New science advisory system of the Commission to be operational by autumn 2015, seven top level scientists will be recruited to advise European policy makers
News Article
May 15, 2015
News Article
August 3, 2021
US EPA extends comment period on PFAS reporting requirements
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extends comment period for proposed reporting and recordkeeping requirements for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); would require manufacturers that produced PFAS at anytime since 2011 to make a one-time report with information about uses, production volumes, disposal, exposures, and hazards; comments accepted until September 27, 2021
News Article
October 14, 2020
EU’s Chemicals Strategy plans actions on FCMs
European Commission (EC) publishes Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability; plans to ban PFAS for all non-essential uses, move towards grouping approach for regulation of all chemicals; specific actions for food contact materials (FCM) include extending generic approach to risk management, identifying endocrine disruptors, considering cumulative effects of chemical mixtures
News Article
March 31, 2017
PFASs in the environment
Scientists characterize global patterns of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the environment; emissions likely to continue for years to come; more research needed to cover PFASs other than PFOS and PFOA
News Article
March 27, 2020
Mass balance principles for plastic recycling
American Chemistry Council (ACC) proposes principles for applying mass balance approach in plastics recycling; includes traceability across supply chain and third-party auditing to verify product claims
News Article
July 1, 2021
New Zealand and two Australian states phase out single-use plastics
New Zealand Ministry for the Environment announces plan to ban many hard-to-recycle and single-use plastic items by mid-2025; includes food packaging made from polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, and some degradable plastics, plus all drink stirrers, single-use tableware, and fruit labels; Western Australia moves Plan for Plastics ahead 4 years, banning most single-use plasticware by end of 2021; New South Wales to eliminate most single-use plasticware within a year
News Article
January 30, 2017
Retailer removes unwanted chemicals from consumer products
U.S. retailer Target adopts new chemical strategy and policy, aims for full ingredient transparency; goal is to remove phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde, and nonylphenol ethoxylates from various products
News Article
January 16, 2020
Nestlé investment to create market for recycled plastics
International food and beverage company to invest over 2 billion USD to source packaging from food-grade recycled plastics; aims to create market for recycled material, launch venture fund to support packaging innovation
News Article
November 1, 2018
The complexity of plastics recycling
Article by EcoWatch outlines some of the challenges in recycling plastics, deems recycling no simple solution to plastic pollution
News Article
November 4, 2019
Beverage and recycling companies pledge increased packaging collection
American Beverage Association launches initiative to bring $400 million in investment to improve recycled plastics quality and availability in U.S.; Tomra aims to enable 40% of global plastic packaging to be recycled by 2030
