EU authorities recently reported that the production and use of hazardous chemicals in everyday products have been reduced by 97 percent in the EU. However, the official registry for chemical volumes doesn’t show any reduction at all.
Experts agree that the data in the registry is off. The problem is that important regulatory actions designed to protect EU citizens from hazardous chemicals are based on this incorrect data.
The European Court of Justice confirmed today that the EU illegally allowed dangerous substances for sale in paints when there were safer options – setting a precedent that tightens the screw on companies’ use of toxic chemicals in the EU.
it’s crucial to investigate the properties of chemicals designed for widespread societal use – preferably before they are put on market. However, we are convinced that much more can be done to further reduce animal testing.
The consequence of the Commission’s inaction is not only continuous use of and exposure to hazardous chemicals, but also the loss of business opportunities for safer alternatives.
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.
Here are five things from the strategy that us folks at ChemSec think will matter the most to businesses. The aim here is to help you to quickly get an idea of what the strategy is and, more importantly, the actual consequences it will have for your company.
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.
Did you ever wonder how companies can get away with having harmful chemicals on the EU market? Wonder no more. ChemSec presents to you the ultimate guide to cheat EU chemicals regulation and get away with it. We will show you how to dodge regulation in the first place, and how to delay controls and ensure that your toxic chemical stays on the EU market for a long time once your company has been targeted by the authorities.
Four years ago, the EU Commission granted the Canada-based paint manufacturer Dominion Colour Corporation (DCC) authorisation to use toxic lead chromates in red and yellow paint pigments. According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), the company will not reapply for permission to continue selling these pigments in Europe beyond May 2022, when its current authorisation expires.
