Topics
Indonesia
June 15, 2026
International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) publishes report series with details of bisphenol and phthalate pollution, research, and regulations for 20 countries; country situation reports developed with local civil society organizations; series includes Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Tanzania, and others
Topics: Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, bisphenols, Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Philippines, phthalates, Serbia, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 12, 2025
India accepting comments on revised guide of suitability of plastics for packaging guide, approves recycled PET for food contact; Indonesia mandating new paper and paperboard standard, updated FCM regulation published; new law in Singapore streamlines FCM regulations; Thailand plans to regulate food contact paper, bans plastic waste imports
Reading time: 3 minutes
May 10, 2024
Recent studies explore uptake pathways of microplastics; uptake has increased in recent years; rapidly industrializing Southeast Asian countries more impacted; food packaging responsible for approx. 2.98 × 103 microplastics/person/year; higher exposure for regular consumers of bottled water, tea brewed from plastic tea bags, or ultrafiltered milk
Reading time: 3 minutes
January 24, 2024
Indonesia’s draft food contact regulation reorganizes material groups; includes positive and negative substance lists, specific and overall migration limits; testing guidance based on food type, contact time, and temperature; public consultation closed in December 2023, final version expected in 2024
Topics: Indonesia, regulation
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 26, 2023
US based and Indonesia based NGOs publish report on PFAS in popcorn bags; all 29 samples tested contained at least one PFAS
Reading time: 1 minute
November 1, 2022
Nations in Southeast Asia collectively working on reducing plastic pollution and related chemical hazards; Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signs off on project to “combat” marine plastic; Thailand plans ban on plastic scrap imports; new research available on sources of plastic pollution in Indonesia and Vietnam; Vietnam and Singapore implementing stricter chemical regulations; extended producer responsibility for plastic waste becomes law in Philippines
Topics: ASEAN, Indonesia, Philippines, plastics, POP, Singapore, Stockholm Convention, Thailand, Vietnam
Reading time: 6 minutes
October 19, 2022
On the morning of the Food Packaging Forum’s annual workshop, speakers discuss changes in food contact material (FCM) regulation in the EU, US, and Asia; panels discuss key research and policy developments over the last decade
Topics: 2022 workshop, china, endocrine disruptor, EU, European Parliament, India, Indonesia, Japan, LCA, Philippines, recycling, Thailand, USA, workshop
Reading time: 10 minutes
April 7, 2022
Smithers conference covers global developments in food contact regulations and materials; speakers on day two review recent and upcoming changes to food packaging regulations in China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia
Reading time: 5 minutes
February 22, 2022
International Pollution Elimination Network (IPEN) finds 60% of sampled “BPA-free” plastic bottles and children’s cups from 8 countries contain bisphenol A (BPA); test 98 containers (23 “BPA-free”) from local markets in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania; Sri Lanka’s Environment Ministry says it will investigate
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 1, 2022
Malaysia proposes revision of allowable uses for eleven chemicals, including seven used in food contact material (FCM) applications; Vietnam’s revised Law on Environmental Protection comes into effect, launches nationwide extended producer responsibility scheme for domestic producers and importers; Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives publishes report that chemical recycling plant in Indonesia, launched by Unilever in 2017, was “secretly shuttered” after two years; Sri Lanka proposes plastic pellets be classified as dangerous goods during maritime shipping
Reading time: 4 minutes
