Topics
EU
April 25, 2024
European Commission adopts guiding criteria for determining the 'essential use' of harmful chemicals, emphasizing that their use is justified only when necessary for health, safety, or crucial societal functions with no alternatives; essential use is not legally binding until incorporated into regulation
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 23, 2024
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) critiques the European Commission’s proposed amendments to regulations on food contact plastics; says suggested threshold for non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) lacks scientific evidence; supports enhanced specifications for migration testing
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 3, 2024
European Environment Agency finds transition to circular economy in Europe is lacking in various areas; calls for fundamental change in consumption and resource usage; predicts low likelihood of reaching 2030 targets
Topics: circular economy, EU
Reading time: 1 minute
March 28, 2024
Requires environmental claims to be verified by a third-party; addresses carbon offsetting schemes; disregards green claims on hazardous substances; vote will be followed up by new Parliament after elections in June
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 5, 2024
European Parliament and Council conclude negotiations on packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR); bans all PFAS in food packaging; targets at least 10% reusable beverage packaging by 2030; requires deposit return system for plastic and metal beverage containers; packaging reduction targets set to start in 2030
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 14, 2024
EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes improved model of plastic product flows and recycling in the EU; new model design is easy to update when new information becomes publicly available; Canada consulting on a draft plastic products registry to track plastic flows in the country
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 12, 2024
European Commission proposes ban on bisphenol A in food contact with a 36-month transition period for varnishes, coatings and professional production equipment, 18 months for most everything else; monitoring of unintentional BPA in recycled paper and board proposed to be left to business operators; submit comments until March 8, 2024
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 12, 2024
European Parliament opening internal investigation into lobbyist conduct related to the packaging and packaging waste regulation; civil society organization Corporate Europe Observatory publishes report of industry arguments made to DG Grow and DG Environment about the essential use concept
Reading time: 2 minutes
January 9, 2024
European Commission adopts legislative proposals working toward ‘one substance, one assessment’ in the EU; plan to create Europe-wide chemicals data platform; allow agencies to commission chemical testing and monitoring, set up an early warning system for chemical risks, and establish a monitoring framework; two proposals restructure responsibilities among EU agencies
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 28, 2023
Includes ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and bisphenol A in food packaging and general packaging reduction targets; decreases reuse obligations
Reading time: 3 minutes
