With its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, presented on Wednesday 14 October, the European Commission has laid the foundations for a European chemicals industry that is more environmentally friendly, health-conscious and competitive.
This strategy establishes a European framework. The measures that will make it a reality will be taken in the years to come.
“This is the first stage of Zero Pollution Ambition, which will be launched next year. This strategy sets out an ambitious vision to protect citizens and the environment and encourage innovation for safe and sustainable alternatives”, said Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius to the press.
The strategy has three specific objectives: to better protect the health of citizens and the environment from the hazardous chemicals they are exposed to in their daily lives; to support innovation and competitiveness of industry; and to simplify European regulations to strengthen their application and increase their effectiveness (see EUROPE 12580/16).
“We will restrict the use of most harmful chemicals, but at the same time we are making room for new chemicals and materials that must be intrinsically safe and durable from the moment they are designed”, the Commissioner stressed.
The strategy includes the phasing out of the most harmful substances in consumer products such as toys, childcare articles, cosmetics, detergents, food contact materials and textiles, which are endocrine disrupters.
The current ban on carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) chemicals will therefore be extended to the most harmful substances.
PFAS will be prohibited in all uses that are not essential to society.
Innovation will be encouraged by establishing criteria defining sustainable chemicals from the design stage and through research support by EU financial and investment instruments to help commercialise and launch green technologies and innovative business models.
In 2021, the Commission will present a roadmap prioritising the evaluation by categories of substances with the same risks (rather than substance by substance) under the 2006 REACH Regulation. A proposal will also be presented next year to identify endocrine disruptors. The revision of sectoral legislation and the updating of the REACH regulation will be proposed in 2022.
NGOs and consumers satisfied. The European Consumers Organisation (BEUC) welcomed this long-term vision after almost 20 years of standstill. “The plan is promising, now we want the EU to walk their talk and ensure that loopholes such as on endocrine disruptors in cosmetics, toys and food packaging are closed without delay”, commented Monique Goyens, Director of the organisation.
The NGO HEAL (Health and Environment Alliance) welcomed “a major step towards the goal of zero pollution”, citing in particular the commitment to innovate in the service of protection, the proposed establishment of a legally binding identification on the dangers of endocrine disrupters, beyond the legislation on pesticides and biocides, the prohibition in principle of endocrine disrupters in consumer products, the introduction of a specific category for endocrine disrupters in REACH. But it stressed that the ability of the strategy to truly minimise human exposure to harmful substances and prevent disease will depend on the implementation of the initiatives.
The industry is mixed. On behalf of the European chemicals industry, Cefic welcomed the proposals on implementation of legislation and innovation, but spoke of a “missed opportunity” to speed up the sector’s contribution to the Green Deal.
The proposal “reads more like a long list of regulatory measures lacking sufficient clarity on how they will be joined up, how they relate to real-world geopolitical context like Brexit or how they will all add up to achieve the Green Deal objectives. This is especially concerning at a time when the rest of the world has not yet followed REACH and is unlikely to”, according to Cefic Director General Margo Mensink. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)