Topics
plastic ban
September 4, 2026
Principality of Monaco restricts plastic containers for ready-to-eat foods effective September 1, 2026; part of larger strategy to reduce single-use plastic waste; applies to food sold for immediate consumption or with use-by date of three days or less; exemptions include lids and closure systems, containers for fresh, cut, and unprocessed fruit, containers with internal plastic coating serving as functional layer
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 3, 2026
Ghana to ban polystyrene foam products nationwide effective January 2027; covers virtually all applications including food contact materials (FCMs); products used for medical, scientific, laboratory and diagnostic purposes exempt
Reading time: 1 minute
March 9, 2026
Malaysia updates limits on heavy metals in ceramic cookware; state of Perak introduces plastic bag ban
Reading time: 1 minute
March 2, 2026
Ministry of Food and Drug Safety proposes amendments to food contact regulation; one proposal is to allow use of recycled polypropylene, limit use of certain plasticizers in PVC; second proposal subjects rubber and silicone products for children to stricter chemical migration limits; government also taking steps to curb plastic pollution via bans on free plastic cups and label on bottled water
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 17, 2026
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia announces gradual ban on single-use plastic for food contact; by February 1, 2027, sale of food packaged in or served on plastic will be prohibited; like Canada, exempts production of plastic food contact materials for export
Reading time: 2 minutes
July 11, 2025
About one third of US states have taken regulatory action pertaining to food contact chemicals, materials, and/or articles in 2025; predominantly (i) phase-outs of PFAS in packaging and cookware, (ii) bans on polystyrene foam and other single-use food-service plastics, and (iii) extended-producer-responsibility (EPR) bills covering packaging
Reading time: 9 minutes
June 18, 2025
East Africa Community trading bloc announces several new standards; Egypt, Kenya implement extended producer responsibility schemes; Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Dubai implement various single use plastics bans; Isreal aligns over 40 import standards on food and agricultural products with the EU
Reading time: 4 minutes
February 7, 2024
Nigerian states of Lagos and Abia ban single-use polystyrene foam packaging “with immediate effect”; give three weeks to use up current stock; other single use plastic products will be targeted later in 2024; federal Ministry of Environment also banning single-use plastics at headquarters and agencies
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 17, 2023
Manila Times editorial raises concerns about waste management in the Philippines and calls for policy discussions; discusses the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production, and the Extended Producer Responsibility Act; single-use plastics bill HB 507 stalling in the Philippine House of Representatives
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 4, 2023
Canadian government plans to establish federal plastics registry and release regulatory framework for plastic packaging; aim to improve knowledge of plastic waste, value recovery, and pollution; measures are open for comment until May 18, 2023; NGO urges government to expand ban on non-recyclable plastic packaging and take further action.
Reading time: 2 minutes
