Today, the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published a new report on ‘Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life‘ following its inquiry into the subject. The EAC declare that “current regulation does not account for the cocktail of chemicals we are exposed to”, and that hazardous chemicals are now “ubiquitous in humans and the environment”. The committee [...]
Circular Economy
CHEM Trust has joined an important collaboration of NGOs and academic scientists looking at the topical and crucial issue of hazardous chemicals in plastic packaging. As we all know, use of plastic packaging is increasing globally, causing environmental and human health concerns. In 2015 annual plastic production was 380Mt, of which about 40 per cent [...]
Today, the 16th January 2018, the EU Commission released its long-expected Plastics Strategy. The Strategy includes an announcement that the Commission has started the process to ban both intentionally added microplastics and oxo-degradable plastics. Both these bans will be implemented as Restrictions under the EU’s main chemicals law REACH. The Commission also announced a a [...]
A Circular Economy is an important component of a future-focussed, sustainable, economy. However, chemicals can disrupt this circular economy, for example where banned chemicals are present in a product that is to be recycled (e.g. furniture). CHEM Trust has been concerned about this issue for some years, and we have been very involved in the [...]
PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls) are a group of chemicals which were produced in large quantities by companies such as Monsanto, and were widely used in electrical equipment, sealants and paints. Their production was phased out in the mid 1980’s in Europe, and they are now banned by the global Stockholm convention, as they were found to be [...]
The EU’s REACH chemicals law aims to ensure that chemicals are safely manufactured and used, so as to protect human health and the environment, at the same time as enhancing innovation and the competitiveness of EU industry. REACH includes requirements on companies to provide – and use – safety information on chemicals, and provides mechanisms to ban [...]
The European Commission has today launched a new set of policies on the Circular Economy. Many environmental groups are rightly criticising a weakening in many areas, including recycling targets. However, the new ‘Closing the loop‘ Action Plan does include a plan to analyse and propose options in order “to reduce the presence and improve the tracking of [...]
A Circular Economy is an important component of a future-focussed, sustainable, economy, and CHEM Trust therefore welcomes the European Commission’s current consultation on the Circular Economy. We have submitted a briefing to the consultation making recommendations for policies that are needed in order to ensure that the circular economy doesn’t end up perpetuating the use of [...]
The debate on the ‘Circular Economy’ is hotting up, as the Juncker Commission tries to work out what changes it is going to make to the existing proposal to make it ‘more ambitious’. CHEM Trust have already pointed out the importance of chemical regulation – in particular REACH – in cleaning up the circular economy. [...]
On 24th March I took part in an event in Brussels, organised by EurActiv, discussing the relationship between the REACH chemicals regulations and the Circular Economy, in particular the interaction between REACH & recycling. The other panelists included representatives of the European Commission (both DG Environment and DG Growth), the plastic pipe industry and an [...]
