Plastic Sachets Banned by 2026 as Germany Rolls Out Sweeping Industrial Safety Changes

Workers sharing factory floors with humanoid robots may be exposed to collision forces far above safe limits, new tests from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (Fraunhofer IPA) reveal. Researchers measured impact loads exceeding 500 Newtons during experiments with the Unitree G1 EDU-4 humanoid robot — a force that surpasses the pain thresholds set out in the international technical standard ISO TS 15066 for human-robot collaboration. The findings underscore a growing gap between emerging robotics and existing safety regulations. An overarching global standard for humanoid robot safety, ISO 25785-1, is not expected until May 2028.

Beyond the physical risks of new technology, staying compliant with evolving health and safety regulations is an ongoing challenge for employers. With multiple rules taking effect in 2026, a free Health & Safety Toolkit provides ready-to-use risk assessments, checklists and toolbox talks aligned with UK standards. Download the free Health & Safety Toolkit

On the regulatory front, the European Union is tightening rules across multiple facets of industrial hygiene. Starting 12 August 2026, gastronomy businesses will no longer be allowed to serve single-use plastic sachets for condiments and sauces when food is consumed on the premises. Restaurants and canteens will have to switch to refillable dispensers or reusable containers. Compostable plastics will also be phased out in this segment by 2030.

A separate legal ruling is reshaping labelling practices. In early February 2026, the Regional Court of Kassel (case number 11 O 869/25) decided that the phrase “Made in Germany” on the outer packaging of a hand sanitizer is impermissible when it bears no connection to the product’s application or health-related information. The verdict is not yet final and could still be appealed.

The EU’s REACH chemicals regulation is meanwhile preparing restrictions on per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). The textile industry is already searching for alternatives, including plasma treatments and bio-based waxes.

Digital hygiene is also coming under heightened scrutiny. The NIS-2 directive creates a compliance burden for companies in critical sectors — such as cloud providers and data centres — requiring them to demonstrate proactive risk analysis and supply-chain security measures. Experts now call for quantifiable reporting of security metrics to senior management. The enforcement framework draws on EU Implementing Regulation 2024/2690. The urgency of these measures was underlined in spring 2026, when a vulnerability in AI-powered customer-support chatbots went undetected for months, allowing unauthorised account takeovers before the operator finally closed the gap.

In the industrial water sector, companies are turning to specialised chemicals to combat contamination and corrosion. Trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) in 90-percent granule form is used in cooling towers and heat exchangers, releasing controlled doses of chlorine to prevent biofouling and microbially-influenced corrosion (MIC), thereby boosting energy efficiency. In aquaculture and oil-and-gas operations, the biocide BCDMH helps stop bacterial growth from clogging pipelines. New flocculants for wastewater treatment in the dyeing industry remove up to 95 percent of colour and cut the chemical oxygen demand in half. For the ceramics industry, polyacrylamide improves sludge dewatering.

A new approach to personal protective equipment will reach the market in mid-June. At the Innovation Day Mittelstand in Berlin on 11 June, the German Institute for Textile and Fibre Research (DITF) and Hero Textil AG will present “StAirS” — a self-contained climate-control system for safety clothing. The system harnesses the wearer’s walking motion: a compressible insole in the shoe generates compressed air, which travels through a hose system up the trousers and into the upper garment. A special belt buckle connects the clothing components. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is funding the project, which aims to improve comfort and reduce physical strain on workers.

en | boerse | 69484939 |