PLASTICS RECYCLING

EU waste exports to China plummet / Southeast Asia takes up some slack / Strong Chinese demand for high-quality recyclates drives prices up

PLASTICS AND ENVIRONMENT – FEATURE

French scientist François Galgani on current marine litter situation / Upcoming "PolyTalk 2018" speaker

CELANESE

Acetate tow merger with Rhodia Acetow abandoned / EU said to have demanded extensive divestitures

ITALY

Plastics sector looks back on good year / Growth above industry average with stellar prospects / Machinery manufacturing, “Industry 4.0” and digitalisation drive investments

PLASTICS AND HEALTH

ECHA proposes EU occupational exposure limits for benzene and ACN

PLASTICS AND HEALTH

EU will not classify DINP as reprotoxic / Industry sees its position confirmed

PLASTIC CARRIER BAGS

Study finds lightweight LDPE bags have lowest environmental impact / Independent life cycle assessment in Denmark

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Far-reaching EU packaging directives poised for adoption / Lengthy transition periods for recycling

TRONOX

Cristal acquisition postponed? / EU closely reviews titanium dioxide merger

PLASTICS AND HEALTH

Initial results of long-awaited US study says BPA safe for consumers at low doses / PlasticsEurope and BPF satisfied / EFSA will continue assessments until 2019

PLASTICS AND ENVIRONMENT

Oxo-biodegradables industry slams EU drive to restrict usage / Conventional polymers seen as the “bigger risk” in microplastics generation

ROMANIA

Plastic carrier bag ban to come into effect 1 July / Packaging deposit scheme under discussion / National waste programme not yet up to EU standards

ASSOCIATIONS

EuPC annual meeting to be held in Milan / Polymer producers awards ceremony

GREECE

Environmental fee on plastic carrier bags in shops / Alignment with EU directive to curb consumption / Greek plastics industry association foresees problems

LIDL

German supermarket chain targets 20% savings on plastics by 2025 / Full recyclability of packaging for own brands

BIOPLASTICS

Global production forecast to grow by 20% to 2022 / Transition to circular economy drives demand / Brand owners increasing usage of bio-based materials / Study by EUBP and nova-Institut

EVENTS

"TEPPFA Forum 2018" to be held in Brussels in April / Part of association's plastic pipes campaign "Discover: Plastics"

PET

Experts across value chain meet at annual “Petcore Europe Conference” / Over 200 attendees gain insights into circular economy and innovation

MICROPLASTICS

Swedish government bans microbeads in cosmetics and toothpaste / Use in such products "completely unnecessary" says environment minister

INTERVIEW

Emmanuel Guichard, managing director at Elipso / A French perspective on EU plastics strategy / Much debate on bottle deposit scheme in France / Emmanuel Macron's goals for recycled plastics exceed EU's

PLASTICS AND ENVIRONMENT

EU discussing plastic tax / Internal decision on action in July / Hot topic at Petcore conference

TETRA PAK

Packaging producer voices support to Europe's plastics strategy / Plans to boost recycling and use of bio-plastics

EU PLASTICS STRATEGY

Commission launches campaign to boost recyclate usage / Voluntary pledges from stakeholders

EVENTS

"VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2018" to be held in Madrid in May

INTERVIEW

Jürgen Bruder, head of German plastic packaging association IK / Over half of domestic plastic packaging is already recycled / Plans in progress to improve eco-design and recyclate use