Need for better information on chemical sustainability through the materials supply chain. Questions and panellists underlined the need to improve information on flame retardants and materials and its availability to downstream users and product manufacturers.
Michel Cassart, Plastics Europe, underlined the need to increase transparency about additives used in plastics, for example with a ‘digital passport’. The challenges are to ensure Commercial Business Information on formulations and compounders’ know-how, to avoid information overload and keep information accessible and understandable for downstream user industries and consumers.
Lauren Heine, ChemFORWARD, considers that flame retardant hazard assessment needs better transparency, updating and agreement on conclusions, open to challenge by scientists. Product manufacturers want centralised access and harmonised information on chemicals. The challenge is how to integrate such data bases into supply chains and market tools.
Adrian Beard, pinfa Chairperson and Clariant, summarised the webinar discussions, concluding that there is strong agreement that the Green Deal concept of Sustainable and Safe by Design will considerably impact flame retardant chemical portfolios. Industry needs to work with scientists, NGOs and regulators to develop standardised sustainability assessment metrics, to improve transparency of data (both on chemical hazard and on wider sustainability criteria, in particular recycling) and to find new ways to ensure communication to the value chain and the consumer
Webinar slides and video online here: https://www.pinfa.eu/presentation/what-does-product-sustainability-mean-for-tomorrows-fire-safety/