Topics
regulation
June 2, 2020
Consortium of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) submits comments on EU restriction proposal for perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and related substances; calls for concentration limits much lower than those currently proposed, transparent justification for limits proposed
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 27, 2020
Health and Environmental Alliance (HEAL) and the European Cancer Leagues publish set of infographics illustrating role environmental pollutants play in causing cancer; call for revisions to EU food contact materials legislation to reduce hazardous chemical exposures
Reading time: 1 minute
May 21, 2020
European Commission publishes strategy aiming to change how Europeans value food sustainability; confirms that current EU regulations on food contact materials (FCMs) will be revised to reduce use of hazardous chemicals and support re-usable packaging solutions; proposed revision to be released end of 2022
Topics: regulation
Reading time: 3 minutes
May 15, 2020
Ministry identifies 19 hazardous substances including 11 food contact chemicals; information being accepted until May 31, 2020
Topics: china, regulation
Reading time: 1 minute
May 14, 2020
Tax on non-recyclable plastics originally set to come into effect on July 1, 2020; delay until January 1, 2021 estimated to cost the government €140 million worth of tax revenue; enacted in response to COVID-19 pandemic
Topics: plastics, regulation
Reading time: 1 minute
May 13, 2020
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) publishes annual report of its Integrated Regulatory Strategy; presents results from recent review of registered substances with annual volumes greater than 100 tons, finds 56% lacking data; grouping approach helping to speed up regulatory actions, improve consistency
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 13, 2020
Group of five EU national authorities launch online questionnaire to collect information on the uses and alternatives to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); plan to develop wide-ranging joint restriction proposal on uses of PFAS; information accepted until end of July 2020
Topics: PFAS, regulation
Reading time: 1 minute
May 11, 2020
Document outlines aims for the upcoming Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability; set to consider recent and ongoing regulatory reviews, address risks posed by endocrine disruptors, hazardous chemicals in products, combination effects; feedback accepted until June 20, 2020
Topics: European Commission, regulation
Reading time: 1 minute
May 11, 2020
Government publishes final regulatory text, substance approval linked to persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic properties; identity of new substances to be made publicly available after maximum period of 5 years; comes into force on January 1, 2021
Topics: china, regulation
Reading time: 2 minutes
May 8, 2020
UK environmental minister identifies the need to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as a group, included in response to a letter sent earlier by civil society organizations to UK agencies calling for PFAS restrictions in food packaging
Topics: PFAS, regulation
Reading time: 2 minutes
