European Commission (EC) announces first delivered actions of its Circular Plastics Alliance; identifies 19 priority plastic products, current overview of European waste sorting and collection
News Article
November 16, 2020
News Article
May 15, 2020
Governments and stakeholders reflect on toxics in recycling
Recycling association, non-governmental organization, and European Commission comment on ways to safely minimize and manage substances of concern in recycling streams during transition to circular economy; Dutch national institute publishes report identifying challenges and recommendations, describes 2050 national goal
News Article
November 29, 2023
UP Scorecard: New and improved version released
New version of Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard published; allows users to create a private account, make and save product portfolios, compare entire business units, and features a more robust scoring system for chemicals of concern that considers the food or beverage being served
News Article
September 13, 2022
US taking steps to measure, mitigate PFAS exposure
US Environmental Protection Agency proposes to classify two PFAS as hazardous substances; would obligate manufacturers who released the chemicals into environment to register the release and potentially pay for cleanup; Over 2800 known contaminated sites; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggests doctors test more groups for PFAS exposure; California likely to implement bill to register nearly all products with intentionally added PFAS
News Article
August 18, 2016
Rethinking chemical safety testing
Nature commentary discusses three approaches towards safer chemicals and products: Standardized chemical safety tests, testing finished products, and publicly disclosing test results
News Article
October 27, 2022
New and expanded UP Scorecard version released
Single-Use Material Decelerator (SUM’D) releases new version of food packaging assessment tool UP Scorecard; featuring expanded regionalization capabilities including Europe, functionality to add new customized containers, a simplified scoring system, and a streamlined presentation of results
News Article
November 12, 2013
Contribution of packing to PFC levels in food
New study investigates impact of production and packaging on perfluorinated compound concentration in dairy products, dairy cow exposure main source, grease proof wraps an avoidable contributor
News Article
January 26, 2021
REACH exemption of recycling sector checked
The Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement (Forum) launches 9th REACH enforcement project (REF-9) and pilot project; examines if SVHCs placed on the market have been authorized, checks practice if registration exception for substances recovered from wastes is compliant under REACH, results are to be expected by 2022.
News Article
July 7, 2021
EU Enforcement Action Plan on bamboo additives in plastic FCMs
European Commission and EU Member States agree to launch an EU Enforcement Action Plan on bamboo powder-containing plastic food contact materials (FCMs) to ensure that bamboo and other illegal plant-based additives are not marketed in the EU
News Article
September 15, 2020
Article on trending phase out of PFAS in food packaging
Chemical Watch investigates trend of US states and retailers to phase out use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging; non-governmental organizations expect increasing momentum while PFAS manufacturers defends performance and safety of applications
