Pinfa participated at a workshop led by the Netherlands Government on 28th March discussed how to ensure that chemicals substitution leads to safe-by-design chemicals, rather than incremental replacement of banned substances by similar or otherwise problematic chemicals.
The workshop will contribute to a Netherlands national “Safe Chemicals Innovation Agenda”. Flame retardants are one of nine applications proposed as research themes. Discussion underlined the need for better links between supply, demand, application and innovation; the importance of clear and accepted assessment schemes to define what are positive alternatives; and the potential for a structured EU research project to investigate both health and environmental properties and industrial applicability of today’s alternative PIN flame retardants (as was done by ENFIRO in 2010-2013 (see pinfa Newsletter n°36).
“Safe Chemicals Innovation Agenda”, Netherlands Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management (in English) https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/toespraken/2018/03/28/speech-by-state-secretary-for-infrastructure-and-water-management-stientje-van-veldhoven-on-the-safe-chemicals-innovation-agenda
Workshop details and presentations: https://www.chemischestoffengoedgeregeld.nl/content/workshop-towards-safe-chemicals-innovation-agenda-substitution-safe-design