Businesses and Advocacy Groups Create a Road Map for Safer Chemicals: The Bizngo Principles for Chemicals Policy

Abstract

This paper details how businesses and environmental organizations are collaborating to define and implement a visionary agenda for integrating safer chemicals into products, describing the challenges they confront and how they are overcoming those challenges. The framework for this assessment is the Principles for Chemicals Policy developed by the Business-NGO Working Group for Safer Chemicals and Sustainable Materials (BizNGO). The four principles--1) knowing and disclosing chemicals in products, 2) assessing and avoiding hazards, 3) committing to continuous improvement, and 4) supporting public policies and industry standards--while appearing to be straightforward, are, in fact, very complex to implement in practice. Together businesses and environmental organizations are charting a path to safer chemicals by sharing best practices, addressing technical aspects of safer chemicals substitution, and analyzing and supporting public policies that advance the rapid development and diffusion of greener chemicals in the economy.

The California Safer Consumer Products Program: Evaluating a Novel Chemical Policy Strategy

“…36 Most of the other elements included here have been described elsewhere in different ways and from different perspectives. 37–40…”

“…36 Most of the other elements included here have been described elsewhere in different ways and from different perspectives. [37][38][39][40] In our framework, the first two elements map to the Data Gap, and elements 3-9 map to the Safety Gap described by Wilson and Schwarzman 36 (Table 2). Element 10 in our framework maps to the Technology Gap in their framework.…”

Finding essentiality feasible: common questions and misinterpretations concerning the “essential-use” concept

“…The essential-use concept will therefore not curtail innovation, but rather channel innovation in the direction of achieving a ‘toxic-free environment’ and a society where the harm from chemicals and products is minimised. 2 This innovation is desired by consumers, as evidenced in calls for greater transparency 28 and fewer ingredients 29 (in e.g. personal care products).…”

Evaluating the Application of Decision Analysis Methods in Simulated Alternatives Assessment Case Studies: Potential Benefits and Challenges of Using MCDA

“…Alternatives assessment (AA), also known as alternatives analysis, involves the identification, assessment, and comparative evaluation of different options for satisfying a with an aim to remove or reduce hazardous materials in consumer products (Rossi et al 2012). It attempts to be a more rigorous and transparent methodology for comprehensive assessment and decision making, directed at avoiding substitutions where one undesirable outcome is replaced by another equally or more undesirable one.…”