Study performs migration testing on 79 plastic baby food pouches; finds four bisphenols, five phthalic acid diesters in targeted analysis and 26 more in suspect screening including 23 non-intentionally added substances (NIAS); NIAS adipic acid – diethylene glycol exceeds the threshold of toxicological concern in 40% of the pouches
Australian government to start regulating packaging
Australian environment ministers agree to “address the use of harmful chemicals in food packaging,” create packaging design standards and targets, harmonize curbside recycling programs; details forthcoming
New Zealand and two Australian states phase out single-use plastics
New Zealand Ministry for the Environment announces plan to ban many hard-to-recycle and single-use plastic items by mid-2025; includes food packaging made from polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and some degradable plastics, plus all drink stirrers, single-use tableware, and fruit labels; Western Australia moves Plan for Plastics ahead 4 years, banning most single-use plasticware by end of 2021; New South Wales to eliminate most single-use plasticware within a year
Plastics Pact launched in Oceania
Sixty stakeholders in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands form ANZPAC, join the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact initiative; 11th plastic pact overall, second regional pact and first in Oceania; 2025 goals include: 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable, 25% increase in plastic packaging collected and recycled by each country in the region
Australia releases National Plastic Plan
Australian government announces National Plastic Plan; outlines approaches to plastic recycling, replacing unnecessary plastics, reducing plastics’ impact on the environment; proposes investments in prevention, recycling, consumer education, research, and development