This week, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the 2025 Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), which sets out how the Government plans to restore England’s environment over the coming years. It contains a commitment that CHEM Trust has been calling for over several years: to align UK chemical regulation more closely with the EU’s. It also … [Read more...] about Is the tide turning on the UK’s failure to regulate chemicals?
Chemicals
PFAS are forever: CHEM Trust’s fringe event at the Labour Party Conference in September
CHEM Trust will be hosting a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this year, ‘PFAS are forever: how do we address the pollution crisis threatening public health and the environment’. Sunday 28th September, 15:00-16:00 Outside the secure zone, RSVP for more details Focus of the event: PFAS, ‘the forever chemicals’ pollute food sold in UK … [Read more...] about PFAS are forever: CHEM Trust’s fringe event at the Labour Party Conference in September
REACH Reform: Don’t ignore new science on Chemical Mixtures
The European Commission is currently finalising a revision of the EU’s main chemicals law, the REACH regulation. In the time since REACH was agreed, almost 20 years ago, there has been a big leap forward in our understanding of the toxic effects of the cocktails of chemicals we are all exposed to. We now know that REACH does not provide a high level of protection for human … [Read more...] about REACH Reform: Don’t ignore new science on Chemical Mixtures
EU pledge for toxic-free products at risk, as shown by internal Commission documents
Today marks 1,000 days since the European Commission made a pledge in its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability to ban the most harmful chemicals from all consumer products, through a revision of the EU’s chemicals safety law, REACH. The revision was promised for the end of 2022, but EU Commissioners decided to delay it after lobbying from the German chemicals industry. This … [Read more...] about EU pledge for toxic-free products at risk, as shown by internal Commission documents
What’s the plan for managing harmful chemicals in the UK?
Before the turmoil in British politics of the last couple of months, NGOs had hoped a draft UK Chemicals Strategy would be published for public consultation before the end of the year. A strategy was first promised over four years ago - to set out the UK’s approach, post-Brexit, to ensuring chemicals are safely used and managed. Over the past year stakeholders have been … [Read more...] about What’s the plan for managing harmful chemicals in the UK?
Michael Gove claimed it would be ‘better’, but in reality the UK’s BREACH is in crisis
At the start of September, the UK Government announced changes to the framework for its post-Brexit chemicals regulatory system, British REACH, or ‘BREACH’ *, which will deregulate the new system before it has even started to operate. Chemical and other companies have been complaining about the cost and burden of having to re-register their chemicals in BREACH, which they … [Read more...] about Michael Gove claimed it would be ‘better’, but in reality the UK’s BREACH is in crisis
