Council of the EU announces member states endorsement of recently completed negotiations on the 8th Environmental Action Program (EAP); EAP will guide EU climate and environmental policy until 2030; priority objectives include decreasing the EU’s material and consumption footprints
January 7, 2022
EFSA publishes guidance on chemical grouping for risk assessments
Final version of European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidance prioritizes hazard-driven criteria for grouping chemicals; supports human health risk assessments of combined chemical exposures; recommends relying on mechanistic information on toxicity within a weight-of-evidence approach
January 5, 2022
US EPA updates protocol for TSCA systematic review
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes updated draft protocol to select scientific studies used within Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluations; replaces 2018 approach and open for public comment; public peer review meeting set for April 19-21, 2022
January 5, 2022
ECHA webinar outlines assessments of chemical groups
Recorded webinar from European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) presents the agency’s work on assessing regulatory needs of groups of chemicals; provides overview of recently published reports
December 24, 2021
Canada continues single-use plastics ban, England considers similar action
Canada moves forward with domestic ban of six single-use plastic products; targets checkout bags, cutlery, foodservice ware, ring carriers, stir sticks, and straws; ban may come into force before end of 2022; public consultation until March 5, 2022; England considering similar ban with consultation until February 12, 2022
December 23, 2021
How does the food and beverage sector address plastic pollution?
Scientists review 68 corporate sustainability reports of major food and beverage companies on plastic pollution and packaging; find most reports do not address plastic pollution and focus on end-of-life options instead of sustainable packaging solutions
December 22, 2021
Court confirms BPA classification as a substance of very high concern
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and ClientEarth win appeal case brought by lobby group PlasticsEurope; EU Court of Justice confirms ECHA listing of bisphenol A (BPA) as a substance of very high concern (SVHC) due to its endocrine-disrupting properties for humans; PlasticsEurope cannot appeal again
December 22, 2021
Reviews discuss health hazards of plastics including PFAS
Medical professionals elaborate on health hazards connected with plastic production, use, and waste; give options to reduce impacts on humans and the planet; scientists summarize current knowledge on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occurrence and migration from food packaging and microplastics
December 21, 2021
Pre-consumer and recycled plastic pellets contain hazardous substances
International Pollution Elimination Network and partners publish two studies investigating toxic substances in plastic pellets; virgin plastic pellets recovered from beaches on six continents all contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and endocrine-disrupting UV stabilizers; over half of the samples of recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pellets contain at least 11 out of 18 flame retardants and UV stabilizers assessed
December 17, 2021
Mercosur updates plastic food packaging regulation
South American trade bloc to no longer allow bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic food contact articles designed for children under 3 years old, lowers migration limit from other plastic FCAs; sets migration limits for 9 metals from plastic FCAs; adds substances to positive list for plastics and for cellulosic materials
