New Plastics Economy progress report applauds steps taken by signatories, highlights reductions in virgin plastic use by corporations, new policies introduced by governments; reminds readers much still to be done by 2025; Break Free From Plastic publishes 2019 Brand Audit Report, calls on top brands to reduce single-use plastic items
EFSA working group updates in October 2019
Minutes from recent meetings of the EFSA working groups on BPS, BPA, FCMs, and recycling plastic available
Recent studies on EDCs and cardiovascular health
Emerging evidence and systematic analyses highlight adverse effects of bisphenols and phthalates on cardiovascular health; meta-analysis of US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 2003-2016 finds significant association of cardiovascular disease with bisphenol A; prenatal exposure particularly detrimental; calls for more mechanistic research, evaluation of cardiovascular safety profiles for substitution chemicals
Plastics in a circular economy: research status, environmental leakage, food safety hazards
Recent studies perform semi-systematic review of published circular economy literature focusing on plastics over past 21 years, develop framework for plastics in circular economy; find Dutch food packaging plastic waste polluting oceans, question effectiveness of recycling; summarize chemical and microbial hazards related to circular food production systems
JRC Symposium compares microplastic analysis methods
European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) symposium summarizes current approaches for microplastic monitoring; research institutions present results of 4 inter-laboratory microplastic analysis comparison studies; no ‘one-size-fits-all’ analytical method, presenters emphasize need for harmonization; Commission outlines policy needs
Chile passes comprehensive plastics legislation
Chilean legislature unanimously passes comprehensive single-use and recycled plastics regulations; regulation bans single-use plastic use within a food establishment, compels markets and convenience stores to only sell recyclable beverage containers, beverage containers must contain plastic collected and recycled within Chile; regulations come into effect over 3 years
EU Commission solicits feedback on food irradiation
Public comment period opens on ongoing evaluation of EU legislation related to irradiation of food and food ingredients; comments accepted until May 25, 2020
EU receives stakeholder feedback on FCM plans
European Commission receives 302 comments on inception impact assessment for revision of EU rules on food contact materials (FCM); Food Packaging Forum submits comments calling for revising definition to consider chemicals with difficult-to-identify safety levels, offers support to prioritize chemicals of concern
Reports identify there is still much to do to reach a circular economy
In the first quarter of 2022 Circle Economy, the OECD, and Zero Waste Europe publish reports investigating various aspects of material value chains and share insights to ‘close the circularity gap’ and ‘bend the plastics curve’; evaluate material usage globally, plastics in OECD nations and globally, and PET in Europe
US state actions concerning food packaging and chemicals in 2023
A brief overview of US state-level regulatory actions concerning food contact chemicals, material prohibitions, and bottle deposits in 2023; state of Washington bans bisphenol-based epoxy liners in drink cans beginning in 2025; other updates from Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont