Sponsored by Andersen and Raorsa, the Seminar will discuss current and forthcoming regulations, such as the European Green Deal, the New Circular Economy Plan, new developments in the REACH Regulation and legislation on food contact materials
The plastics industry is currently facing challenges directly related to major threats to society, such as climate change, the circular economy, food waste, and protecting people’s health and improving their quality of life. In this context, plastic materials will have the chance to showcase their versatility and functionality when it comes to offering solutions. At the same time, they will have to adapt and comply with all new national and international regulatory requirements.
To analyse this situation, AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, is organizing the 4th edition of the OKPLAST International Seminar on Plastics Legislation on 24-25 May. Organized in five thematic blocks, the two-day Seminar will review topics such as the legislative changes affecting products containing plastic, as provided for in the European Green Deal and the New Circular Economy Plan for a cleaner and more competitive Europe, new developments in the REACH Regulation and legislation on food contact materials.
The seminar is sponsored by Andersen and Raorsa and its first block presents new legislative trends and developments at international level through presentations that will address the European Commission’s Proposal for Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the draft global plastics agreement from Plastics Europe, and draft European legislation on microplastics, among others. The second block will analyse the current situation of application of the Spanish Law on Waste and Contaminated Soil, the tax on plastics and different strategies to minimize the impact of plastics through the use of recycled materials and reusable solutions. This will be followed by a block devoted entirely to developments in the REACH Regulation to control imports and production of substances and mixtures. This legislation is complex and constantly being updated to ensure the safe use of products on the market. New registration of polymers and bans and restrictions on substances of concern will be discussed in this session.
On the second day, international certifiers will highlight the importance of ecolabels and certifications to communicate and transmit trust in product sustainability (e.g. recycled content, biodegradability, compostability) and warn of the dangers of using greenwashing techniques that provide no proof of this enhanced environmental performance, which is based entirely on appearances and unfounded beliefs. In fact, the emergence of new, supposedly more sustainable materials for food packaging that are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as plastics has recently led to a significant increase in health alerts. For this reason, OKPLAST has planned a final block on food contact plastics. It will address the challenges and opportunities of recycled materials and the importance of tests such as the challenge test, NIAS, the case of paper and cardboard, as well as application in other sectors such as cosmetics.