Welcome to the Plastics Weekly, NEO’s regular news monitoring of the plastics industry.
This week’s highlights:
- Chemicals in plastics are far more numerous than previously thought, according to a new report that raises questions about pollution and consumer safety. A team of European scientists who authored the report found more than 16,000 chemicals in plastics – a quarter of which are considered hazardous to humans and the environment – marking an increase from the 13,000 chemicals previously identified by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Scientists and policymakers are concerned with plastic chemicals because they can leech into water and food and have been found to correlate with health issues, including cardiovascular disease. (Reuters)
- The European Union has approved news laws on recycling and human rights that may have a major impact on the bloc’s trade relations with China. Among these are a de-facto ban on the import of recycled plastics from outside the bloc, as well as a ban on products made using forced labour. The recycling rules were adopted as part of broader legislation to reduce plastics usage in the EU. But the move threatens to drive up packaging prices and heighten criticism of “green protectionism” from China and developing countries. (South China Morning Post)
- Supply chain partners INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe, PepsiCo and packaging company Amcor have partnered to produce new snack packaging made from 50% recycled plastic. The new packaging, which was launched in the UK and Ireland for PepsiCo’s snack brand Sunbites in late 2023, is made by recycling plastic waste into food grade packaging material using an advanced recycling process, which the companies describe as a complementary approach to mechanical recycling. The partnership is part of PepsiCo Positive (pep+), the company’s initiative that aims to eliminate virgin fossil-based plastic in crisp and chip bags in Europe by 2030. (Packaging Europe)