ICIS Blogs : regulation

Canada plans to ban phthalates

Green Chemicals — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:02:44 GMT

Last week Friday, Canada's Minister of Health announced their planned proposal to ban phthalates in soft vinyl toys and child-care articles as well as further reduction limits of lead in consumer products. Canada is proposing regulations to prevent...(read more)

Carbon cap and trade costs little

Green Chemicals — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:36:46 GMT

I was working about the Cash for Clunkers bill (where you can exchange your old car for money voucher for a new supposedly more environment-friendly car) and it was more complicated than I thought...I need to do more research about that. So for now let's...(read more)

The challenge of biopesticides

Green Chemicals — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:13:07 GMT

Got the copy of my latest article about biopesticide , with pretty cool (and a little gross) graphic of a venus flytrap. As previously tweeted , I was intrigued by how the biopesticide industry have been struggling in the overall pesticide and crop protection...(read more)

Soy Industry Adopts Environmental Standards

Green Chemicals — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:31:08 GMT

The palm oil industry has been the center of environmentalists' focus because of widespread deforestation going on (especially in Indonesia) blamed on some palm plantation owners. Unilever have already promised to sustainably source their palm products...(read more)

NAMPA BPA meeting leaked

Green Chemicals — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:06:54 GMT

This has been going around the twittering world (in my twittering world anyway) which led to various outraged comments and further cynicism from various environmental/health advocates on bisphenol- A's (BPA) supposed safety as according to BPA manufacturers...(read more)

China's plastic bag use down after ban

Green Chemicals — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:11:04 GMT

ICIS co-blogger Paul Hodges of the Chemicals & The Economy blog reported about this article from China Daily stating that after a year of plastic bag ban in China (which started on June 1, 2008), supermarkets cut their plastic bag use by 66%. Statistics...(read more)

EPA cancels carbofuran use

Green Chemicals — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:05:25 GMT

Before I delved more deeply into the green regulatory buzzwords of the week CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) and ACES (American Clean Energy and Security Act), let me go to the more simple news such as this cancellation of carbofuran registration...(read more)

Philly rejects plastic bag tax

Green Chemicals — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:27:47 GMT

It looks like I'm having a field week with plastics... The American Chemistry Council's (ACC) Progressive Bag Affiliates said today that Philadelphia's City Council rejected on May 14 the proposed 25-cent-per-bag tax on plastic and paper grocery...(read more)

AOCS wrap-up Day 3

Green Chemicals — Thu, 14 May 2009 22:39:57 GMT

The green blogger focused mostly on regulatory issues in the cleaning industry during the last day of the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) centennial meeting in Orlando, Florida, even though her doppelganger (who was lounging in the hotel pool) was...(read more)

Cap-and-Trade pains

Green Chemicals — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:17:08 GMT

I mentioned about Kimberly-Clark 's recent prediction that any cap-and-trade bills in Washington will not pass this year as the government is broke right now and can't afford to pass a risky (and possibly expensive) legislation. ICIS Chemical...(read more)

BPA demand soft

Green Chemicals — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:55:18 GMT

I wonder if continuous pressure from advocates and regulators are finally affecting demand for bisphenol-A (BPA)? BPA producer Hexion Specialty Chemicals recently announced its plans to indefinitely idle its BPA3 production unit, part of its manufacturing...(read more)

Europe favors eco-tire labeling rule

Green Chemicals — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:43:44 GMT

The European Parliament proposed last week for tire manufacturers starting November 2012 to label the fuel efficiency/performance as well as the wet grip and noise performance of tires (or 'tyre' as they spell it in Europe). According to EU lawmakers...(read more)

Wood or plastic?

Green Chemicals — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:56:52 GMT

The National Wooden Pallet and Container Association put out a press release yesterday about the possible toxic hazards of plastic pallets because they contain the flame retardant deca-bromine. Non-fire retardant plastic pallets, meanwhile, can pose fire...(read more)

US anti-chemical campaigns intensify

Green Chemicals — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:20:13 GMT

ICIS News (subscription required) reported on Wednesday about the intensifying anti-chemical attacks from state-legislative and advocacy groups and that according to the American Chemistry Council , it is getting harder for the chemical industry to contest...(read more)

BPA: alternatives and tradeoffs

Green Chemicals — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:27:31 GMT

Thanks to a tweet tip from Safer States , I found this cool report from consulting network Gerson Lehman Group about possible alternatives to bisphenol-A (BPA). According to Michael Brown , president of chemical consulting firm StrategyMark, alternatives...(read more)