U.S. NGO Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) calls on Congress to halt the introduction of new per- and polyfluoalkyl substances on the market until more is known about their toxicity and persistence; calls for more studies of cancer risks
April 12, 2019
Nordic declaration on ocean plastics
Environment and climate ministers of Nordic countries release declaration calling for ‘global agreement to combat marine plastic litter and microplastics’
April 12, 2019
Ecodesign of plastics
NGO ECOS launches study on ecodesign of plastics; anticipated report seeks to assess available policy tools, identify development needs
April 11, 2019
JRC updates footprint methods
European Commission Joint Research Center updates its product and organizational environmental footprint methods; now includes characterization factors for more chemicals describing freshwater ecotoxicity, non-cancer and cancer toxicity
April 11, 2019
Increase in demand for biodegradable films
Demand for biodegradable films forecasted to increase 5.4% annually, reach a market value of $122 million; growing composting infrastructure and government initiatives to reduce landfilling to boost growth
April 9, 2019
FDA bottleneck reviewing notifications
U.S. Food and Drug Administration behind in reviewing new food contact notifications; warns companies to submit thorough safety data given limited capacity for any process iterations
April 9, 2019
CHEM Trust: principles for EU FCM regulation
Non-governmental organization outlines five key principles to improve future regulation of food contact materials in the EU; aims to inform ongoing public consultation
April 9, 2019
Infographics on plastics and health
Gallifrey Foundation publishes infographics on life cycle stages of plastics and risks to human health
April 8, 2019
German newspaper reports on plastic packaging
Plastic food packaging topic of article in German newspaper taz; focusing on regulation, knowledge gaps, recycling; experts provide background information