Director of European Chemicals Agency says circular economy will take decades to achieve, heavy investments needed to boost innovation
Danone uses bioplastics for yogurt packaging
PLA packaging estimated safer, cost-neutral and with greater price stability
Potency missing in EDC criteria
European Chemical Industry Council responds to EU Commission’s public consultation of EDC criteria; supports use of WHO/IPCS definition but urges Commission to include potency
Degradable plastics and recycling
Plastics Recyclers Europe and European Bioplastics address impacts of degradable plastics on quality of recycled film; call for separate collection
EFSA publishes guidance on chemical grouping for risk assessments
Final version of European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidance prioritizes hazard-driven criteria for grouping chemicals; supports human health risk assessments of combined chemical exposures; recommends relying on mechanistic information on toxicity within a weight-of-evidence approach
Food contact materials: more epidemiological research needed
Call for more epidemiological research on long term consequences for public health of chemicals leaching from food packaging materials
Reducing exposure to EDCs could pay off
European environmental group tackles difficult task, estimates up to €31 billion health savings in EU from reducing exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals
Belgian enforcement of nanomaterial registration
Registration of nanomaterials to harmonize public health prevention and technological progress
EFSA working group updates in November 2020 to March 2021
Minutes from recent meetings of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) CEP panel and working groups on bisphenol A (BPA), food contact materials (FCMs), recycling plastics, and phthalates published; groups continue discussions and revisions of draft opinions; new working group on re-evaluation of phthalates and structurally similar substances in FCMs launched
Opinion on polymers under REACH
Paul Ashford from Anthesis-Caleb consultancy discusses challenges in ‘dealing with polymers under REACH,” calls for clear guidance on substance identification of polymers; EU project aims to identify ‘polymers of concern’