Be at the centre of the action with Chemical Watch
In October last year, the European Commission released its highly anticipated chemicals strategy for sustainability. It forms part of the European Green Deal, which was announced at the end of 2019, and it lays out more than 50 wide-ranging actions that will have a direct impact on industry and are listed for completion by 2024.
The impact of the new strategy cannot be overstated – it is the biggest shake-up to European chemicals policy since the introduction of REACH in 2007 and it will have a huge impact on industry for years to come.
Hear from Echa’s Executive Director Bjorn Hansen
The new chemicals strategy will play an important role in the European Green Deal – a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making the EU's economy sustainable.
At our virtual conference, Key Regulatory Updates: Europe, Asia and the Americas, Bjorn Hansen, executive director at Echa, spoke about the role that chemicals will play within the Green Deal, and some of the main challenges facing Echa and industry in reaching the objectives set out in it.
Here is a short clip from the event – to view his full presentation, sign up to free membership of Chemical Watch.
Chemical Watch coverage of the strategy
Since the strategy’s release in October 2020, we have reported from a wide range of perspectives:
20 May 2021
Kestutis Sadauskas, head of DG Environment’s circular economy and green growth division, explains its mission.
13 May 2021
NGOs have reacted with a barrage of criticism to an industry leader’s suggestion that a high-level stakeholder group set up by the Commission to advise on the EU chemicals strategy should be "the body to agree" on implementation measures, thus apparently sidestepping the bloc’s decision-making processes.
Biocides stakeholders have questioned the compatibility of the EU chemicals strategy for sustainability (CSS) with the biocidal products Regulation (BPR), as many consider the latter hinders the development of more sustainable alternatives.
The European Commission has published two comprehensive inception impact assessments (IIAs) on its chemicals strategy actions, paving the way for potentially significant changes to REACH and CLP, to which industry must adapt.
06 May 2021
12 May 2021
US new chemicals, Echa funding problems, H&M Group on safe and sustainable by design
01 April 2021
This edition of the Chemical Watch news podcast sees North America managing editor Terry Hyland, Europe editor Luke Buxton and business editor Leigh Stringer join news editor Charlotte Niemiec to discuss the latest developments in chemicals management across the globe.
Special Chemical Watch podcast: EU chemicals strategy for sustainability
22 October 2020
In this special edition of the podcast, editorial director Geraint Roberts talks to Cristina de Avila, head of unit, sustainable chemicals at DG Environment, Sylvie Lemoine, Cefic executive director of product stewardship and Tatiana Santos of the European Environmental Bureau. about the strategy's implications.
Listen on Chemical Watch | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Listen on Chemical Watch | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Find out more from the Chemical Watch Podcast
Recent episodes of the Chemical Watch Podcast explore the strategy in more detail. You can listen via your favourite podcasting app or via the Chemical Watch platform – whatever suits you best.
What it means for you, your business and your products
- Environment ministers from ten countries sent an exclusive op-ed to Chemical Watch before the strategy was released, urging the European Commission to present an “ambitious” chemicals strategy. Read more
- At our Key Regulatory Updates conference, which took place on the day the strategy was published, delegates heard our speakers’ initial reactions, including thoughts from Echa executive director Bjorn Hansen. View Bjorn’s presentation
- Shortly after the publication of the new strategy, we ran an exclusive interview with EU environment commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevičius, who spoke to us about the goals of the strategy. Read more
Below you’ll find more examples of our recent coverage. If you’re not already a Chemical Watch member, sign up to free membership to get a taster of what you can expect.
Chemical Watch is uniquely positioned to help you make sense of the strategy and understand the implications of the many actions included within it. We have direct connections to European commissioners, European members of parliament and the European Chemicals Agency (Echa), as well as industry representatives and other stakeholders. In addition, our own experts have an in-depth understanding of European and global chemicals legislation.
Here are just a few examples of what you can expect from Chemical Watch:
High-level roundtable: EU industry names enforcement, ‘safe and sustainable by design’ as priorities
05 May 2021
Several sector associations and some of Europe's biggest chemical companies have laid out their core focus areas ahead of the inaugural meeting today of the high-level roundtable, formed under the new chemicals strategy.
29 April 2021
The EU chemicals strategy for sustainability needs to establish a framework that supports companies in their efforts to adopt safer alternatives, attendees of the 2021 virtual Helsinki Chemicals Forum (HCF) heard yesterday.
29 April 2021
New CLP hazard classes and the development of safe and sustainable substances are among the Commission’s first priorities for the implementation of its new chemicals strategy, EU environment commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius has said.
22 April 2021
The European Commission has outlined which urgent tasks it wants Echa to perform on the revision of the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP) and REACH as laid out in its new chemicals strategy.