About: plastics Archives

The French Council of State has questioned the constitutionality of the country’s ban on Bisphenol A in food packaging, following a request from the plastics industry. The chemical was outlawed in January this year. EURACTIV France reports. 

The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Sweden have issued a joint call to ban the microplastics used in detergents and cosmetics, saying the measure will protect marine life – and seafood – from contamination.

The French government wants to ban the use of the chemical bisphenol A in plastic packaging in 2015. The plastics industry has responded by saying the government is being "unrealistic" about the challenges this change will produce. EURACTIV France reports. 

A former Tory MP who is now working for a leading plastic manufacturer is facing claims the business is exploiting its employees' links to the British Conservatives to block a ban on plastic bags at European Union level. 

SPECIAL REPORT / The European Union's lead civil servant for the environment has called for a ban on landfilling and warned that separate collection is not enough if the EU is to improve its environmental performance.

SPECIAL REPORT / The European Commission intends to align existing methods and standards to assess environmental performances of construction products, with the objective of favouring “green” comparisons, and higher levels of recycling and reuse.

SPECIAL REPORT / As the European Commission prepares to review the EU’s waste targets, the plastics industry, a symbol of the EU’s ‘throw-away society’, is one of the focal points in discussions on resource efficiency.

The London 2012 Olympics point to new ways of dealing with 'drastic plastic' say industry sources, as the EU calls for ramped up waste recycling targets and better infrastructure.

A new application for smart phones offering consumers information about the presence of plastic microbeads in personal care products will be launched today (4 October).

Plastics manufacturers are pushing for an EU-wide ban on the disposal of plastics in landfills, arguing that Europe needs tougher recycling requirements to stop an important raw material from being thrown away.

Toxic substances contained in micro-plastic waste can enter the food chain through ingestion by marine fauna like sea cucumbers, plankton and mussels, claim the Dutch, who will call on EU environment ministers to address the issue at a meeting today (18 June) in Luxembourg.

SPECIAL REPORT / The world's largest drinks companies, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have laid down ambitious plans to roll out 100% plant-based plastic bottles across the globe, triggering warnings from environmentalists who see a parallel with the ongoing controversy over biofuels.

SPECIAL REPORT / Six months after the Rio+20 Earth Summit, a Belgian company, Deceuninck Nv., has begun living up to the plastic industry's voluntary commitments by turning discarded doors, windows and other goods made with PVC into new products.

Danish Environment Minister Ida Auken has decided to ban four industrial chemicals linked to disrupting the human endocrine system, pushing Denmark ahead of the European Union which has already started a process of phasing out phthalates.

The European Commission is considering a tax or a ban on plastic bags as it seeks the public's views on how to reduce their use and fight pollution.

Massive amounts of phosphorus, a fertiliser widely used in agriculture, and billions of pieces of plastic are poisoning the global marine environment, said the UN, calling for better management of global waste.

On 25 April, the PVC industry published a report highlighting the results of the business' voluntary commitment to improve its environmental performance.

Members of European Parliament vote for stricter rules on use of PVC

The Commission is expected to publish its 5th horizontal study on the environmental consequences of PVC later this week.