverage packaging by 2030; requires deposit return system for plastic and metal beverage containers; packaging reduction targets set to start in 2030

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EC study guides creation of sustainable-by-design criteria

European Commission (EC) releases study mapping current sustainability initiatives and research applicable to creating sustainable-by-design criteria; particular focus on materials and chemicals, including a section assessing nanomaterials; finds few policies related to the production phase of a material’s life cycle; next steps are to identify specific aspects of sustainability to be covered in the criteria and how to evaluate them

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Action and inaction on PFAS in the US federal government

Earthjustice files petition asking US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revoke approval of 600 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allowed on the market under exemptions of the Toxic Substances Control Act; represents about half the number of PFAS on the market; EPA extends reach of guidelines for federal purchasing of PFAS-free products; Food and Drug Administration funding bill stripped of reform amendments including federal ban on PFAS in food packaging

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Paper straws not safer than plastic straws, scientists find

Study analyzes non-volatile compounds migrating from nine different printed and non-printed paper straws into soda; identifies 19 chemicals in concentrations up to 3.6 mg/kg soda; chemicals include suspected carcinogen and endocrine disruptors; findings suggest paper straws are not a safer alternative to plastic straws

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Effective plastics treaty needs to include investments in reduce, reuse, and redesign, scientists highlight

Reveal financial disbalance in Zero Draft to favor recycling over reduction, redesign, and reuse; prone to result in even more plastic waste generation; call for finance shift towards upstream, midstream solutions such as clear and strong extended producer responsibility obligations in the global plastics treaty

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EFSA updates guidance on nanomaterials in the food chain

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) releases guidance documents on the technical requirements to establish the presence of small particles in food products, and how to perform risk assessments of nanomaterials in the food chain; includes migration of particles from food contact materials; agency reports on outcomes from the public consultation period

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CSS roundtable publishes enforcement recommendations

Members of the high-level roundtable on implementation of the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) publishes joint report; provides ten recommendations to improve enforcement and compliance of chemicals legislation; calls for ‘whistle blower’ mechanism and support for consumer and health organizations