HCF 2018, Keynote 14 June: And Prosper, Marco Mensink, Director General, CEFIC​

1. Live Long………..And Prosper!
Helsinki, 1 June 2018
Marco Mensink, Director General

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Why Live Long…….And Prosper

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Live Long
Chemicals are used everywhere in a modern society. Our standard of living is
dependent on them. But they also have negative impacts on our health and on
our environment. The more our society moves towards a circular economy the
longer chemicals will stay in use and hence the more difficult it will become to
remove chemicals which turn out to be problematic.
The REACH 10 year report and the Commissions Communication on it says
protection is improving but we still have a long way to go. Implementing the
actions recommended by the Commission will improve protection further and
thereby improve our citizens wellbeing.
Bjorn Hansen, Executive Director, ECHA​

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Prosper
It’s a global world out there. A world with shale gas in the US, with growing markets in Asia. A
world with two or even more regulatory chemical regimes. A Europe with Brexit coming soon.
Europe has REACH. It has been accepted and implemented by industry. The last deadlines have
passed. A second review made. Concluding that no major changes are needed, but we can still
make it work better. “That said, the glass is at least half full and very far from being empty.
Enormous progress has been made through the commitment of industry to be compliant with
REACH and other EU chemicals legislations”.
But how do we move from there? How can we turn REACH in a competitive advantage? Make
it work for the European industry to win global competition? Making it smarter, leaner,
cheaper? Enforcement? Foreign REACH policy? Preventing double work? Chemicals in articles?
Minimizing costs? Keeping it stable? Preferring REACH based chemistry? And for sure making
sure no chemical enters Europe without being REACH compliant!
How do we make sure the science prevails the emotions? The world sees that European and
national politicians actually follow their agencies opinions? Time to discuss. Deadlines have
passed, but REACH implementation has just started. Marco Mensink, Director General, CEFIC​

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Lets do a Vulcan Mind Melt
an Experiment!
What if we could turn
REACH into a
competitive advantage
a European Chemical
Industry that prospers?
A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering
consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater
benefits and service that justifies higher prices.
Can REACH compliant® become a global Brand?

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1. Create the right environment
• All to trust the system to deliver.
• Let it work – keep it stable.
• Keep REACH at centre stage.
• Not move to Ecodesign, BREF’s or Waste
legislation to control chemicals.
• Not make alternative “ lists”.
• Be careful with statements on dossier quality
• In other words: how will the world buy our
brand if we constantly weaken it ourselves?

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2. Practice what you preach
• Enforce REACH! Showcase enforcement.
• (solve Brexit)
• Make sure no substance enters Europe without being registered.
• And what about articles? Is there consistent policy?
• How can our REACH compliant ® brand sell when others can
bypass thorough safety assessments and still supply our markets?
• Work through global value chains to help enforcement.

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3. Strengthen it!
• Let the science prevail – on both sides!
• Increase REACH knowledge now 1st Gen is retiring!
• Analyze why the difference with other world regions
• Install tools to foster scientific dialogue as early as possible
• Avoid regulation by image (SVHC)
• Let the authorization and restriction process work!

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4. Sell it abroad
• The World has different regulatory systems.
• We do not have to spread REACH around the globe.
• But we must make sure all understand REACH.
• And our REACH compliant ® Brand is well accepted.
• For which it needs to be perceived risk and science based across
the globe.
• Double costs are avoided. And markets made accessible.
• Make ECHA decisions understandable for global head offices (!)
• In other words – we need smart foreign REACH policy!

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5. And incubate innovation
• A true competitive advantage for the European Chemical
Industry would come when new innovations take place in
European companies.
• New products developed, that can sell globally.
• And we lead by example. Not miss out on developments.
• Lets think together how we square the circle.
• To combine innovation and precaution…..
• To boldly go where no man has gone before!

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Marco Mensink
mme@cefic.be
Cefic
The European Chemical Industry Council
Avenue E. Van Nieuwenhuyse, 4
B - 1160 Brussels
www.cefic.org