All Knowledge & Insights By Date

On October 14, 2025, BB-REG-NET, a United Kingdom (UK) regulatory science network for biobased and biodegradable materials, published a report entitled “Addressing Persistent Plastic Pollution: The Case for Biodegradable Solutions.” Alder BioInsights conducted a literature review of the evidence around the presence, impact, and persistence of microplastics in the open environment due to the use of biodegradable materials. The report documents evidence from case studies in agriculture,...

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a draft guidance document on in vitro testing for intestinal fate of orally ingested nanomaterials. According to OECD, the new guidance document “would establish a conceptual framework and procedures for determining intestinal fate of orally ingested nanomaterials using an integrated in vitro approach simulating the human [gastrointestinal tract] environment.” The primary objective of the draft guidance document...

The European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) announced on October 1, 2025, the release of an expert paper from the nova-Institute entitled “Benefits of Using First-Generation Biomass for Food, Fuels, Chemicals and Derived Materials in Europe: Science-based Argumentation Paper.” According to EUBA’s October 1, 2025, press release, using first-generation agricultural biomass (i.e., crops like cereals, sugar, and oil plants) to produce biobased energy and materials in Europe results in important...

On October 22, 2025, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) announced the availability of a report entitled The Climate Technology Progress Report 2025: Advancing Biobased Technologies in the Bioeconomy, which finds that biobased technologies, such as the conversion of food waste into fuel, could reduce reliance on fossil fuels, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and helping countries combat climate change. UNEP states that as technical innovation is making biobased technologies more...

On October 29, 2025, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works favorably reported several nominations, including Jeffrey Hall to be an Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Douglas Troutman to be Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances at EPA, each by a vote of ten to nine along party lines. The Committee considered Hall’s nomination during a July 23, 2025, hearing, during...

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) announced on October 2, 2025, that he led over 45 Senate and House colleagues in urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue a final rule on imported Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN) and hold firm on the proposed biomass-based diesel volumes. As reported in our June 18, 2025, blog item, the proposed rule would reduce the number of RINs generated for imported renewable fuel and renewable fuel produced from foreign feedstocks. The bipartisan,...

On October 23, 2025, the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight held a hearing on “Examining the Beneficial Use and Regulation of Chemicals.” The Subcommittee heard from the following witnesses: Peter Huntsman, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Huntsman Corporation (written testimony); Dr. Gwen Gross, Senior Technical Fellow, The Boeing Company (written testimony); and Dr. Tracey...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) are pleased to announce that Ryan N. Schmit has joined our firms. A 15-year veteran of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Mr. Schmit worked on the front lines of EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) implementation efforts, including significant and precedent-setting policy matters regarding the establishment of TSCA procedural frameworks; new...