MAY / JUN 2024
‘ More work needed ’ on safety , sustainability
The first joint Europe-wide assessment of the drivers and impact of chemical pollution by the European Environment Agency ( EEA ) and the European Chemicals Agency ( ECHA ) has concluded that , despite progress in some areas , “ more work is still needed to reduce the impact of harmful substances on human health and the environment ”. Key findings include :
• The transition towards safer and more sustainable chemicals is progressing in some areas but just getting started in others
• Action by authorities and industry has supported minimising and controlling the risks from several groups of hazardous chemicals . Efforts are ongoing to increase knowledge on chemical hazards and support risk management action where needed
• There has been little evidence of progress towards eliminating substances of concern from waste and secondary materials . This is a barrier to the transition towards a more circular economy
• Emissions of certain chemicals to water and air have fallen following specific EU regulations and international actions , but further measures are needed to reach concentration levels that are not harmful for human health and the environment . Emissions from industry still lead to major damage to both
• Human biomonitoring offers the opportunity to understand exposure to chemicals from multiple sources and thus health risks associated with chemical pollution . As such , it forms a key tool to measure the effectiveness of chemicals legislation The report established that the use of the most harmful chemicals is still growing , albeit slower than the overall market . More needs to be done to avoid the use of substances of concern and to implement the principles of the safe and sustainable by design ( SSbD ) framework . The shift in that direction must be accelerated .
“ Action by authorities and industry has helped to minimise and control the risks from hazardous chemicals . But we need to further increase knowledge on chemicals and support risk management of groups of chemicals to protect people and the environment ,” said Sharon McGuinness , executive director of ECHA .
Shortly before this , CEFIC had published ‘ Safe and Sustainable by-Design : A Guidance to Unleash the Transformative Power of Innovation ’. This offers specific activities for different phases of industrial R & D to help the industry move towards “ a sustainable , circular and inclusive economy ” by 2050 .
CEFIC and its members define SSbD as “ an iterative process guiding innovation and market placement of solutions that are safe , and offer environmental , societal , and / or economical value ”. This includes new chemicals , materials , products , processes and services , plus the potential redesign of existing ones .
IN BRIEF
Purification plans Perstorp has opened a facility that will purity wastewater from a municipal water treatment plant and reuse it for cooling at the Perstorp Oxo plant in Stenungsund . This will save 1.1 billion litres / year of freshwater , helping with a sustainability target of reducing fresh water usage by 30 % by 2030 . The water will be used to produce renewable hydrogen via electrolysis .
Arkema buys in Arkema has agreed to acquire a majority stake of nearly 78 % in Proionic , an Austrian-based start-up in the field of ionic liquids . With this , the company said , it “ completes its broad range of solutions and consolidates its position as a key player in materials regardless of battery technologies ”. Ionic liquids are key components in nextgeneration lithium-ion batteries .
Sumitomo exits FPDs firm Sumitomo Chemical is to transfer its holding in two flat panel display ( FPD ) process chemical companies in Hefei and Chongqing , China , to Runjing Tech . The company said that the businesses have faced major changes , including rising raw material costs , and would be more competitive as part of Runjing Tech , which is owned by petrochemical conglomerate Haike Holding .
MAY / JUN 2024 SPECCHEMONLINE . COM
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