Chemical Watch News and Insight Podcast

After a drawn out election week in the US, all eyes are on the White House to see how President Elect Joe Biden might use his executive powers to push ahead with his agenda through executive orders – a tool frequently utilised by Presidents Trump and Obama – as well as regulatory actions via federal agencies like the EPA. And while the president-elect has laid out some of his priorities so far, Covid-19, economic recovery, racial justice and climate change, many questions remain over what a Biden administration agenda on chemicals policy might include. To help shed some light on these questions, in this week's special US election podcast, Chemical Watch North America managing editor Terry Hyland is joined by a trio of experts who have experience within the EPA, the industry it regulates and the environmental community. They include Robert Sussman of Sussman & Associates and counsel for the NGO Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. Mr Sussman also served as deputy EPA administrator under President Clinton and as senior policy counsel to the EPA administrator under President Obama.  Terry is also joined by Erik Baptist, partner with Wiley Rein, former deputy assistant administrator for law and policy in the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and former senior deputy general counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the EPA. Also joining the podcast today is Jeff Morris of Morris Solutions, a former director of the EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics.

In this edition of the Chemical Watch news podcast, deputy editor Nick Hazlewood discusses three of the week's biggest news stories with Terry Hyland, managing editor of our North America desk, Asia desk, editor David Macfarlane, and our UN/emerging markets reporter, Ginger Hervey.

In this edition of the Chemical Watch news podcast, global managing editor Kate Lowe is joined by Asia reporter Ellen Daliday, Asia desk editor David Macfarlane and global business editor, Leigh Stringer. On the agenda for this episode is Vietnam’s decision to reopen the window to nominate chemicals for inclusion in the country’s first draft national inventory until 15th of April next year. We also take a look at industry reaction to the European Commission’s promise in its chemicals strategy for sustainability to produce criteria by which "essential use" of a chemical can be judged. And finally, we return to Asia, where chemical industry representatives in India have expressed dissatisfaction that the development of the country’s REACH-like chemicals law has yet to see a draft published for wider industry consultation.

In this special edition of the Chemical Watch news podcast on the EU chemicals strategy for sustainability, editorial director Geraint Roberts, talks to Cristina de Avila, head of unit, sustainable chemicals, at DG Environment, Sylvie Lemoine, Cefic executive director of product stewardship and Tatiana Santos of the European Environmental Bureau about the strategy's implications.

In this edition of the Chemical Watch news podcast editorial director Geraint Roberts, Asia reporter Ellen Daliday and North America managing editor Terry Hyland join global managing editor Kate Lowe to discuss three of the week's biggest news stories. The episode begins with a look at the European Commission’s keenly awaited chemicals strategy for sustainability, which was published on the 14 October and lays out more than 50 wide-ranging actions that will have a direct impact on industry. We also take a look at the decision of the Canadian government to ban six categories of single-use plastics by the end of next year – and has kick-started the process with an official proposal to add plastic manufactured items to the country’s list of toxic substances. And finally, the discussion turns to Taiwan where the country’s EPA is consulting on its proposed fees for chemicals registration, including plans for a reduced fee if companies use alternative methods to animal testing.

In this edition of the Chemical Watch Podcast editorial director Geraint Roberts, North America managing editor Terry Hyland and emerging markets reporter Ginger Hervey join global managing editor Kate Lowe to discuss three stories from the week. Firstly we discuss the European Commission's chemicals strategy for sustainability, due to be published this week, which has been the subject of fierce debate on key policy areas but is now expected to retain almost all of the policy actions originally proposed by DG Environment. Next we look at the decision of the US EPA to grant a request from a group of six manufacturers to conduct a TSCA risk evaluation for octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), setting the stage for the review of the cyclo-siloxane to begin before the end of the year. And finally, following a week that should have seen representatives from governments, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs from across the world gather in the German city of Bonn to decide the future of the UN’s chemicals programme, we ask how participants in the global talks are tackling the remaining vital issues.

In this edition of the Chemical Watch Podcast, global managing editor Kate Lowe is joined by Europe reporter Kathryn Carlson, Asia reporter Ellen Daliday and emerging markets reporter Ginger Hervey to discuss three big topics from the week's news. Firstly, we take a look at the intervention last week by environment ministers from ten European countries in the debate over Europe’s chemicals strategy for sustainability – just as crucial discussions finalising the official text were due to take place. Next we move to China where recently published draft technical guidance on cosmetics registration suggests the country is moving closer to removing the requirement for mandatory animal tests for certain cosmetics – even while use of the tests could be set to increase under China’s regulation on new chemicals. Finally, we examine the latest steps of two developing economies – Pakistan and Colombia – to establish national chemicals management regimes.

In this edition of the Chemical Watch Podcast, news editor Charlotte Niemiec, North America managing editor Terry Hyland, and Asia desk editor David Macfarlane join global managing editor Kate Lowe to discuss three stories from the week. Firstly, we take a look at recent developments in India where the latest draft of the country’s upcoming chemicals law has been circulated to industry groups, revealing an ambitious 18-month timeframe for registration of priority substances imported in volumes above one tonne per year. Then we turn to Canada where the country’s minority government has said it plans to modernise the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) in a move that could bring stronger action on substances of high concern and other regulatory updates to the country’s 20-year-old toxic substances law. Finally we head back to Asia to discuss Thailand which has become the latest country to join the OECD system for the mutual acceptance of data which removes the need for duplicate testing of products marketed in other countries which are also party to the scheme.

In this edition of the Chemical Watch Podcast, global managing editor Kate Lowe is joined by Europe correspondent Clelia Oziel, business editor Leigh Stringer, and global and emerging markets reporter Ginger Hervey to discuss the issues behind three recent chemicals management stories.  We start in Europe where the American Chemistry Council has joined EU industry groups in urging the European Commission to adopt a "common" approach to polymer registration based on exempting chemicals considered to be of low concern.  Turning to business, we take a look at the European home improvement company Kingfisher which since the start of 2019 has been working towards phasing out phthalates, per-fluorinated and poly-fluorinated chemicals and halogenated flame retardants from its own-brand products by 2025 – and look at the progress the company has made. Finally, we turn to the global problem of how to finance sound management of chemicals and waste in developing countries – and taking a look at a call from a network of NGOs for an internationally coordinated tax to be imposed on basic chemicals.

In this edition of the Chemical Watch Podcast, global managing editor Kate Lowe is joined from Washington DC by North America reporter Jon Kelvey, from Brussels by Europe reporter Kathryn Carlson, and from London by Asia reporter Ellen Daliday. The podcast starts in the US, where a steady trickle of states have put forward bills to restrict the use in food packaging of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). We ask whether that trickle, joined last week by Michigan where a bill has been proposed that would ban PFASs and bisphenols from food packaging, could become a flood. Next, we head to Europe where the much anticipated chemical strategy for sustainability – part of the EU’s Green Deal – is due to be issued on 14th October, but, as a Chemical Watch Global Business Summit heard last week, remains the subject of a final round of "substantial" discussions by European Commission directorates. And finally we turn to China, where industry specialists have raised concerns that the majority of new substances are going to meet criteria for persistence under the country's revised overarching chemical regulation for new chemicals, MEE Order 12 – and will therefore be subject to increased data requirements laid out in the draft guidance.