UPM Specialty Papers and Smithers survey over 200 packaging professionals to make predictions on the food packaging market in 2040; respondents believe that by 2040 packaging sustainability will be dictated by government mandates and consumers will no longer accept tradeoffs between sustainability and convenience
Ireland developing single-use plastics ban
Minister announces potential strategy to ban range of single-use items, introduce fee for manufacturers that wrap foods in non-recyclable plastic, implement bottle deposit return scheme
Carcinogenicity of chemical mixtures
The Halifax Project assesses potential role of low-dose chemical mixtures in developing cancer
Danish retailer pushes for ban on PFASs and bisphenols
Coop Denmark launches campaign on ‘cocktails’ of hazardous chemicals in consumer products, urges Danish government to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and bisphenols in food contact materials
Phenols and parabens found in lactating mothers
New study finds phenols and parabens in urine, milk and serum of North Carolina women
Two perspectives on Adverse Outcome Pathways
PAN Europe warns of using Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) as prediction tool; ECETOC sees AOP’s potential in assessing EDCs
DTU announces 2 large EU research projects on EDCs
Technical University of Denmark contributes to 2 new Horizon 2020 research projects focused on endocrine disruptors, reproductive health, thyroid hormones; to begin in 2019 and run for 5 years
EU elections: NGOs call for action on chemicals
European NGOs publish manifestos ahead of EU parliamentary elections calling for action on a range of issues including exposure to hazardous chemicals, EDCs, and a clean circular economy
Recommendations for EU’s Sustainable Products Initiative
European Environmental Bureau releases discussion paper and policy briefs with recommendations for European Commission’s Sustainable Products Initiative; discusses ideas to integrate the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability into product regulation; also identifies measures to increase value chain transparency
Scientists emphasize importance for LCAs to consider plastic particle impacts
Review provides understanding of how knowledge gaps on long-term plastic particle fate affect life-cycle assessments (LCAs) and distort policy decisions; exemplifies discussion comparing a fossil-based with a biodegradable plastic; highlights importance of covering plastic particle impacts and its unknowns transparently in LCAs to allow reliable material comparisons and responsible decision making