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Benelux demand market withdrawal of bamboo plastics

Belgium, Luxembourg, and Netherlands (Benelux) publish joint letter calling for market withdrawal of ‘bamboo melamine plastics’; reminds readers that products do not comply with article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 10/2011; Benelux national authorities plan to reinforce market controls from second quarter of 2021, pursue violators

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ASEAN member actions on plastic and chemical pollution

Nations in Southeast Asia collectively working on reducing plastic pollution and related chemical hazards; Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signs off on project to “combat” marine plastic; Thailand plans ban on plastic scrap imports; new research available on sources of plastic pollution in Indonesia and Vietnam; Vietnam and Singapore implementing stricter chemical regulations; extended producer responsibility for plastic waste becomes law in Philippines

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FPF comment: Canadian pollution prevention notice for plastic food packaging

Food Packaging Forum (FPF) submits comment to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on the development of a pollution prevention planning notice for food plastic packaging; FPF highlights aspects of chemical safety and circularity for ECCC to consider; primarily (i) chemical migration, (ii) supporting safe reuse, and (iii) standards for compostable materials

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Dissolvable milk pods for coffee

German researchers develop dissolvable, single-serve milk and sugar capsules for hot drinks as alternative to coffee creamers packaged in small plastic containers

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Study finds PFAS in 100% of sampled breastmilk

Environmental Science and Technology publishes study in which 100% of milk samples from breast-feeding mothers contained at least one of 39 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); Phased-out PFOS and PFOA were most abundant compounds but currently used short-chain PFAS such as PFHpA and PFHpA detected in majority of samples and becoming more common; The Guardian reports chemical companies hid risks about short-chain PFAS in food packaging

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Studies assess composition and safety of chemicals in recycled HDPE

Scientists analyze volatile compounds in recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE); detect 53 chemicals in two post-consumer HDPE milk bottles including plastic additives and non-intentionally added substances (NIAS); risk assessment shows samples do not comply with plastic food packaging regulation; report re-granulation process in mechanical recycling to remove most but not all odor and volatile organic compounds

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2021 FPF Workshop: Tools to prioritize societal health

On the third day of the Food Packaging Forum’s annual workshop, speakers discuss the new Understanding Packaging Scorecard that helps improve packaging procurement decision making, how regulators assess food packaging in the lab and on the market, new projects investigating plastics, and how understanding game theory in group decision making can lead to societal benefits

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Study assesses migration from recycled HDPE milk bottles

Paper in Resources, Conservation, and Recycling investigates chemical migration from recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE); when recycled milk bottles mixed with non-milk-bottle rHDPE, resulting plastic contaminated with chemicals of concern; rHDPE from well-sorted, decontaminated milk bottles may be clean enough for food contact; octocrylene and octinoxate still migrate at concerning levels, reduction may require further decontamination or changes in manufacturing or legislation