About: Chemicals (REACH)
Departing ECHA boss: ‘I don’t see myself joining a big lobby group’
Geert Dancet, the executive director of the Helsinki-based European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), will retire at the end of the year. In a wide-ranging interview with EURACTIV, he comes back over the EU’s sometimes excruciating efforts to bring the powerful European chemical industry into line.
PVC boss: ‘We will not change our reputation in one day’
IKEA’s decision in the 1990s to ban PVC from its furniture and textile products had a devastating impact on the industry’s reputation. But 15 years after phasing out the most toxic chemicals, the PVC sector believes it is now ready to gain acceptance as a sustainable material, says Brigitte Dero.
Health NGO: ‘Endocrine disruptors are one of the biggest public health threats of this century’
?Although hormone-disrupting chemicals are recognised as a global public health threat by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission's public consultation on the matter, which closes today (16 January), is only meant to delay action and regulation, argues Génon K. Jensen.
Pesticides industry rep: Tighter rules on chemicals could lead to crop losses
Health campaigners and NGOs have called on the EU to ban all endocrine-disrupting chemicals used in the production of some pesticides and everyday consumer products. But further bans will make it increasingly difficult for farmers to protect their crops from diseases without necessarily improving human health or the environment, argues Craig Winneker.
Swedish minister: REACH must be improved
The EU's REACH law should be strengthened to ban more endocrine-disrupting chemicals, says Sweden's Environment Minister Lena Ek.
EEA chief: ‘Scientific uncertainty is not a justification for inaction’
Use of the Precautionary Principle in EU decision-making has been criticised by some business groups but it must remain a central plank in responsible policy process, argues Jacqueline McGlade, the executive director of the European Environment Agency.
Waste expert: Recycled products ‘faced with the REACH regulation’
Although the REACH law on chemicals does not cover waste as such, it does affect recycled products which rely on secondary raw materials extracted from waste. At the end of the day, recycling companies might find it difficult to comply, holding back the EU's drive to consume less raw materials, says Wobbe van der Meulen.
US scientist: ‘Many routes of exposure’ to endocrine disruptors
Shanna H. Swan, a renowned scientist specialising in reproductive medicine, has warned about the health effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) known as phthalates which can end up in food via pesticides or plastics. In an interview with EURACTIV, she calls on regulators to better protect consumers against those "hidden chemicals".
Pesticides chief: ‘We were not really listening to societal concerns’
After years of trying to persuade consumers that their products present no health or environmental risk, the pesticides industry has now recognised its failure to address wider society concerns. Friedhelm Schmider of industry group ECPA promises "a huge change of mindset" in engaging with consumers and farmers.
McCormick: The EU is not dead
Though the European project is currently facing a critical crisis with some even announcing its death, the European Union has overcome similar situations in the past and its influence in areas like environmental policy and democracy-promotion in Eastern Europe continues to be underestimated, said John McCormick in an interview with EURACTIV.
Chemicals agency: Companies submitting ‘vague’ REACH dossiers
Companies are submitting technically incomplete REACH registration dossiers and are trying to register several substances per file, while failing to be precise enough on the exact composition of their substances, the executive director of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Geert Dancet, told EURACTIV in an interview.
Chemicals industry: Innovation ‘drives sustainability’
Innovation is a catalyst for sustainability in Europe's chemicals sector, Dr Gernot Klotz, executive director of research and innovation at industry body Cefic, told EURACTIV in a wide-ranging interview.Greens and industry stand firm on REACH
With only weeks remaining before a crucial Parliament vote on the EU’s chemicals reform, EURACTIV asked lobbyists at WWF and industry group CEFIC to take stock and identify the remaining issues.
Interview: Time to talk chemicals
"That there are chemicals. That's the issue to communicate," argues Bo Oscar Jansson, professor at the Institute of Applied Environmental Research at Stockholm University, in an interview with EURACTIV.Interview – Parliament ready for REACH compromise
MEP Guido Sacconi believes that a compromise is just around the corner for the controversial EU chemicals law.Interview with MEP Lena Ek on REACH
Neither environmental NGOs nor industry lobbyists will ultimately win the battle over REACH as the chemical legislation makes its way through Parliament, predicts Lena Ek MEP in an interview with EURACTIV.Interview – Guido Sacconi MEP on REACH
In an interview with EURACTIV, the Parliament’s lead Rapporteur on the REACH proposal, Guido Sacconi, said he is considering restricted opt-out solutions for companies when vital business interests are at stake.