In a November 30, 2022, news release, the European Commission proposed new EU-wide rules on packaging https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_7155 “… to reduce packaging waste by 15% by 2040 … make all packaging on the EU market recyclable in an economically viable way by 2030 … reduce the need for primary natural resources and create a well-functioning market for secondary raw materials … […]
News and Updates
Microplastics – Effects on Blue Crabs in the Mid-Atlantic Bight Estuaries Studied
A December 1, 2022, NOAA Office of Response and Restoration Marine Debris Program notice https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/research/risk-microplastics-exposure-blue-crab-larvae-delaware-bay-and-coastal-waters advises that “… Researchers from the University of Delaware are evaluating the effects microplastics have on blue crab larvae at different developmental stages and will test whether exposure during these stages impacts blue crab survival and settlement to Mid-Atlantic Bight […]
Marketing Claims – “Every Bottle Back” – BBB NAB Finds Certain American Beverage Association (ABA) Claims Supported; Recommends Modification of Others
According to a November 22, 2022 National Advertising Division (NAD) of Better Business Bureau news release https://bbbprograms.org/media-center/dd/aba-every-bottle-back-claims NAD “… has determined that the ABA provided a reasonable basis for the following environmental benefit claims related to its Every Bottle Back program … ‘Our bottles are made to be remade.’ ‘We’re carefully designing our bottles to be […]
Microplastics – Presence in Placentas and Meconium Reported
The abstract of an October 21, 2022, American Chemical Society Environmental Science and Technology article https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c04706 by researchers with China Fudan University notes that “… Pregnancy and infancy are vulnerable times for detrimental environmental exposures. However, the exposure situation of microplastics (MPs) for mother–infant pairs and the adverse health effect of MPs are largely unknown […]
Biorecycling of Plastic – GAO Issues Science and Technology Spotlight
On November 21, 2022, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a “Spotlight” on “Biorecycling of Plastic” https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-106261/ – Application of this new technology “may help address plastic waste issues” – “… biorecycling is an emerging technology that uses microbes … to break down plastic into its basic components … monomers. The monomers can then be recombined […]
Microplastics – Effects on Soil Water Repellency and Capillary Flow Studied
The abstract of a July 26, 2022 Vadose Zone Journal article https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.20215 by researchers with Switzerland ETH Zurich, Germany Univ. of Bayreuth and Switzerland Paul-Scherrer-Institut reports that “… little is known about the implications of MP on soil physical properties. We hypothesize that low wettability of MP induces soil water repellency, depending on MP content […]
Recycling – Spain’s New Law Critiqued
A November 19, 2022, Deutsche Welle article https://www.dw.com/en/with-new-rules-for-recycling-spain-declares-war-on-waste/a-63821518 offers comments on “Spain’s new recycling rules” which “… Passed in April … will come into full effect in 2023 … A new tax is being imposed on single-use plastic containers, and another on waste sent to landfills or for incineration. The aim is to help Spain reduce the […]
Microplastics – Presence in Fish Intestinal Tracts Studied
According to the abstract of a March 2023 Food Control article https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109503 by researchers with the University of Ghana, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, UK University of Exeter, UK University of York, and Scottish Environment Protection Agency who “… examined the gastro-intestinal tracts (guts) of 160 fish species obtained from Nigerian coastal waters […]
Plastic Packaging Marketing Claims – Update on Earth Island Institute’s lawsuit against Coca-Cola
A November 16, 2022 Kelley Drye Advertising Law and Marketing Law article https://www.adlawaccess.com/2022/11/articles/coca-cola-beats-false-advertising-suit-over-aspirational-claims/#lxb_mct-form-1 addresses “… Earth Island Institute’s lawsuit against Coca-Cola … focused on aspirational and forward-looking statements … The DC Superior Court determined https://www.pbwt.com/content/uploads/2022/11/Order-Granting-Motion-to-Dismiss.pdf that many of the challenged statements are aspirational and do not including anything that can be measured to determine whether they are […]
Home Compostablility of Biodegradable Plastic Packaging Studied
The abstract of a November 3, 2022, Frontiers in Sustainability article by researchers with UK University College London https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2022.942724/full presents “… results and analysis on home compostable packaging … Using a citizen science approach, we engaged with 9,701 UK citizens geographically spread across the UK … 1,648 citizens performed home compost experiments to test the […]