Civil society organisations across Europe have launched campaigns to ask the next round of EU decision-makers to tackle chemical pollution. This collective call to action highlights the severity and urgency of the issue and sends a clear message – the EU must prioritise action toward a toxic-free future.

Our bodies, our air and our water have been polluted by harmful chemicals. With the European elections approaching, it is crucial that future policymakers recognise this issue and take action to implement solutions.

In the EU, elections for the next European Parliament will take place at the beginning of June. The EU Parliament is an important law-making body in the EU. Alongside the EU Council, it takes vital decisions to shape and decide upon EU laws, including those on harmful chemicals.

NGOs have taken the opportunity to raise awareness of the chemical pollution problem and to highlight what actions the next Parliament must take to protect people and nature from harmful chemicals.

Among the NGOs that have launched campaigns are CHEM Trust, ChemSec, EDC Free Europe, WECF Germany, and the Flemish umbrella organisation, Bond Beter Leefmilieu.

ChemSec has launched an awareness-raising campaign called ‘Wrapped in Chemicals’. It includes a variety of videos and other informative resources on everything from PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, to how chemical pollution contributes to the climate crisis. ChemSec believes that with help from politicians, we can ‘unwrap’ ourselves from the chemical crisis. Sign their petition to call on EU policymakers to take action against toxic chemicals in our nature, air, water and bodies.

EDC- Free Europe, a coalition of 70 civil society groups, has created a series of infographics highlighting the threat that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) pose to our health. They are calling on EU and national governments to phase out known and suspected EDCs from consumer products like clothes and cosmetics and eliminate EDCs in our food, water and air.

WECF Germany has created an elections toolkit for young people. The toolkit aims to increase young people’s understanding of the EU, and provides guidance on important matters to consider in the upcoming elections. It covers ecofeminist perspectives, such as how social factors and gender roles can affect people’s health. For example, it states that jobs traditionally associated with women can often expose women to higher levels of chemicals, such as EDCs, which may affect their health. They have also produced ecofeminist scorecards ranking German parties on various ecofeminist themes. WECF is calling on the EU to strengthen its primary chemical law, REACH, to ensure stricter rules and enforcement for companies.

Bond Beter Leefmilieu has launched a citizen awareness campaign on PFAS, highlighting that some PFAS can be harmful to our health, and which includes a petition to demand that governments turn off the tap on PFAS pollution. They have also issued an election memorandum asking Flemish policymakers to call for the REACH revision and for PFAS to be phased out in the EU.

CHEM Trust has delivered a manifesto to MEPs, underpinned by three key Asks including a prompt restriction on PFAS and for a stronger REACH regulation to be published within the first 100 days of the new Commission. Watch us delivering our manifesto to MEPs on Instagram. Find more information on our Asks here.

CHEM Trust has also reached out to MEP candidates to raise awareness of harmful chemicals and to ask for their support in making a toxic-free future a reality. For more information and to hear from the MEPs about why they’re supporting the call for a toxic-free future, see our webpage.

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