Estimates that ten percent increase in reusable packaging by 2030 could eliminate over 1 trillion single-use plastic bottles and cups; finds expanding reuse to be more effective than expanding recycling; calls for beverage companies to set reuse targets
Philippines House passes Single-use Plastic Products Regulation Act
House Bill 9147 would ban single-use plastic tableware within four years and drinking straws, stirrers, candy sticks, bags thinner than ten microns, and other small single-use plastics within one year; bill must now pass the country’s Senate in order to become law
FDA approves PS recycling process
U.S. FDA issues favorable opinion on new post-consumer polystyrene recycling process for manufacture of food contact articles
Can phthalates make you fat?
New study investigates metabolic effects of DEHP exposure in mice in vivo and in vitro; increased weight gain and fat mass, impaired insulin tolerance and changes in serum metabolites observed
Alternative food can linings
Campbell Soup Company introduces can linings made from acrylic or polyester containing no BPA; transition to non-BPA cans to be completed by mid 2017
India: Stronger recycled plastic rules after push back, new EPR program
India implements extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for plastic packaging, effective immediately; recycling targets for plastic producers, importers, and brand-owners start at 25% and progressively get stricter; Indian standards authority strengthens regulations for recycled plastic in food contact after receiving pushback
PFAS testing prompts packaging changes from US retailers, restaurants
Consumer Reports tests 118 food packaging products from 24 US fast food and grocery chains; finds PFAS in over half of the products; nearly one third of packaging products contain over 20 ppm and 22 over 100 ppm organic fluorine; several brands commit or re-commit to removing intentionally added PFAS from their packaging
Studies investigate impacts of EDC exposure during pregnancy
Five studies examine effects following exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) during pregnancy; report association between bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and preterm birth and decreased gestational age, especially upon exposure in third trimester of pregnancy; find contradicting results on fetal growth impacts from BPA; intake of synthetic progesterone by pregnant women found to double cancer risk of their offspring; propylparaben exposure found to alter mammary gland structure in mice
ECHA to evaluate 134 substances in years 2015-2017
ECHA adopted Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP), 48 substances specified for 2015
U.S. consumers confused about compostable and biodegradable food packaging labels
Half of surveyed people have difficulty with the difference between compostable and biodegradable; 50% of participants fail to dispose of packaging correctly; report suggests better standardization and consumer education needed