TSCA/FIFRA/TRI
EPA Seeks Comments On Draft Compliance Guide Addressing Surface Coatings Under PFAS SNUR: On December 16, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of a draft compliance guide that outlines which imported articles are covered by EPA’s July 2020 final significant new use rule (SNUR) that prohibits companies from manufacturing, importing, processing, or using certain long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) without prior EPA review and approval. 85 Fed. Reg. 81466. The draft guide provides additional clarity on what is meant by a “surface coating,” identifies which entities are regulated, describes the activities that are required or prohibited, and summarizes the notification requirements of the final SNUR. More information on the draft compliance guide is available in our December 14, 2020, memorandum, “EPA Publishes Draft Compliance Guide Addressing Surface Coatings under PFAS SNUR.” Comments on the draft g
Consumer product packaging has long been scrutinized for structural and aesthetic performance. Now, though, a more important characteristic is at the fore – intelligence.
Packaging can be smarter and ‘digitally connected’ when combined with distributed computer systems and the web. This change will revolutionize productivity and quality while delivering new capability in a variety of product packaging applications. This capability has led to the fourth Industrial Revolution for manufacturing, or Industry 4.0, where data is dominant, and the Internet of Things (IoT) provides greater connectivity than ever before.
Packaging took a technological leap forward in the mid-1970s when it began carrying a printed UPC barcode that provided automatic price scanning at retail checkout – a foundational moment when new symbols on packaging, combined with sensor technology and computing power, provided a digital link to point-of-sale systems. In the 1980s, manufacturers discovered the pow