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EU
October 7, 2026
Italian government adopts decree-law mandating compostability of certain single-use plastic packaging; decree-law in force since August 8, 2026; relies on provisions of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) allowing Member States to permit certain packaging formats otherwise to be restricted under PPWR
Reading time: 2 minutes
September 23, 2026
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) provides inputs to three public consultations on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR); developing sustainability criteria for plastic recycling technologies, conditions for using recycled materials sourced from outside the EU, and harmonization of recycled content calculations; FPF highlights need for chemical safety, transparency, and traceability across recycling technologies, imported recycled materials, and recycled-content claims
Reading time: 4 minutes
September 7, 2026
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) calls for stakeholder inputs on draft list of around 700 substances of concern (SoCs) in packaging to inform EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR); Food Packaging Forum (FPF) submits comments and identifies 42 additional hazardous chemicals in packaging; emphasizes importance of treating SoCs list as living document to reflect new evidence in the future
Reading time: 3 minutes
August 19, 2026
European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes report on economic viability of chemical recycling of plastics; concludes that chemical recycling does not achieve cost parity with virgin plastics; may still play a role in supplying markets with recycled plastics considering recycled content requirements of new EU regulations on packaging and single-use plastics
Reading time: 3 minutes
August 13, 2026
Israeli government proposes restrictions on BPA and other bisphenols in food contact materials (FCMs) in line with Regulation (EU) 2024/3190; notifies World Trade Organization (WTO); proposal open for comments by WTO members until September 28, 2026; restrictions seemingly limited to products only covered by EU-aligned provisions of national food law; proposal part of broader chemicals strategy
Reading time: 3 minutes
July 15, 2026
European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes updated model estimating packaging placed on the market across 19 EU countries; finds plastic packaging volumes increased by about 11% between 2011 and 2025; identifies substantial differences in packaging material use and potential material shifts across product categories and countries
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 11, 2026
European Commission drafts restriction on carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic substances (CMRs) in childcare articles; Food Packaging Forum (FPF) highlights inconsistencies with existing EU legislation that may result in lower protection against CMRs compared with plastic food contact materials
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 20, 2026
European Commission is drafting a regulation to restrict substances deemed to be carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR) from childcare products; includes some food contact materials
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 8, 2026
Revision of the EU flagship chemical legislation, begun in 2020, no longer a priority; minor revisions may still take place through comitology with focus on lowering complexity; chemical industry groups in favor, civil society opposed
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 7, 2026
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) public consultation on data requirements for the safety assessment of hazardous bisphenols ended May 7, 2026; FPF submitted comments welcoming it as an important step towards banning hazardous bisphenols; highlighted gaps in the regulatory definition of bisphenols; raised concerns about threshold-based risk assessment for endocrine disruptors and carcinogens; emphasized need for empirical data for all authorized bisphenols and derivatives
Reading time: 2 minutes
