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
OECD report on PFAS alternatives for food packaging
Report by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) investigates market availability and use of alternatives to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in paper and board coatings; finds non-fluorinated alternatives available and effective, market uptake primarily limited by increase in price
Opinion: Plastic recycling a ‘false promise’
Engineer estimates U.S. plastic recycling rate below 5% in 2018, calls for ‘real solutions’ to plastic pollution such as reduced production of single-use plastics, implementation of deposit schemes
Hazard prioritization of printing inks and adhesives substances
Scientific study performs hazard prioritization on chemicals in printing inks and adhesives applied to plastic food packaging; uses publicly available “substances of concern” lists and an in silico tool; identifies 636 high and 1024 medium priority substances of which 696 ranked as “very high priority substances” by experts
FPF Workshop 2019: How to improve FCM law and enforcement in the EU
Konrad Grob criticizes FCM regulation and enforcement in the EU, suggests future actions for improvement
What’s new in bioplastics?
12th annual European Bioplastics conference discusses food brand owners’ use of bioplastics, biodegradable solutions for multilayer food packaging, and production of new polymer PEF
Childhood obesity and other chronic diseases
Obesity, asthma, autism, ADHD among U.S. children have continuously increased over past decade, new studies find; Mother Jones article discusses nutrition, chemicals and physical activity as key factors in childhood obesity
Review on metals and autism
Scientists review evidence on links between autism spectrum disorder and toxic metal(loids) such as lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, postulate mechanism based on neuroinflammation, oxidative stress
FPF Workshop 2019: FCM oversight in Denmark
Mette Holm gives overview of approaches to FCM inspection and control by Danish Ministry of Environment and Food; latest monitoring study on PFAS in paper and board FCMs still finds intentional addition of PFAS; Denmark bans PFAS in paper and board FCM from 2020
Marketplace for chemical alternatives
Non-profit organization ChemSec launches new online resource aimed to facilitate advertising and finding commercially available substitutes to hazardous substances