It makes business sense to substitute harmful chemicals with safer alternatives, as discussed in our blog “Safer chemicals are good for business, creating jobs and growth.”
Here are some links which you may find useful:
For businesses:
- The International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) has produced a Substitute It Now! (SIN) List, which lists those chemicals which, in the view of their expert panel, meet the criteria for ‘Substances of Very High Concern’ (SVHC) under the EU’s REACH chemicals legislation. These chemicals are likely to have their used controlled by the EU in the future, but companies can keep ahead of the game by acting early:
http://sinlist.chemsec.org
- Companies should be cautious about what chemicals they substitute with, as there’s often a tendency to move to a very similar substitute which may have very similar problems. To help avoid this problem ChemSec have also created the SINimilarity tool to help identify substances that are structurally similar to those on the SIN list:
http://chemsec.org/what-we-do/sinimilarity - The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production has published a report, with case studies, on how purchasing policies can drive demand for safer chemicals.
For investors:
- ChemSec have also produced an online tool to assist investors in identifying those chemical companies that are producing problematic chemicals, chemicals that are on the ChemSec ‘Substitute it Now’ or SIN list.
