UK Plastics Pact publishes second round of ‘problem plastics’ to eliminate by end of 2022; includes non-compostable fruit and vegetable stickers, non-compostable tea and coffee bags, PVC film; longer term goal to remove packaging from whole fruits and vegetables; Pact has reduced consumer packaging 10% between 2018 and 2020
Supermarkets with ‘plastic-free’ aisles
Dutch supermarket chain Ekoplaza opens food and drink aisle without plastic packaging in one of its stores; compostable biomaterials, glass, metal, cardboard used as alternatives to conventional plastics
Regulators exposed due to EDC criteria delay
Czech chemical company fights ECHA’s finding that DEHP should be identified as an endocrine disruptor in the environment
Temporary approach for migration of biocides
EU competent authorities for biocides decide on interim approach to set residue and migration limits for active substances in food-related products and food contact materials
Plastic straws to be banned
UK Environment Secretary pushes for ban on plastics straws; EU Commission’s vice-president says EU law on single-use plastics expected before summer 2018
Vote on EDC criteria again postponed
EU Commission’s PAFF Committee discusses EDC criteria but refrains from vote; Member States still in disagreement over Commission’s latest proposal; no new meeting scheduled yet
‘The trouble with plastics’
Special issue of peer-reviewed journal Birth Defects Research presents a collection of articles on plastics’ effects on human health, with a particular focus on early development
U.K. committee report on toxic chemicals
Parliamentary committee report calls for greater transparency of chemicals used in food packaging, recommends U.K.-wide ban on SVHCs in food contact materials, proposes government strategy to reduce PFAS exposure
UK industry associations challenge French restrictions on BPA
European Commission should take action against BPA ban in France