European Parliament approves ban on single-use plastic
October 25, 2018, The New York Time
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a ban on single-use plastics such as straws, plates, cutlery and cotton-swab sticks in Europe by 2021, joining a global shift as environmentalists emphasize the urgency of halting the use of materials that are detrimental to the planet. Under the proposal, approved on a vote of 571 to 53 on Wednesday, 10 single-use plastics that most often end up in the ocean will be prohibited in the European Union, as well as oxo-degradable plastics, such as bags or fast-food container packaging.
U.S. Shoppers may pay high price for America’s China addiction
October 24, 2018, Bloomberg.com
U.S. companies are scrambling to line up factories and suppliers outside of China as the trade war hikes the cost of importing everything from furniture to toilet paper. But for some products, it’s not that easy. BBQ grills, luggage and mattresses are among a long list of consumer items that China has a near stranglehold on when it comes to supplying the U.S. While President Donald Trump’s tariffs are a potential boon for manufacturing rivals from Southeast Asia to Mexico, the reality is that shifting what can often be highly-specialized production and training new workers cost time and money.
UMass Lowell Toxics Use Reduction Institute develops product without toxins
October 21, 2018, Lowell Sun
A deadly chemical popular in paint-stripping products may soon be replaced by an alternative developed by researchers at University of Massachusetts Lowell. “We’re very excited about this and other alternatives to be on the shelf so people have safer alternatives to use,” said Liz Harriman, deputy director of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute. ‘The University of Massachusetts Lowell announced a licensing agreement with Canadian company SRD NEWGEN to market the solution under the Super Remover brand earlier this month.
In Praise of Divided Government
October 24, 2018, National Review
Right now, the broad consensus among nonpartisan experts is that in this year’s midterm elections, Republicans will hold control of the Senate while the Democrats will win back control of the House of Representatives. If this turns out to be true, we will once again return to divided government. Division between the two parties has been the norm since 1981. In the past 38 years, one side or the other has had total control of the government for only ten years. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have held a decisive advantage over the other. Rather, temporary unity in government has quickly transformed into divided control, again and again.
CPSC Public Appeal: Safety Tips for a DIY Halloween
October 22, 2018, cpsc.gov
Regardless of how you celebrate, the CPSC urges that parents/care givers make safety a priority to prevent injuries this Halloween. CPSC picture of Halloween Safety by the Numbers: 4,500 Halloween related injuries; 41%-pumpkin carving; 32%-falls; 22%-lacerations, ingestions and other related injuries; 5%-allergic reactions or rashes. The CPSC appeal: Keep your little ghost and goblins safe (and the big ones too) by following safety tips provided by the agency.
Some children’s Halloween costumes ‘fail to meet fire safety standards’
October 26, 2018, Evening News (UK)
Some children’s Halloween costumes failed to meet fire safety testing standards, an investigation by consumer group Which? has found. Which? tested 20 fancy dress outfits from retailers including Asda, Sainsbury’s and Wilko for their flammability and two of them failed to meet British legal requirements, according to Which?. Three costumes failed to meet these requirements – part of the skirt of both a skull witch outfit from B&M and a witch outfit on eBay, and the seam of a Ghostbusters outfit by Rubie’s, stocked on Amazon. Ebay, Amazon and B&M have reportedly removed the items that failed the legal fire safety requirements from sale.
Wrap up of federal and state chemical regulatory developments, October, 2018
October 17, 2018, JDSupra (Bergeson & Campbell, PC)
EPA Expands List Of Acceptable Substitutes Under SNAP Program: EPA on October 4, 2018, expanded the list of acceptable substitutes under EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program under the CAA. 83 Fed. Reg. 50026. This action is limited to listing as acceptable additional substitutes for use in the refrigeration and air conditioning, foam blowing, fire suppression, cleaning solvents, and aerosols sectors.
The Future Belongs to Honest Products
October 26, 2018, The Consumer Goods Forum
The Consumer Goods Forum and the global change agency Futerra launched The Honest Product Guide, exploring breakthroughs in what experts and consumers agree is the most important aspect of transparency: the honesty of products themselves. Grounded in new global market research, The Honest Product Guide reveals that global consumers are hungry for more transparency about the social, health, environment, and safety credentials of the products they buy (70%), rather than the companies that made them (30%). Consumers across the world say they are most likely to look for information about the social, health, environmental and safety impact of brands in one place: on product labels (36%).
Is the EU-US Privacy Shield framework in your compliance picture?
September 27, 2018, FTC Blog
Four companies just entered into proposed agreements with the FTC to settle charges that they made misrepresentations about their participation in the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. The cases reflect the FTC’s continuing commitment to enforcing the framework. Two of the complaints also focus on a Privacy Shield obligation that may be worth more of your company’s attention.
Privacy Shield is a program that gives companies a way to transfer personal data from the EU to the United States consistent with EU data protection requirements.
EU should enforce market surveillance to protect single market
October 15, 2018, Euractive
The single market is one of the major achievements of the EU. Unfortunately, it is not working as well as it should in the field of free movement of goods. Member states have certainly created a detailed framework of common rules that immensely facilitate cross-border business for European companies. However, EU countries have been sloppy when it comes to enforcing these common rules. The lack of market surveillance is increasingly undermining the EU single market for products, which in the end harms the European economy.
