ECMA & Pro Carton Expert Roundtable – final BPA statements

This is a joint industry statement of ECMA and Pro Carton on the European Commission’s draft regulation on the restriction of BPA in Food Contact Materials (FCM) and Articles.

The carton and cartonboard supply chain do not intentionally use BPA in their production processes. BPAs are non-volatile and do not migrate through the gas phase into food, therefore testing is important if food contact materials made of recycled fibres are used for direct contact with fatty and moist food only, aligning with the BfR Recommendation XXXVI.

Through this network, awareness on the concerns related to BPA have been regularly communicated and the existing supplier questionnaire templates already contain specific questions on avoiding the intentional use of a number of substances of concern, such as BPA.

The monitoring for the presence of unintentional BPA in recycled paper and board is already carried out by the mills producing the recycled paper and board and therefore already common practice in line with the BfR Recommendation XXXVI.

We will continue to keep a close eye on the relevant legislation and adapt our actions accordingly.

9 April 2024

ECMA, the European Carton Makers Association
Contact: Mike Turner, Managing Director
Tel. +31 70 312 39 11

PRO CARTON, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard manufacturers
Contact: Horst Bittermann, Director General
Tel. +43 664 852 74 58