ChemSec, in collaboration with Apple and other corporate members in the NGO’s Business Group, has developed a step-by-step approach to help companies advance chemical safety within their products and supply chains. ChemCoach, published today, provides a framework to identify, phase out, and replace harmful chemicals with safer alternatives. This resource is now available publicly and free of charge.
This information sharing initiative was developed under the leadership of the NGO ChemSec, whose mission is to influence companies to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in everyday products. Apple and other companies at the forefront of sustainable chemicals management routinely meet under the ChemSec umbrella to develop practices that support sustainable chemistry. This project is one of the outcomes of this collaboration.
Providing a Foundation For Smart Chemistry
ChemCoach is a checklist and flowchart to help companies identify and move toward replacing Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in their products and supply chains. The guidance of ChemCoach builds on the previous experiences of Apple and other participating companies that are leading in smart chemistry solutions that protect the health of consumers and the environment.
“Chemicals safety is a global, shared responsibility, so ChemSec is thrilled to have Apple and other industry leaders join in sharing these practical tools for adopting sustainable practices,” says Anne-Sofie Bäckar, Executive Director at ChemSec.
“We hope this resource inspires more companies within the manufacturing industry to maximize the safety of their operations and products.”
“Implementing smart chemistry solutions is a core component of Apple’s goal to ensure our products are safe for the environment, our customers, supply chain, and employees,” says Art Fong, Environmental Technologies Smarter Chemistry Lead at Apple.
“We’re proud of our ongoing collaboration with ChemSec to develop and share best practices on chemical safety that will support the health of our communities and the planet we all share.”
Setting High Standards for Chemical Safety
Despite the known negative impacts of EDCs on the hormone (endocrine) systems in humans and wildlife, these synthetic chemicals remain present in a wide variety of everyday products. And because many of these components are not legally restricted, companies must choose to apply higher chemicals safety standards to their operations.
Successful adoption of safer chemical practices requires significant investments of time and resources. ChemSec and its partners developed ChemCoach to help small and medium-sized companies that may have limited recourses or knowledge on how to start effectively managing EDCs in their products and supply chains. ChemCoach focuses specifically on 32 different EDCs that ChemSec has identified as top priority for companies to phase out.
The newly-published ChemCoach flowchart can be used as a foundation for companies to create a responsible chemicals management strategy, as an internal communications tool for raising awareness around the issue of problematic chemicals in products, or as a corporate benchmark to compare the company’s progress with industry leaders.
