The panels discussed opportunities and challenges with the circular economy for chemicals regulation. Specifically, they focused on perfluorinated chemicals as an example of an issue requiring global cooperation, and how businesses and regulators can better share data that is already available. Key points included the need for a shared vision and global approach to facilitate risk reduction, as well as removing barriers to data sharing through partnerships and a stepwise approach.

1. Helsinki Chemicals Forum 2016
Concluding Remarks
First Day
Jukka Malm
European Chemicals Agency

2. Circular Economy –
Opportunities and
Challenges for Chemicals
Regulation
Panel 1

3. Lot of common ground
• Objectives largely shared
• Strong chemical safety component; chemicals
can become a problem for recycling, and the
reused materials (safety, confidence)
• Chemical safety should not be compromised
• Strong global dimension
• Tracking and tracing is needed
Sustainable
Chemistry
Chemicals Safety
Circular
Economy

4. How to move on?
• Devil is in the detail; how not to get lost in
detail - how to ensure a vision and steer for
innovation and business?
• Change management
• REACH data and processes can already
contribute a lot
• REACH principles also can be applied
• Foster proactive innovation instead of just
reactive authority driven approach
4

5. Perfluorinated chemicals –
A global chemicals
management issue in the
need of global agreement
Panel 2

6. 6
Perfluorinated compounds
• An example of substances relevant to circular economy
• Wide spread use in products and articles, wide spread
environmental contamination
• Look as a group of substances to avoid regrettable
substitution
• Lack of hazard data on alternative compounds?
• Standard data sets not sufficient to address the relevant concerns
• Better information needed on uses, including use in articles
• Performance of non-fluorinated alternatives?
• Many countries/regions are working on PFAS

7. How to facilitate global risk reduction?
• Industry voluntary action since 2000
• Extend to other regions/manufacturers?
• Create incentives for others to join
• REACH restriction proposal on PFOA
• PFOS listed as POPs, proposal for PFOA
• Combination of regulatory/voluntary
• What are the lessons learned?
• For sustainable chemistry & circular economy
7

8. Global Data Sharing – How
Can Businesses and
Regulators Make Smarter
Use of Data Already
Available?
Panel 3

9. 9
Opportunities
• Time for an global vision – post-2020 SAICM
• Many elements in place already from OECD
• Mutual Acceptance of Data
• Technical convergence (standards and tools)
• Less advanced on use information
• Data sharing between companies
• Acceptance of data sets by authorities
• Sharing of/accepting assessments by authorities
• Harmonising data requirements
• Benefits
• Sharing cost, workload, experiences, transparency,
predictability…

10. 10
How to eliminate barriers
• Define a goal and ambition
• Work in partnership – win/win approaches
• Modular/layered approach – allow stepwise
progress
• Anticipate how to deal with data generated by
new alternative approaches (IATA, AOP,…)
• Intellectual Property Rights & CBI

11. Thank you!
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jukka.malm@echa.europa.eu