Eurofins Agroscience Regulatory Consultancy’s Post

First joint report from the European Environment Agency and the European Chemicals Agency is now out! Benchmarking progress towards safe chemicals in Europe - more work is still needed to reduce the impact of harmful substances on human health and the environment. Congratulations to the EEA-ECHA team, in particular my EEA colleague Jeanne Vuaille who led from our side. Key findings - Transition towards safer and more sustainable chemicals is progressing in some areas while in others it is just getting started. - Action by authorities and industry has supported minimising and controlling the risks from several groups of hazardous chemicals. - Little evidence of progress towards eliminating substances of concern from waste and secondary materials. This is a barrier to the transition towards a more circular economy. - Emissions of certain chemicals to water and air have fallen following specific EU regulations and international actions. - Further measures are needed to reach concentration levels that are not harmful for human health and the environment. - Emissions from industry still lead to major costs in terms of damages to human and ecosystem health. - Human biomonitoring offers the opportunity to understand human health risks associated with chemical pollution. - Key tool to measure the effectiveness of chemicals legislation in protecting human health and the environment. 

Two of the EU's official agencies, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency have joined forces to investigate the transition towards safer and more sustainable chemicals. We aren't surprised to learn that while the transition is progressing in some areas, in others it is just beginning. The report found that the overall use of the most harmful chemicals (in particular those that are carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic) is still growing but more slowly than the overall chemicals market growth. Slower growth is still growth. We need to do better. Circa's products are safer and more sustainable by design. Our green solvent Cyrene can replace harmful, fossil-based solvents, for example. #greenchemistry #earthday

The transition towards safer and more sustainable #chemicals is progressing in some areas, whereas in others, it is just beginning. This is one of the conclusions of the 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧-𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 that we have published together with the European Environment Agency. 👇🏼Check the report and the dashboard for more insights and indicators on chemical pollution. #ChemicalSafetyEU | #ChemicalsStrategy

Da #EuropeanEnvironmentAgency The EU has increased the scrutiny of industrial #chemicals, uncovering the persistent use of harmful substances like #carcinogens and #hormone #disruptors, continue to linger in our products and environment, threatening both human well-being and the ecosystems we rely on. While progress has been made in regulating emissions and minimising risks, the need to #accelerate the #transition to safer, #sustainable #alternatives has never been more urgent.

European Environment Agency releases indicator framework on chemicals The chemicals strategy for sustainability towards a toxic-free environment (CSS) embraces two overarching goals of the chemicals legislation: preventing harm to people and the planet from hazardous chemicals and their toxic effects and supporting EU industry in the production of safe and sustainable chemicals. As one of the CSS actions, the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission (EC) have developed an indicator framework on chemicals to support these goals. The aims of the framework are to monitor the drivers and impacts of chemical pollution and measure the effectiveness of chemicals legislation. The framework has an online dashboard: https://lnkd.in/eyWhcY7k and is accompanied by this synthesis report jointly drafted by the EEA and ECHA. ______________ European Environment Agency (EEA) and European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) (February 2024). EU indicator framework for chemicals. 

🌍 I recently read an article from UN News about the adoption of a Global Framework on Chemicals at the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5). This framework is a significant step toward reducing environmental risks by phasing out harmful chemicals and promoting safer alternatives. Governments committed to reaching targets by 2030, with industries pledging to minimize pollution impacts. The article emphasizes the urgent need for action, as highlighted by UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, who pointed out that chemical pollution is responsible for millions of deaths each year. 🟢 Strengths: The article does an excellent job of outlining the framework's goals and linking them to other global challenges like climate change and health. It also provides a clear call to action for policymakers and industries to exceed the targets set. 🔴 Weaknesses: While the framework is promising, the article could have explored in more detail how these targets will be implemented and monitored globally, as well as how industries plan to adhere to the guidelines. This piece provides valuable insight into international efforts to combat chemical pollution, but further discussion on practical enforcement would strengthen its impact. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/d7iGyU3S

It's time for companies to act now, as chemical pollution poses an equal, if not greater, risk than other sustainability issues. This article by ERM ‘CSRD’s Chemical Pollution Requirements Are Taking Companies Off-Guard’, explores eight crucial steps businesses must take to prepare. Linda-Jean Cockcroft, who co-authored the article, will be presenting on this topic tomorrow at the Key Regulatory Updates Europe 2024 conference in Brussels, organised by Chemical Watch news & events by Enhesa. Don’t miss her presentation on “Chemical pollutants and EU sustainability”, on how sustainability reporting, along with product stewardship and regulatory affairs, play critical roles in shaping a cleaner, more transparent future for reporting companies. #RegulatoryUpdates #KeyRegUpdatesEU24  #sustainability #chemicalindustry

A very relevant and timely article for companies preparing for their first disclosure under CSRD! While companies may be well prepared for certain topic areas, E2 - Pollution seems to be the one where significant effort is required to get ready to disclose environmental metrics that are assurance ready. Excellent work Linda-Jean Cockcroft Ramesh Narasimhan and Susan Angyal!

Many companies may mistakenly believe the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive’s (CSRD) Chemical Pollution requirements do not apply to them. However, the new disclosures cover both the direct and indirect use, through raw materials, of chemicals and minerals. Companies must act now to get ready since chemical pollution poses an equal, if not higher, risk than other sustainability topics. Our article “CSRD’s Chemical Pollution requirements are taking companies off-guard” identifies and explores eight steps companies must take to prepare: - Build and evolve an implementation plan - Undertake CSRD-aligned sampling and measurements  - Deploy experts to develop mass balance calculations - Leverage existing company- and external databases for safety data sheets     - Identify and use industry-specific public data - Create a sampling and testing plan to fill in gaps - Develop calculation methodologies for chemical emissions to air, water, and soil - Create an overall data management plan with strong governance and internal controls  Access it here: https://lnkd.in/gJmnTrse #CSRD #Chemicalpollution #COP16 Ramesh Narasimhan Susan Angyal, Linda-Jean Cockcroft

No one likes to be negatively surprised! Please check this out and make sure you are thinking about all of your impacts and while there are 8 steps listed here, the one immediately following is pre-assurance and independent third-party assurance!