European plastics associations map Member State implementation of the EU single use plastics directive (SUPD) a year after it was supposed to go into effect
New toolbox to model chemical migration from food contact materials
Scientists evaluate global performance of new model to predict a chemical’s concentration in food in contact with food packaging; integrated model includes uncertainty analysis and can be used for regulatory purposes
EU environment committee adopts waste legislation
EU Parliament’s Environment Committee amends legislative package on waste management; sets 80% target for recycling and reusing packaging waste for 2030
FPF comments on US EPA draft plastics strategy
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) submits comment to US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the draft national strategy to prevent plastic pollution; FPF highlights aspects of food packaging and chemical safety for EPA to consider; primarily (i) how the EPA may be able to support reuse, (ii) encouraging ratification of the Basel Convention; (iii) clarifying “compostable” and “inert”; strategy comment period extended to July 31, 2023
UN tackles marine plastic pollution
United Nations Environment Programme launches global campaign to eliminate ocean plastic pollution; calls on governments, industry, and consumer to take action and reduce plastic use
Food Watch petition calls for end of excessive food packaging
Identifies examples of mostly empty packaged food products filled with air in French supermarkets; finds excess packaging not intended to protect food, only serves to convey increased product size; public petition launched to call on specific brands to improve
Scientists find novel enzyme to break down PET
Publication in the journal Nature reports new enzyme able to break down 90% of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic into monomers within ten hours, outperforms all previously discovered enzymes
Key characteristics of carcinogens
Scientists propose ten key characteristics of carcinogens to be used as a basis for organizing and evaluating mechanistic data collected in support of hazard identification
Stakeholders prepare for the second Plastics Treaty negotiation
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), industry organizations, scientific research groups, and civil society organizations publish flurry of reports and policy briefs in preparation for second meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-2); meeting takes place in Paris, France May 29 – June 2, 2023
Loop to promote reusable packaging
Loop concept aims to enable provision of common consumer goods in reusable packaging; pilot schemes to operate in selected U.S. and European regions in spring 2019