Second meeting of the substitution and innovation network – presentations online

ECHA has published the presentations of the „Second meeting of the substitution and innovation network“, which took place in Helsinki on 29th May 2019.

In order to promote innovative and sustainable solutions for substitution, ECHA organised a network meeting with the focus on the exchange of experience and information between different stakeholders.

Read more about the meeting (here) and what Dr. Michaela Clever said about SUBSPORTplus (Presentation).

For additional information: ECHA Website section on substitution, in particular documentations of further substitution events.

Belgian roadmap for substitution of SVHC published

The FPS Economy, the Ministry of Economy of Belgium, led a study in 2019 to examine how to develop a global vision for the substitution of substances of very high concern (SVHC) in the Belgian context.

This study comes to the conclusion that an effective Belgian strategy should be organised around two pillars:

• a combination of information and regulatory and economic instruments;
• a combination of transversal and vertical actions focused on priority themes specific to Belgium.

The study also contains a wealth of information on European, federal and regional support programmes, including the conditions for obtaining financial support.

Study „Development of a strategic roadmap for the substitution of SVHC as part of a sustainable economy“ (April 2019)

Source: https://economie.fgov.be/fr/nouveautes/substitution-des-substances

Two reports on substitution of chemicals published by the OECD

The OECD has published an analysis on approaches to support substitution and on alternatives assessment and a synthesis report of the workshop on these topics organized in May 2018.

The first report (dated Feb. 2019) describes and gives a list of approaches developed across countries and by different stakeholders to support alternatives assessment and substitution of chemicals of concern.

The second report (dated Feb. 2019) is a summary of the workshop on chemicals substitution held in May 2018, among the topics:
• the approaches used to support substitution and alternatives assessments;
• the strengths of the approaches and challenges to design and implementation;
• initiatives to facilitate data sharing and other collaborative efforts.

For additional information: http://www.oecd.org/chemicalsafety/testing/substitution-of-hazardous-chemicals.htm

Substitution of chrome plating for the rolls of skin-pass mill

The European Commission has published a study „Substitution of chrome plating for the rolls of skin-pass mill“ in 2016. This is the final report of the project CrFreeRolls, which intended to scan and evaluate techniques potentially replacing chrome plating in the skin-pass application.

BAuA-Event “Perspectives of Substitution of Chromium(VI) – Do the Alternatives Work and Are They Affordable?”

The Federal Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) hosted an event about substitution of chromium(VI) in Dortmund on the 14th January 2019. Information was provided on alternative solutions for functional/hard and decorative chrome plating. The event was attended by 200 participants.

The presentations (mainly in German) are available here.

BAuA-Event “Substitution or Authorisation under REACH”

The Federal Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) hosted an event titled “Substitution or Authorisation under REACH” in Dortmund on the 5th October 2017. The event focusses on the influence of REACH authorisation on substitution.

The presentations (mainly in German) are available here.

GreenScreen® is ten years old!

GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals was launched in 2007. It is a method of comparative Chemical Hazard Assessment (CHA) that can be used for identifying chemicals of high concern and safer alternatives. GreenScreen was developed by and is a project of Clean Production Action and has become a widely recognised tool for assessing chemical hazards, identifying chemicals of concern, and selecting safer chemicals.

GreenScreen is part of the green building movement with its incorporation into Living Product Challenge, LEED, Health Product Declaration, and Google Portico. GreenScreen is part of safer electronics where it is used by TCO Development, HP Inc., and now on the path to being part of EPEAT. GreenScreen helps define safer chemistry in the apparel sector with its integration into Levi Strauss & Co’s “Screened Chemistry,” H&M’s manufacturing Restricted Substances List (mRSL), and as part of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals’ (ZDHC) Framework for the Prioritization of Hazardous Substances.

Read more: greenscreenchemicals

Free webinar: Smart Chemical Management and COSHH Compliance using Stoffenmanager®

This free webinar is organised by Stoffenmanager® and targeted to the UK market. You will learn how to use Stoffenmanager® to manage chemicals in a smart way and to comply with COSHH regulations.

The webinar has been arranged as an interactive, virtual tour through the Stoffenmanager® tool. You will experience how Stoffenmanager® could be used to support your risk assessments related to the use of hazardous substances. The aim is to give attendees on completion the ability to navigate the tool and ultimately experience its potential benefits in the workplace environment.

The free webinar will take place on Tuesday, Mar 7, 2017 at 3:00 PM / 4:00 PM CET and will take one hour.

To register please follow the link
For more information go to: stoffenmanager.nl

Replacing harmful chemicals in the textiles sector

Replacing hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives can bring substantial benefits to the company, the environment and the health of workers and consumers. The webinar presents how H&M and a group of Italian SMEs from the Prato district have organised themselves to replace harmful chemicals from their supply chains. Greenpeace will also present their Detox campaign and ChemSec will give an overview of their available tools to help companies substitute.

The webinar will be held on Thursday 23 Febraury 2017 at 9:00 am (GMT). A registration is required to join the webinar.

For registartation go to: echa.europa.eu

Candidate List: four new substances of very high concern

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) for authorisation now contains 173 substances. ECHA has added four new SVHCs to the Candidate List. The new substances are based on proposals by France, Sweden, Germany and Austria, following the SVHC identification process with involvement of the Member State Committee.

The aim of publishing the a list of SVHC is to inform the general public and industry that these substances are candidates for possible inclusion in the Authorisation List.

read more