Topics
plastics
November 16, 2020
European Commission (EC) announces first delivered actions of its Circular Plastics Alliance; identifies 19 priority plastic products, current overview of European waste sorting and collection
Reading time: 1 minute
November 11, 2020
Article in peer-reviewed journal provides thorough overview of mechanical recycling processes by polymer, discusses chemical additives used; concludes mechanical recycling will remain most effective method to recycle plastics
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 10, 2020
Beverage manufacturer announces development of first-generation prototype; new bottle still contains plastic liner and closure, aims to remove in upcoming development cycles
Topics: paper & board, plastics
Reading time: 1 minute
November 6, 2020
Ellen MacArthur Foundation summarizes progress made by business and government signatories since 2019; identifies focus towards increase of recycled content, phasing out problematic items; sees little development in increasing plastic packaging recyclability, reducing single-use packaging
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 5, 2020
Peer-reviewed study estimates total amounts of mis-managed plastic waste, includes domestic illegal dumping and waste exports to foreign recyclers; finds US produces greatest amount of plastic waste per capita, potentially third largest source worldwide of ocean plastics; recommends reduction of plastic production, product re-designs
Reading time: 2 minutes
November 2, 2020
Peer-reviewed article provides summary of migration and risk assessment methods used internationally to address endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in food contact materials (FCMs); discusses legislative trends, remaining challenges
Reading time: 1 minute
October 29, 2020
Stefan Merkel presents recent work of German Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR); Lisa Zimmermann discusses bioassay-based toxicity assessment of conventional plastics, bioplastics, and plant-based materials; Andrew Turner emphasizes presence of toxic brominated flame retardants in recycled plastics, uses of hazardous heavy metals in colored decorations applied to glass articles
Reading time: 6 minutes
October 28, 2020
Special issue of peer-reviewed journal Birth Defects Research presents a collection of articles on plastics’ effects on human health, with a particular focus on early development
Reading time: 4 minutes
October 15, 2020
Ellen MacArthur Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, and Boston Consulting Group advocate United Nations (UN) members to establish global treaty; publish report detailing business case, launch call for industry partners to join effort
Reading time: 1 minute
October 12, 2020
European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and ChemSec submit comments to CARACAL subgroup on polymer registrations under REACH; recommend modifying proposed criteria for polymers requiring registration, suggest recognizing micro- and nanoplastic generation as inherent hazardous property of plastic polymers; call for mandatory pre-registration with submission of defined minimal dataset for all polymers
Reading time: 2 minutes
