News Article

EU adopts Zero Pollution Action Plan

European Commission announces adoption of action plan towards zero pollution for air, water, and soil; includes targets to by 2030 reduce plastic litter at sea by 50%, microplastics release into environment by 30%, residual municipal solid waste by 50%; will revise air and water quality standards, review majority of EU waste laws, increase enforcement

News Article

EU governments consider actions on circular economy

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) publishes literature review to find and evaluate risks that could come from a circular economy, actions the agency could take to mitigate any risks; suggests further research on exposure risks from shelf life extending materials as well as recycled, reusable, and biobased packaging; European Commission proposes ecodesign for sustainable products regulation; Ireland’s cabinet passes circular economy bill

News Article

US Agency for Toxic Substances seeks comments on tox profiles

US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) publishes draft toxicological profiles for six substances including several used in food contact: acetone, 3,3-dichlorobenzidine, and pentachlorophenol; ATSDR accepting comments until October 27, 2021

News Article

Plastics Global Commitment progress report 2021

Finds global virgin plastic production for signatory brands and retailers has likely peaked; progress so far driven by recycling, but warns recycling is not the solution and elimination of single-use packaging urgently needed; separate reports find US polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle recycling rates decreasing and Australia not meeting plastic recycling targets

News Article

Properties of rPET-containing bottles

Scientists examine effects of recycled PET (rPET) on bottles’ properties, propose generic model to calculate acceptable rPET content for different scenarios; bottles from mono-collection systems have less particle contamination, more favorable optical properties, lower accumulation of contaminants, and therefore recommended to allow higher recycled content