To address the challenge around lack of knowledge about the chemical content in collected recyclable textiles, H&M Group and IKEA decided to collaborate in a large test study.
ChemSec webinar, March 16, 2021
The phase-out of substances of concern from new materials would entail billions of Euros in business opportunities. We need to recycle more, but have to consider chemical safety alongside increased recycling rates. And the presence of hazardous chemicals in recycled materials prevents the upscaling of circular economy.
“Our analysis shows that if problematic chemicals were more efficiently addressed, the market for recycled materials would increase. Even a small increase of 10% in the recycling of plastic packaging would correspond to an annual increase in EU market value of €2.6 billion”, says Anne-Sofie Bäckar, Executive Director at ChemSec.
A couple of weeks ago, we brought together consumer-facing textile brands and producers of recycled materials. The goal was to initiate a constructive dialogue on the topic and to give a broader understanding of the textile industry’s needs when it comes to making circular economy a reality.
As always, the devil is lurking in the details. And the details of all plastics are the chemicals they are made of – so called polymers – whose identities have so far remained hidden.
Within days you will sign off the Commission Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability as part of the commitments set out in the Green Deal. On behalf of ChemSec, an environmental NGO promoting safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals, I would like to stress some important issues to make sure the Strategy will deliver on its aim to better protect citizens and the environment against hazardous chemicals.
Sustainability has to go down as one of the most unclear terms of the 21st century. There’s no real agreement for what it actually means, yet it’s thrown around everywhere and slapped on every product being made these days. So, a definition is needed. But when creating this definition, we need to be very cautious. Why? Well, because it can potentially have huge implications.
Chemical Strategy Webinar: EDCs and the cocktail effect On the 26th of May, ChemSec organised a webinar. Speaking at the seminar was Dr. Leo Trasande, who did a presentation on EDCs and threshold values, and professor Christina Rudén, who…
