Topics
plastics
July 29, 2020
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) publishes draft lists of existing substances for use in synthetic food contact resins; set to be consolidated into final positive list announced in April 2020; revisions open for public comment
Reading time: 1 minute
July 28, 2020
European Council agrees €0.80 tax per kilogram on non-recycled plastic packaging waste starting January 1, 2021; exact law still needs to be developed and then approved by European Parliament and Council of the EU
Reading time: 2 minutes
July 24, 2020
Analysis calculates current commitments will only reduce plastic pollution flows into oceans by 7%; implementing all feasible solutions now could cut pollution by up to 78%; authors call for urgent and coordinated action by all stakeholders, redirecting all current and future investments away from virgin plastic infrastructure
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 29, 2020
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) completes survey of South-East Asian consumers and businesses, finds ‘significant disconnect’ between expectations and actions taken to address plastic waste; European Commission (EC) and European Environment Agency (EEA) publish status reports on marine protection efforts in the EU, show mixed results with increase in plastics contamination
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 23, 2020
Industry association Plastic Recyclers Europe (PRE) publishes market data related to annual production, use, and recycling of flexible plastics in the EU; food packaging sector primarily uses polyolefin films, presence of multi-material films complicates recycling; more infrastructure for collection, separation, recycling needed
Topics: plastics, polyolefins
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 18, 2020
Shareholder advocacy group As You Sow evaluates 50 largest US consumer-facing companies on their responses to address plastic pollution crisis; finds most companies too slow in adopting actions to prioritize packaging reduction and to promote reusability, recyclability, compostability; outlines key recommendations
Reading time: 2 minutes
June 16, 2020
Government announces ban with immediate effect on all packaging where integral parts are plastic; expands current restrictions and includes plastic wrappers and pouches; any alternative plastic packaging must be compostable and approved by state board
Reading time: 1 minute
June 16, 2020
Industry associations and non-governmental organizations send letter to UK authorities urging ban on all oxo-degradable plastics in the country; call for UK to uphold equivalent standards to EU legislation after leaving the bloc
Reading time: 1 minute
June 15, 2020
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel publishes scientific opinion prioritizing 451 substances for creation of specific migration limits (SMLs) for plastic food contact materials; the 3 identified high priority substances are salicylic acid, styrene, and vinyl laurate
Reading time: 1 minute
June 15, 2020
World Economic Forum (WEF) webinar features presentations investigating environmental challenges created by COVID-19 pandemic; discusses effects on the shift away from single-use plastics and on ability to recycle, reviews strategies for moving forward
Reading time: 1 minute
