Beyond 2020: Sustainable chemistry – NGO recommendations

WECF and IPEN, the International POPs Elimination Network, welcome the initiative by Germany to broaden the discussion about chemicals management and sustainability, including measures to advance Agenda 2030.

The recommendations presented in this Position Paper are endorsed by the public interest NGOs listed at the end of the paper, and are based on the IPEN/WECF paper for SAICM entitled, “Beyond 2020: Green chemistry and sustainable chemistry”, which was presented at the SAICM intersessional meeting in February 2017 in Brazil.1

At its best, sustainable chemistry could shift the entire industry to safer production and improve environmental protection, consumer safety and occupational health and safety by eliminating hazards. The goal should be that countries not only manage dangerous chemicals better, but that industries design safer, non-toxic chemistries from the start.

The position paper was presented at the Conference on Mainstreaming Sustainable Chemistry organised by ISC3 – International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre – which wants to support the global breakthrough of Sustainable Chemistry. The project for the establishment of ISC3 was launched in March, 2015, by the German Federal Environment Agency.