Welcome to the Plastics Weekly, NEO’s regular news monitoring of the plastics industry.
Every Monday, we publish a roundup of the top developments in plastics and sustainability – from regulatory changes to company news.
This week’s highlights:
- Scientists warn that new rules on chemicals to be debated by the EU could allow most polymers to be used without extensive safety checks. This would allow many common plastics to be used despite valid concerns about their possible future harms, according to a group of 19 scientists who have written to the European Commission. (The Guardian)
- 80% of ocean trash consists of plastics, with four common items comprising 44% of all trash found in the ocean, a new study found. The top four polluting items including plastic bags, bottles, plastic food containers and cutlery, and wrappers. (Forbes)
- Circular supply chains are more sustainable, but they are relatively rare — this is because most supply chains remain local and limited in terms of the number of products and services involved. This will continue to limit circular supply chain development unless consumers are willing to compromise on performance and cost. (Harvard Business Review)
