Restaurant chain working with waste management providers in the UK and Ireland to improve recycling of its paper straws; paper thickness initially causing recycling complications, straws being treated temporarily with general waste until solution found
Behavioral studies shed light on how to increase reuse, recycling, and sustainable packaging use
Two scientific studies explore recycling and reuse behavior and options for improvement; report that high level of perceived policy effectiveness can favor residents’ recycling behavior; combine environmental impacts assessment with behavioral science to determine best packaging reuse option and system; third study evaluates consumers’ response to sustainable packaging when benefit trade-offs are involved
EU report on plastics innovations
EU Commission’s Directorate-General on Research and Innovation releases report on circular economy for plastics, summarizing research and innovation developments to provide reference information for future policy and funding decisions
FPF Workshop 2018: Improving chemical safety by new science
Presentations at Food Packaging Forum 2018 workshop cover predictive toxicology, computational methodologies, green chemistry
BPA feminizes digit ratios in rats
New study finds BPA to feminize male rat offspring, rat paws a promising biomarker for the study of EDCs
Understanding the chemical regulatory system better in order to reform TSCA
House subcommittee hosts hearing on TSCA reform, ACC comments
EFSA publishes EDC report
EFSA suggests risk assessment for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and raises criticisms from NGOs and industry
Health effects of perchlorate exposure
Review of perchlorate’s human health effects finds ‘mixed results’ regarding neurodevelopment; Austrian assessment of dietary perchlorate exposure finds exceedance of tolerable daily intake levels for high consumption; recent studies address effects in newborns, other effects
Report: European supermarkets falling short on packaging commitments
Changing Markets Foundation and Break Free From Plastic investigate plastic pollution related actions made by 74 of the largest European supermarkets; Total average score of retailers was just 13/100, only Aldi UK and Aldi Ireland scored above 60; over 80% of companies had no information on total plastic use which “casts doubt” over plastic reduction pledges because there is no baseline data
Greenpeace survey on plastic bottles
Soft drink companies have limited commitment to reducing single-use plastic bottles, increasing recycled content in PET bottles, considering PET bottles’ contribution to ocean pollution, according to new Greenpeace report