2nd international conference on food and beverage packaging in June 2016 in Rome, Italy
Replacing sticker labels with laser marks
Article in The Guardian informs about laser marking technique for fruit and vegetables; retail trial using technology as alternative to sticker labels on organic produce
Food packaging material as a source of toxic chemicals
Collegium Helveticum conference focuses on everyday exposures to toxic chemicals and how to reduce them; features presentation and discussion with Food Packaging Forum scientists Jane Muncke and Lisa Zimmermann on the presence of hazardous chemicals in food contact materials
More government action on hazardous chemicals needed
UNEP calls for bolder government regulation of chemicals to boost development of safer compounds and phase out hazardous substances
WRAP and Ellen MacArthur to tackle plastics in UK
Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UK’s Waste and Resources Action Program announce initiative to tackle plastics in the UK; focus on plastic packaging; aim to eliminate single-use plastics, boost recycling, mobilize citizens
ChemSec report on circular economy
Published report focuses on chemicals as overlooked part of a circular economy; urges companies to not rely on legal compliance alone, calls for avoiding hazardous substances during design stage and speeding up regulation
New form of PLA seen as beneficial for application in hot food packaging
Researchers develop a more thermally resistant form of polylactic acid (PLA) plastic; provides clear, tough, and heat resistant material with the potential to expand PLA market application and reduce price
Plastic recycling: Future scenarios and behavioral influences
Five articles discuss future recycling and/or consumer waste sorting; outline future recycling technologies and recycled plastic applications; identify gaps between recycling technologies and targets of multi-material multilayer plastic packaging; find consumers wrongly dispose bioplastics and that packaging design affects sorting behavior; show single-use bag bans able to increase recycling contamination
Studies review human exposures and effects of micro- and nanoplastics
Three studies investigate micro- and nanoplastics – source, organ deposition, and reproductive effects; detect up to 240,000 plastic particles/L in bottled water with 90% being nanoplastics; find microplastics in human lung, intestine, and kidney tissues; polyethylene particles found to affect placental function in mice
Helene Wiesinger
Scientific Communication Officer