European Commission’s (EC) Scientific Advice Mechanism publishes evidence report and scientific opinion, discusses potential benefits and limitations of biodegradable plastics; finds no silver bullet for inappropriate waste management or plastic littering, only for specific applications; appropriate formulation, coherent testing and certification standards needed to realize full potential
Declaration requirement not for all nanomaterials?
European Commission proposal limiting the nanomaterial declaration on products stirs debate; European Parliament, Member States and consumer organizations call for tighter regulation of nanomaterials
European Parliament calls for reduced material use, better ecodesign
European Parliament approves report calling for European Commission to adopt binding targets and expanded EcoDesign Directive within Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), aims to reduce overall consumption and material use; proposes solutions to problems of higher prices for recycled materials and low availably of high-quality recycled materials
Flexible packaging in the circular economy
Flexible packaging value chain launches CEFLEX project, aiming to improve packaging design, increase collection and recycling
Novel photodegradable bioplastics
U.S. researchers synthesize renewable polymeric materials, light-induced degradation occurs in three hours
Circular packaging design guidelines
FH Campus Wien publishes guidelines for design of packaging within the circular economy
Metals in paints on chopsticks
Scientists investigate metals in paints on chopsticks; total concentrations variable with some high values reported, resulting in ‘unacceptable’ health risks for exposure due to incidental paint ingestion or metal migration into food
Webinar on food contaminants
Webinar by Environmental Defense Fund discusses management of food contaminants with speakers from U.S. FDA and Nestlé; registration open
Recycling of black plastics
UK plastics producer, retailers, recycler collaborate to recycle black PET trays from mixed waste household collection into new food grade packaging
Tackling the toxics in plastics packaging
Article in PLOS Biology discusses hazardous chemicals in plastics; highlights chemicals as critical but often missing aspect in plastic pollution discussion; proposes rethinking current approach to plastic packaging toxicity testing