ECHA commits to reevaluating the completeness of REACH substance registrations following a Board of Appeal ruling finding that ECHA has previously failed to adequately do so
EU Commission’s draft regulation on transparency in risk assessment
EU Commission proposes regulation to improve transparency and sustainability in risk assessment of food safety in the EU; feedback accepted until June 8, 2018
EU environment committee adopts waste legislation
EU Parliament’s Environment Committee amends legislative package on waste management; sets 80% target for recycling and reusing packaging waste for 2030
AOP-based computational models for regulatory toxicology
Review article by EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre and collaborators discusses development and use of computational prediction models for regulatory toxicology and how it can be supported by the Adverse Outcome Pathways framework
Scientists find most silicon rubber kitchenwares are endocrine disrupting
Study determines toxicity and composition of 42 silicon rubber food contact articles; finds 84% of silicon kitchenware to induce endocrine activity; review gives update on the known endocrine disruptors phthalates and bisphenols with focus on detection methods and addressing regulatory concerns; study develops and applies method for phthalate determination in vegetable oils
Stakeholders comment on EFSA’s BPA risk assessment
EFSA invites BPA stakeholders for discussion of scientific opinions on risk assessment of BPA; stakeholders from national agencies, NGOs, industry, academia comment
Policy brief: effectiveness of national action plans for global plastics treaty
Global Plastics Policy Centre publishes analysis to support INC-2; finds national action plans need to be reformed to maximize effectiveness
Effective plastics treaty needs to include investments in reduce, reuse, and redesign, scientists highlight
Reveal financial disbalance in Zero Draft to favor recycling over reduction, redesign, and reuse; prone to result in even more plastic waste generation; call for finance shift towards upstream, midstream solutions such as clear and strong extended producer responsibility obligations in the global plastics treaty
New FPF Report: Effect of irradiation treatment on migration
New two-dimensional gas chromatography method assesses effects of radiation disinfection treatment for polypropylene on chemical migration
Corporate plastic commitments not expected to meet 2025 targets
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) reports progress, or lack thereof, on corporate packaging commitments set for 2025; plastic pact signatories increased portfolio of recycled, recyclable, or compostable products by 2% between 2019 and 2021; reuse decreased, and virgin plastic use increased; EMF calling for stronger governmental action and support of UN plastic pollution treaty