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European Commission
May 17, 2024
European Commission’s working group on food contact materials (FCMs) shares updates and timelines on revision of the FCM regulation and BPA restriction; ongoing FCM sustainability study will be completed by February 2025; BPA restriction to be sent to Parliament and Council in mid-July
Reading time: 1 minute
February 22, 2024
Looming March 4th deadline pressures EU institutions to find agreement on open points within the draft Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR); steering note from Belgian presidency calls for compromises, highlights key topics; stakeholders express concerns over draft regulation’s lightweighting of materials, requirement for closed loop recycling processes, and handling of chemical safety
Reading time: 6 minutes
October 4, 2023
European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) case studies favor reusable over single-use packaging in reducing environmental impacts; consumer behavior, washing practices significant factor in footprint of reusables; manufacturing a significant factor for single-use; covers to-go beverage, take-away food, wine bottles, restaurant scenario; performed the study for packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR) policy process; final report expected November 2023
Reading time: 3 minutes
August 22, 2023
DEHCH deemed safe as additives in PVC for food contact; comes into effect 20 days after publication in EU’s Official Journal
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 20, 2023
European Commission (EC) publishes final report on consultation period concerning FCM policy revision; results feature citizens’ and stakeholder’s opinions on extent of FCM policy; Commission adoption planned for second quarter of 2023
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 27, 2023
Food Packaging Forum (FPF) responds to European Commission’s call for feedback on the proposed packaging and packaging waste regulation (PPWR); FPF highlights aspects of food packaging and chemical safety that should be included in future versions; primarily (i) considering presence of hazardous chemicals in packaging materials meant to be recycled or reused, (ii) clearly defining compostable packaging and guaranteeing safety, and (iii) defining inertness
Reading time: 3 minutes
April 7, 2023
Commission amends regulation on classification, labeling, and packaging (CLP) of chemicals and mixtures; endocrine disrupting chemicals now categorized into known or presumed and suspected endocrine disruptors; introduces four hazard classes from REACH
Reading time: 2 minutes
March 27, 2023
European Commission seeks to combat ‘green washing’; proposal would regulate environmental claims and promote transparent communication to consumers; product claims will need to be independently verified, will launch new database of trustworthy labels
Reading time: 2 minutes
January 12, 2023
Food Packaging Forum comments on European Commission’s public consultation on its revision of EU rules on food contact materials (FCMs); stresses the importance of revising the definition of safety and aligning FCM regulations with EU strategies on chemical sustainability and circular economy
Reading time: 2 minutes
December 23, 2022
Critical review evaluates regulatory approaches of polymer assessment and management; identifies critical knowledge gaps by comparison with recent scientific findings; proposes policy options for safe and sustainable polymer use; suggest more transparency, standardized testing procedures, and improved understanding of environmental fate and hazards
Reading time: 3 minutes
