Civil society organizations and reuse businesses concerned about lobbying for packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR); urge for well-designed reuse systems in PPWR; emphasize the scientific evidence in accompanying fact sheet; Euroconsumers presents checklist with five criteria to consider for a robust PPWR
Suggestion for EU FCM regulatory change
Koni Grob of the Official Food Control Authority of the Canton of Zurich publishes two articles proposing a new approach to FCM regulation in the EU; key elements are improved compliance work by industry thanks to better enforcement and dedicated database of approved substances and materials
Initiative for a circular bio-based Europe
EU Commission publishes roadmap outlining proposed initiative for developing research partnerships; aims to drive innovation, value creation from waste and biomass; open for public comment until August 27, 2019
FPF comments on UN food systems summit strategy paper
Food Packaging Forum director comments on report outlining food packaging opportunities for the upcoming UN Food Systems Summit; suggests including plastic pollution as a food systems issue for discussion
Multi-criteria framework to prioritize polymers of concern
Scientists develop holistic conceptual framework to characterize and rank the environmental risks of plastic polymers; tool can support targeted investment and mitigation strategies
US government and stakeholders debate how to improve recycling
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets target national recycling rate of 50% by 2030; stakeholders identify recycling data gaps as key limitation; call for new national standards and legislation improving reporting, use of recycled content; upcoming changes in government administration create uncertainty
Printing ink exposure from FCM significantly underestimated
New study investigates occurrence of photoinitiators in carton board packaging, finds benzophenone present in 50% of samples, surface to mass ratio 6 times higher than in EU legislation
FPF Workshop 2020: Scientific research and policy making
Six speakers share their views on how to improve food contact material (FCM) safety; different approaches might complement one another; linking scientific research, policy making and industry initiatives could be the key to safe FCMs
Marketplace for chemical alternatives
Non-profit organization ChemSec launches new online resource aimed to facilitate advertising and finding commercially available substitutes to hazardous substances
EFSA colloquium on micro- and nano plastics rescheduled
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) postpones colloquium on micro- and nano-plastics in food to 6-7 May, 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal