Plastics

Florida Attorney General Issues Antitrust CID to U.S. Plastics Pact Over “Problematic Materials” Standards

Florida’s Attorney General has issued an antitrust civil investigative demand (CID No. 26‑031) to the U.S. Plastics Pact, seeking extensive information on its “Problematic and Unnecessary Materials List”, associated packaging design guidance, and potential price or competition impacts. The action highlights that collaborative plastics and packaging initiatives and voluntary “problematic materials” standards may be scrutinised under state antitrust law, requiring companies and NGOs involved in such efforts to coordinate closely between legal, antitrust and sustainability teams.

24 May 2026, 21:36myfloridalegal.comUnited States

New York Bill S10168 Advances on Floor Calendar: Extended Producer Responsibility for Artificial Turf and PFAS Ban

New York lawmakers have advanced Senate Bill S10168, which would create a dedicated extended producer responsibility scheme for artificial turf and ban PFAS in new carpet and turf sold in the state from late 2026. If enacted, producers and retailers would face new collection, labelling, recycled-content and PFAS-compliance obligations, reshaping artificial turf procurement and end-of-life planning in New York.

24 May 2026, 21:23nysenate.govUnited States

California Agencies Announce Tribal Roundtables on SB 54 Plastic Pollution Fund and Recycling Grant Deadline

California agencies are convening two hybrid tribal roundtables in May and June 2026 on the SB 54 Plastic Pollution Mitigation Fund and promoting open beverage container recycling grants, with applications due on 23 June 2026. These engagements and grants will shape how USD 500 million per year in SB 54 plastics mitigation funding and beverage container redemption support are targeted, signalling practical opportunities and priorities for tribes, recycling operators and packaging producers planning projects in California.

24 May 2026, 21:08calepa.ca.govUnited States

France Postpones Full Ban on Plastic in Disposable Cups to 2030

A December 2025 French ministerial order delays the full ban on plastic in single-use cups from 1 January 2026 to 1 January 2030 while adjusting the intermediate milestones in the plastic-content reduction trajectory. Manufacturers and distributors of disposable cups gain four extra years to scale up plastic-free technologies but still face a hard 2030 transition, so packaging design, sourcing and reuse strategies should be revised accordingly.

23 May 2026, 19:22legifrance.gouv.frFrance

France: Minister Signals Plastic Deposit Plan, ADEME Reorganisation and No Pesticide Reintroduction

In a 20 May 2026 France Info interview, France’s minister for ecological transition announced a forthcoming “grand plan plastique” that could introduce a deposit-return scheme for plastic bottles, alongside ADEME reorganisation and a firm government line against reintroducing banned pesticides in the emergency agricultural bill. These signals point to tighter plastics and waste obligations, changes in how ecological projects are supported locally, and continued political resistance to loosening pesticide rules, all of which could reshape compliance expectations for packaging, waste and agricultural stakeholders in France.

23 May 2026, 11:19vie-publique.frFrance

US Commerce Announces Preliminary Antidumping Duty Review Results for Certain Superabsorbent Polymers From Korea

The US Department of Commerce has issued preliminary results of its antidumping duty review of certain superabsorbent polymer imports from Korea, finding a 0.00% dumping margin for LG Chem for the 2023–2024 review period. If this outcome is confirmed in the final decision, LG Chem’s exports could move to a zero cash deposit rate while other suppliers remain at higher all-others rates, so affected importers and producers should review exposure and consider participating in the upcoming comment and hearing deadlines.

23 May 2026, 11:16public-inspection.federalregister.govUnited StatesSouth Korea

UNEP Publishes Meeting Outline and Guiding Questions for Third Informal INC Heads of Delegation Meeting on Plastic Pollution

In May 2026, UNEP published a meeting outline and guiding questions for the third informal virtual Heads of Delegation meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution, ahead of sessions on 3–4 June 2026. While non-binding, this material clarifies the issues and questions negotiators will prioritise in upcoming talks on a global plastics instrument, helping governments and affected industries anticipate where future treaty obligations may tighten.

23 May 2026, 09:11wedocs.unep.orgGlobal

EU Waste Shipment Regulation and DIWASS Digital Platform Go Live

On 21 May 2026 the EU’s revised Waste Shipment Regulation entered into application and the DIWASS digital platform became operational for cross-border waste movements. This makes electronic prior informed consent mandatory for most waste shipments, introduces a 2026 cut-off for paper-based procedures, and tightens plastic waste export rules, requiring shippers and waste managers to accelerate digitalisation and reassess export routes.

23 May 2026, 08:58environment.ec.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Commission Written Answer Clarifies EPR for Fishing Gear and Legacy Waste Under SUPD

In May 2026 the European Commission clarified that Member States are responsible for enforcing extended producer responsibility (EPR) for plastic fishing gear under the Single-Use Plastics Directive, and that there are currently no EU requirements for legacy gear, mandatory ghost-gear retrieval payments or GPS tracking of gear. This written answer signals that while obligations are unchanged today, the Commission’s 2027 evaluation of the directive will scrutinise how EPR schemes and EU funding tools incentivise collection of waste fishing gear, potentially shaping future adjustments to producer and fisheries responsibilities.

23 May 2026, 08:57europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

EFSA Assesses Poly(2‑Ethyl‑2‑Oxazoline) and UV Absorber for Plastic Food Contact Materials

In March 2026, EFSA’s Panel on Food Contact Materials issued scientific opinions concluding that poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) and a new UV absorber for PET are safe for specified food-contact uses under defined migration and use conditions. These assessments signal likely future authorisations under EU plastics food-contact legislation, offering new compliant options for filter membranes and PET packaging while maintaining restrictions around infant uses and impurity migration limits.

23 May 2026, 08:49efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.comEuropean Union

Peru MINAM Authorises 7,200-Tonne Export of Non-Hazardous PET Waste by Industria Peruana de Reciclado S.A.C.

Peru’s Ministry of the Environment has issued a directorial resolution authorising Industria Peruana de Reciclado S.A.C. to export up to 7,200 tonnes of non-hazardous PET waste over a 12-month period. This establishes a defined, monitored export channel for large volumes of PET residues, signalling active oversight of plastic waste flows and clear reporting obligations for the authorised operator.

22 May 2026, 19:01cdn.www.gob.pePeru

New York Assembly Bill A11369 on Artificial Turf EPR and PFAS Ban Moves to Codes Committee

In May 2026, New York’s Assembly advanced Bill A11369, which would extend the state’s carpet producer-responsibility regime to artificial turf and ban PFAS in carpet and turf from the end of 2026. If enacted, artificial turf manufacturers, importers, and brands selling into New York would face EPR plan, funding, labelling, and PFAS-free design requirements on tight 2025–2026 timelines, driving redesign, supply-chain changes, and new take-back systems.

22 May 2026, 18:59assembly.state.ny.usUnited States

Colorado Legislature Sends SB26-171 on Preproduction Plastic Materials Disposal to Governor

In May 2026 the Colorado legislature passed SB26-171, sending to the Governor a bill that would restrict disposal of preproduction plastic materials to solid waste facilities holding a certificate of designation. If enacted from August 2027, plastics producers and waste operators in Colorado will need to route preproduction plastic waste only through permitted solid waste sites, tightening controls on spills and uncontrolled dumping.

22 May 2026, 18:58leg.colorado.govUnited States

Rhode Island Committee Holds Plastic Waste Reduction Bill H8415 for Further Study

In May 2026, a Rhode Island House committee held the Plastic Waste Reduction Act bill (H8415) for further study, stalling a proposal to ban black plastic takeout containers used by restaurants and retailers. This pause reduces immediate regulatory pressure on existing packaging but signals ongoing scrutiny of single-use plastics and potential future restrictions in the state.

22 May 2026, 18:55webserver.rilegislature.govUnited States

Bulgaria Consults on Waste Management Act Amendments Introducing National Deposit System for Beverage Packaging

Bulgaria has consulted on draft amendments to its Waste Management Act that would establish a national deposit-return system for beverage packaging, aligned with the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. If adopted, this will force beverage and packaging producers and retailers to adapt collection, logistics and reporting systems to meet higher recycling targets under a central deposit operator, with material implications for packaging design and investment planning.

22 May 2026, 18:54strategy.bgBulgaria

France: President Macron Calls for Consultations on Deposit-Return to Meet 2030 Recycling Target

On 19 May 2026, President Emmanuel Macron signalled a new push to strengthen France’s circular-economy policy, instructing the Government to launch consultations on deposit-return schemes and other measures to meet a 2030 recycling target. This increases the likelihood of tighter reuse, recycling and extended producer-responsibility obligations for plastics and packaging value chains in France over the coming years, so companies should watch closely for forthcoming ministry consultations and possible revisions to waste and EPR rules.

22 May 2026, 16:49vie-publique.frFranceEuropean Union

UN Human Rights Council Report Calls To Defossilize And Detoxify Global Food Systems

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change has issued a global report to the Human Rights Council calling on states to decarbonise, defossilise and detoxify food systems, highlighting the climate, health and human-rights harms from pesticides, nitrogen fertilisers, plastics, PFAS and fossil-fuel-dependent agribusiness. While non-binding, the report strengthens the human-rights basis for tighter future regulation of chemical-intensive food value chains, plastics and PFAS, increasing long-term risk of stricter controls, subsidy reforms, due-diligence duties and financing constraints for large agrifood, petrochemical and packaging companies.

21 May 2026, 08:54documents.un.orgGlobal

UN Special Rapporteur Issues Report on Transforming Food Systems for a Safe Climate and Health for All

A new UN Special Rapporteur report to the Human Rights Council reframes global food systems that rely on fossil fuels, agrochemicals and plastics as a major driver of climate change and a breach of States’ existing human rights obligations. While non-binding, it calls for decarbonising, defossilising and detoxifying food systems, phasing out harmful subsidies, tightening plastics and business-and-human-rights rules, and redirecting finance toward agroecology, signalling higher future regulatory and litigation risks for agrifood, chemicals, packaging and financial actors.

21 May 2026, 08:53docstore.ohchr.orgGlobal

Colorado Legislature Sends SB26-146 Single-Use Food Serviceware Bill to Governor

Colorado has passed SB26-146 and sent it to the Governor; if enacted, the bill will introduce statewide “ask-first” rules for single-use food serviceware with most take-out and delivery orders from January 2027. Food retailers and delivery platforms operating in Colorado should begin redesigning ordering systems, packaging practices, and inventories to minimise default single-use items and align with the expanded Plastic Pollution Reduction Act requirements.

21 May 2026, 06:53leg.colorado.govUnited States

China Publishes Global Bamboo-As-Plastic Product Carbon Footprint Standard System

China’s International Bamboo and Rattan Center and Beijing University of Technology have announced what is billed as the world’s first product carbon footprint standard system for bamboo-based plastic substitute products, released on 19 May 2026. While voluntary rather than binding, this framework is likely to become a key reference for lifecycle carbon accounting, certification and green trade for bamboo products, shaping how manufacturers, financiers and buyers quantify and compare low-carbon performance.

21 May 2026, 06:51tanjiaoyi.comChinaGlobal