EU Commission evaluates implementation of its circular economy plan; all 54 actions outlined in 2015 ‘have now been delivered or are being implemented’
New Plastics Economy: Global commitment report
New Plastics Economy initiative of Ellen MacArthur Foundation launches its first Global Commitment report detailing industry and government progress on tackling plastic pollution
EU environment committee votes on plastics strategy
EU Parliament’s Environment Committee supports EU Commission’s overall plans for plastics in circular economy, suggests further measures on microplastics, single-use plastics, hazardous chemicals
Bisphenol analogue contamination of Chinese food
New study surveys Chinese food contamination with BPA substitutes, detects bisphenol A, S and F in majority of food stuffs, BPA exposure lower than in Europe
EU: New Circular Economy Package
European Commission adopts new Circular Economy Package; strategy on plastic recyclability, biodegradability, and presence of hazardous chemicals proposed
EFSA, ECHA and JRC develop EDC guidance
The European Food Safety Authority and the European Chemicals Agency, together with the EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre, work on guidance for implementing the Commission’s proposed EDC criteria
EFSA seeks comments on chemical mixtures research and prioritization
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announces public consultation period concerning draft on “scientific criteria for grouping chemicals into assessment groups for human risk assessment” of chemical mixtures; particular focus on chemicals related to food and feed safety; seeking feedback from experts in chemical risk assessment, organizations and people in the field of chemicals mixtures and food safety; comment period ends July 10, 2021
Opinion: Plastic recycling a ‘false promise’
Engineer estimates U.S. plastic recycling rate below 5% in 2018, calls for ‘real solutions’ to plastic pollution such as reduced production of single-use plastics, implementation of deposit schemes
Scientists explore international bisphenol levels in packaging, food, and urine
Four studies investigate bisphenol (BP) migration from packaging, occurrence in foodstuff, and human urine; report BPA migration from Nigerian epoxy-coated cans into malt drinks; detect four bisphenols in packaged water and honey samples; find BPS in Canadian meat products from 2008 to 2020 suggesting BPS is not a recent phenomenon; measure higher bisphenol alternative levels in Belgian population in 2018 than 2015
PFAS testing prompts packaging changes from US retailers, restaurants
Consumer Reports tests 118 food packaging products from 24 US fast food and grocery chains; finds PFAS in over half of the products; nearly one third of packaging products contain over 20 ppm and 22 over 100 ppm organic fluorine; several brands commit or re-commit to removing intentionally added PFAS from their packaging