Nextek develops marker for plastic food packaging labels to improve separation from non-food packaging during recycling; achieves 96% purity and meets EU requirements
Survey quantifies consumer perceptions by packaging types
2019 EcoFocus Trends Survey finds consumers perceive glass and paper-based packaging as most healthy and eco-friendly, 64% of millennials willing to pay for eco-friendly products
Coca-Cola to continue using plastic bottles
Company head of sustainability speaks at World Economic Forum; says customers like plastic packaging, instead plans to increase bottle recycling by 2030
China to ban single-use straws, plastic bags
Country’s National Development and Reform Commission announces ban of straws by 2020, non-degradable plastic bags by 2022, restaurant industry to reduce single-use plastic use by 2025
Nestlé investment to create market for recycled plastics
International food and beverage company to invest over 2 billion USD to source packaging from food-grade recycled plastics; aims to create market for recycled material, launch venture fund to support packaging innovation
Report surveys brands, retailers on plastic packaging shift
Green Alliance report surveys retailers and brands on shift away from plastic packaging, finds concerns surrounding potential impacts of alternative materials; calls made for increased transparency and standardization in assessing and communicating impacts, addressing throw-away society
Turkey updates food contact plastic regulations
Turkey publishes two notifications specifying food simulants for migration testing, authorized substances, migrations limits; aligns more closely with EU 10/2011 regulation, enters into force December 31, 2020
EU initiatives to implement single-use plastics directive
Law firm Keller and Heckman provide overview of current initiatives related to SUP directive; outline recent and ongoing public surveys to inform policy development, includes timeline of upcoming guidance documents and implementing acts; current public survey open online until January 10, 2020
U.S. plastic bottle recycling continues to decline in 2018
Report by Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) shows that U.S. postconsumer plastic bottle collection fell to 28.9% in 2018; exports of postconsumer bottles drop, fraction processed domestically at an all-time high
Brazil adopts positive list for plastic FCMs
New national legislation integrates positive list of additives for use in plastic food contact materials and polymeric coatings; aligns Brazil with Mercosur regulation GMC 39/19 introduced in July 2019