European Commission

ITALY Plastics sector looks back on good year / Growth above industry average with stellar prospects / Machinery manufacturing, “Industry 4.0” and digitalisation drive investments	29.03.2018
PLASTICS AND HEALTH ECHA proposes EU occupational exposure limits for benzene and ACN	27.03.2018
PLASTICS AND HEALTH EU will not classify DINP as reprotoxic / Industry sees its position confirmed	26.03.2018
PLASTIC CARRIER BAGS Study finds lightweight LDPE bags have lowest environmental impact / Independent life cycle assessment in Denmark	22.03.2018
CIRCULAR ECONOMY Far-reaching EU packaging directives poised for adoption / Lengthy transition periods for recycling	13.03.2018
TRONOX Cristal acquisition postponed? / EU closely reviews titanium dioxide merger	09.03.2018
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	08.03.2018
PLASTICS AND ENVIRONMENT Oxo-biodegradables industry slams EU drive to restrict usage / Conventional polymers seen as the “bigger risk” in microplastics generation	06.03.2018
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	28.02.2018
ASSOCIATIONS EuPC annual meeting to be held in Milan / Polymer producers awards ceremony	27.02.2018
GREECE Environmental fee on plastic carrier bags in shops / Alignment with EU directive to curb consumption / Greek plastics industry association foresees problems	23.02.2018
LIDL German supermarket chain targets 20% savings on plastics by 2025 / Full recyclability of packaging for own brands	22.02.2018
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	21.02.2018
EVENTS "TEPPFA Forum 2018" to be held in Brussels in April / Part of association's plastic pipes campaign "Discover: Plastics"	21.02.2018
PET Experts across value chain meet at annual “Petcore Europe Conference” / Over 200 attendees gain insights into circular economy and innovation	20.02.2018
MICROPLASTICS Swedish government bans microbeads in cosmetics and toothpaste / Use in such products "completely unnecessary" says environment minister	15.02.2018
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	12.02.2018
PLASTICS AND ENVIRONMENT EU discussing plastic tax / Internal decision on action in July / Hot topic at Petcore conference	12.02.2018
TETRA PAK Packaging producer voices support to Europe's plastics strategy / Plans to boost recycling and use of bio-plastics	31.01.2018
EU PLASTICS STRATEGY Commission launches campaign to boost recyclate usage / Voluntary pledges from stakeholders	24.01.2018
EVENTS "VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2018" to be held in Madrid in May	24.01.2018
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	22.01.2018
EU PLASTICS STRATEGY First EU-wide strategy on plastics / Focus on recycling / Revision of packaging directive / Framework for waste prevention / Advancing global action / Industry associations make their own recycling commitments	19.01.2018
PLASTICS RECYCLING EUROPE European associations co-author voluntary commitments framework / Plastics recycling and resource efficiency	19.01.2018
TRONOX Next step for acquisition of competitor Cristal / World's largest titanium dioxide producer	18.01.2018