French government releases draft decree aiming to provide transparency on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in consumer products; sellers will need to provide product information to public platform; French ministries of Health and the Environment will release list of proven, presumed and suspected EDCs; decree expected to take effect on January 1, 2022
Guide for retailers on implementing safer chemicals and materials
Clean Production Action publishes guide to help retailers create chemicals strategies, ensure use of safer chemicals and materials; outlines key steps to establish inventories with brands and suppliers, measure chemical footprint, publicly disclose policies and progress
The chemical and waste footprint of food delivery in China
Study uses online food delivery sales data from nearly 200 Chinese cities, combined with packaging samples from 18 of those cities to model packaging waste generation and chemical exposure from waste incineration; some degradation products with higher concentrations than intentionally added parent product; over 50 tons of the targeted additives likely released into the atmosphere from Chinese waste incinerators
OECD outlines sustainable chemistry considerations for designers of plastic products
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) releases report outlining the goals, considerations, and trade-offs when designing a more ‘sustainable’ plastic product; encourages transparency in chemical composition and manufacturing processes through the supply chain
Opinion: EU Commission’s secrecy on FCMs
Non-profit organization CHEM Trust criticizes EU Commission’s “secretive and industry-focused” approach to regulating food contact materials, requests more transparency and involvement of public interest groups
Several studies determine chemical migration from food packaging
Researchers from several European and Chinese institutions develop methods to explore chemicals in food contact materials (FCMs); report styrene migration from different polystyrene FCMs into several food matrices; detect photoinitiators in paper FCMs and chlorinated paraffins in green tea and its packaging; find irradiation treatment of metalized polypropylene to reduce migration of tested chemicals
Chemicals in plastics: Toxicity and composition
Learn more about the outcomes of a recent study investigating the in vitro toxicity and chemical composition of everyday plastic products
Virgin plastic production must be phased out, scientists say
Letter in Science argues capping virgin plastic production is the only way to address the plastic waste problem; even by changing to other materials, recycling, better waste management, etc. “annual plastic emissions to the environment can only be cut by 79% over 20 years”
2019 Chemical Footprint Project survey results
Survey reports an increase in participation to 31 businesses, improved chemicals management score from 53 to 67%; 209’000 metric tons hazardous chemicals removed from businesses over past four years
EU Commission held roundtable meeting on EDCs
700 potential EDCs to be screened, final deadline to set criteria for identifying EDCs not established