European Union Wishes to Establish a Sustainable Chemicals Strategy
The European Commission has published a new chemicals strategy draft, the main aim of which is to protect more efficiently the health of humans and to move towards a poison-free environment. The Chamber supports the goals set forth in the strategy, but we also emphasised the importance of financial support aimed at companies for promoting innovation in the chemicals industry.
The chemicals strategy is based on sustainability in terms of using as well as manufacturing chemical products. For example, the strategy contains a proposal to prohibit and limit the use of hazardous chemicals in consumer goods (for example in toys, cosmetics, cleaning agents etc), except if the use of such chemicals is unavoidable. Such substances could be for example chemicals that influence the immune system and respiratory organs, various per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, chemicals that damage the endocrine function or are carcinogens.
The Commission is planning to establish key performance indicators in order to measure transfer of industries to safe and environmentally friendlier chemicals. Furthermore, there is a plan to develop EU criteria that should facilitate making chemicals safer and environmentally more sustainable. The aim of the Commission is to achieve abolishment of animal testing in the European Union, support capacity for bio-monitoring of humans and the environment, and to a larger extent, assess the combined influence of chemicals on the environment.
The Chamber supports the general principles and goals set out in the strategy
It is welcomed that the European Union wishes to move towards a poison-free environment and help to create innovative and environmentally friendly chemical substances as well as to establish stricter rules for some substances that are harmful for health (e.g. substances that damage the endocrine function or are carcinogens).
Entrepreneurs need financial support to realise the goals
The members of the Chamber highlighted that as the strategy contains several regulatory measures, it will mean various expenses for the chemical industry companies. It was pointed out that the entire innovation process and bringing new environmentally friendly substances to the market may become too expensive for businesses and may result in end of production. Therefore, we emphasised in our address that it would be necessary to support innovation in the chemicals industry and specific financial means should be allocated for various activities during the entire implementation of the strategy. Furthermore, members highlighted that there might be problems with certain substances because it would be extremely difficult or impossible to replace them and there are no existing efficient alternatives. Thus, the specific requirements should be thought-through and based, as much as possible on the existing opportunities.