EcoCouncil’s New Publication on the substitution of hazardous chemicals

The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 6th December 2012

EcoCouncil’s New Publication on the substitution of hazardous chemicals

EEB 2nd 2012 Chemicals/Nano Working Group meeting

Centre International de Séjour Ravel (CISP) - Paris

What is‘Substitution’?

• The replacement of hazardous chemicals

used in processes or products with less

hazardous chemicals

• The alternatives can be both other chemicals,

procedural changes or alternative

technologies


New publication

In May 2012 we

published a new booklet

about substitution.

A follow-up to an earlier

publication from 2006

‘Hazardous chemicals

can be substituted –

developments since

2006’


Contents


- Why substitute?

(from company’s point of view)

• Demand from customers

• New knowledge about production

methods or new chemicals on the

market

• New legislation

• Staying ahead of the law can give a

competitive advantage

• To retain or create a green image

can attract more groups of

consumers


Why not substitute?

• Too time consuming

• Initially an expense for the company

Substitution and REACH

The EU chemicals legislation REACH (Registration, Evaluation

and Authorisation of CHemicals)

How REACH promotes substitution:

•Mandatory substitution-planning when applying for authorisation

to use a substance of very high concern (SVHC) on the

authorisation list

• Including an analysis of alternatives

• If suitable alternatives are available, a substitution plan

must be presented

•Public access to Candidate- and Authorisation lists

•’Right to know’ principle – 45 days reply


Substitution tools

Substitution portals and –network

•SUBSPORT (subsport.eu) – four

partners (Grontmij, Chemsec etc),

supported by EU/Life, Germany, Austria

•Business groups, e.g. ChemSec

Business Group


Warning lists - to avoid replacing one hazardous chemical with another:

• the REACH candidate list (84 subs.)

• the Danish EPA list of undesirable substances (app. 90 subs. and groups)

• the SIN list (by Swedish NGO ChemSec) (378 subs.) and trade union list (ETUC)

Substitution tools

Green taxes

contribute to levelling out the economic

differences between traditional and substituted

products, can prepare a ban, e.g.

• Soft PVC and phthalate tax , y. 2000

• Tax on industrial green house gasses

• DEC-proposal: tax on brominated flame

retardants and wood preservatives

The opportunity to obtain an Eco-label

gives the consumer easy access to more safe

products, e.g.

• the EU flower

• the Nordic Swan


Substitution tools

Substitution through Green Procurement

Policies

-EU: minimum 50% green procurement within 10

product groups. Cleaning products&services, furniture,

IT equipment etc.

-ICLEI – Local governments for sustainablity – tools and

training for GPP

-Cologne in Germany; rules for the procurement of toys,

furniture and sports equipment for municipal facilities.

-Denmark; ’Partnership for public green procurement’ –

collaboration between the Ministry of Environment and

six local authorities


Substitution examples

NKT CABLES

-Substituted phthalates and lead from cables

-NOPOVIC® is based on polyethylene,

polypropylene and ethylene vinyl acetate

-Before tax: too expensive

-After: more than 50% of DK market.


KYMI RENS

• Substituted perchloroethylene (a ground

water pollutant) - as cleaning agent

• Can not only use one substitute

• Uses CO2, AquaClean (environmentally

and textile friendly method - chemicals

are replaced by water), GreenEarth

(applying liquid silicone) and SYSTEM

K4 (halogen free solvent, biodegradable)


HOSPITALS

Substitution of PVC and phthalates in hospitals

•Westfriesgasthuis (NL) – children’s section – almost

phthalate and PVC free

•Sygehus Sønderjylland (DK) – neonate section – substituted

intravenous (IV) catheters, administration sets and tubes,

feeding tubes, gloves, pacifiers (dummy/soother), and

bandages.

•Karolinske Universitetshospital (SE) – substituted gloves,

haemodialysis equipment, IV bags and tubes, urine bags,

feeding tubes, and catheters.


• EU project to create a

PVC and phthalate

free blood bag:

www.pvcfreebloodbag

.eu

MELITEK

• Produces plastic granulate based on e.g.

polyolefin and polypropylene

• Used in products such as infusion-, dialysis- and

nutrition bags

• Part of PVCfreeBloodBag project


• (MELITEK will be

featured in our film:

Working title -

Hazardous chemicals

in the blood)

• Ready app. 1 January

DANA LIM

• Produces glue and fillers – have products without

oximes and polyurethanes and most phthalates

• Still uses DINP – awaiting regulatory action before

phasing out DINP – wants to avoid another temporary

substitution

• Currently on a substitution ”standby” – awaiting more

results from REACH – feel that it’s difficult to substitute

without being aided by the law

• On standby because of the financial crisis – customers

are more focused on economy and competition than on

health and environment


BOSTON SHOECARE

• Makes shoe care products without PFOA and PFOS

• Substituted in 2007 due to a lively debate in Sweden

and a press release from a Swedish environmental

organisation about the dangers of the compounds

• They now use PFBS – short chained per-fluoro-

compound (better – but still a problem)

• New formulation – builds bigger particles so less

volatile and less risk of exposure

• Primarily younger consumers show an interest


Thank you for your attention

Find the publication on our webshop:

http://www.ecocouncil.dk/index.php?option=co

m_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1024&Ite

mid=1024

Or order it from our office in DK

– free - except from postage costs –

[email protected]


http://www.ecocouncil.dk/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1024&Itemid=1024





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EcoCouncil’s New Publication on the substitution of hazardous chemicals

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