ChemSec today presents new information about which companies put some of the most hazardous chemicals on the EU market. This information has recently been made publicly available by the European Chemicals Agency following a ChemSec and ClientEarth lawsuit.

– A less toxic world can only be achieved by greatly increased transparency in the chemical sector. We are therefore very pleased that we now have solid and up-to-date information about European chemical production, says Sonja Haider, ChemSec business and investors advisor.

The SIN List has today been updated to version 2.1, adding additional chemicals to the list of Substances of Very High Concern identified by ChemSec. The new additions are mainly substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction, and that should be regulated in the EU.

Skanska is one of the world's leading project development and construction companies, developing and building offices and homes around the world. In this video interview Skanska's manager for sustainability projects, Eva-Lena Carlén-Johansson, explains how Skanska tackles hazardous chemicals.

China is the country that produces the most chemicals globally, and many consumer products sold and used in other parts of the world are manufactured in China. This massive chemicals producer and user is currently in the process of introducing stricter chemicals regulations. ChemSec in collaboration with Greenpeace East Asia wants to make it easier for Chinese companies and suppliers to use the SIN List as part of a progressive chemicals management policy. Greenpeace East Asia also expects the SIN List to serve as a reference list when more chemicals with intrinsic hazards are added to China's own priority substance list.

Quotations about the SIN List - from companies, investors, NGOs, scientists, the EU, the UN etc. 

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This week another 54 Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) will be added to the REACH candidate list. This brings the total number of SVHCs on the list to 138, corresponding to the European Commission goal of a candidate list of 136 substances by the end of the year.

Two substances have been identified as SVHCs based on their endocrine disrupting properties - nonylphenol (both branched and linear) and octylphenoletoxilate. Octylphenoletoxilate was not only included because of its own intrinsic properties but also because of what it degrades into, octylphenol, agreed as an endocrine disrupting chemical and SVHC already last year.

US-based Clean Production Action (CPA) has released a "Guide to Safer Chemicals", a practical tool setting benchmarks for how downstream users of chemicals (such as purchasers, retailers and product manufacturers) can track their progress towards safer chemicals use.

The guide builds on the four principles of the CPA BizNGO group (Business NGO Working Group for Safer Chemicals and Sustainable Materials), endorsed by numerous companies and NGOs, and is a how-to-resource for companies wanting to implement these principles.