Category: News

April 15, 2021

What is the United Nations Global Compact?

The UN Global Compact is an initiative in which companies commit to ten principles regarding human rights, labour standards, environment, and the fight against corruption. The UN Global Compact was launched in 2001 and the initiative has since been joined by more than 12,700 companies and 3 000 other organisations totally from 160 different countries. Companies that are involved in the Global Compact are required to annually report their compliance with the principles to UN.

Agenda 2030 by UN for sustainable development aims to eradicate extreme poverty and focus on sustainable development that considers the environment, economy, and people equally. The underlying principle of the program is that no one is left behind in development. The aim is to change global development into a balance between human well-being, human rights, economic prosperity and the stability of societies in an environmentally sustainable way. In addition, extreme poverty in all its forms will be eradicated from the world. States, decision-makers, and citizens are all needed to achieve the goals of sustainable development.

DOWNLOAD OUR COMPREHENSIVE AND CONCISE FREE BROSHURE REGARDING UN GLOBAL COMPACT & THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS HERE!

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Malena Weurlander – Key Account Manager

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Sources:

https://www.ykliitto.fi/sites/ykliitto.fi/files/global_compact_1.pdf

https://www.ykliitto.fi/yk-teemat/kestava-kehitys/kestavan-kehityksen-tavoitteet

February 19, 2021

ECHA extends the scope of completeness check to include chemical safety reports

The Technical Completeness Check (TCC) done by ECHA for each REACH registration dossier now includes manual checks on the content of chemical safety reports. The extended completeness check will apply to both new registrations and updates of existing ones. Implementation of the revised completeness check was originally planned for November 2020 but was postponed until 2021. This TCC improvement aims to enable better prioritisation of substances for regulatory action by authorities and to improve supply chain communication. Companies are responsible for registering substances that are manufactured or imported above one tonne a year.

What is completeness checking?

ECHA carries out a TCC on each incoming registration dossier to ensure that all required information is provided. The completeness check includes a manual verification which means that ECHA checks certain elements of the registration dossier that cannot be checked automatically. The TCC process, applied to all registration dossiers submitted to ECHA, previously included only the following elements:

Substance identification
Data-waiving justifications
Testing proposals on vertebrate animals
Justification for opting-out
Specific requirements for nanoforms

As of 1 March 2021, manual completeness checks performed by ECHA staff will be extended to chemical safety reports to ensure they contain all the elements required under REACH. A chemical safety report is required for all substances subject to registration in quantities of 10 tonne a year or more per registrant. Exposure assessment and risk characterisation are checked from chemical safety reports. Since the chemical safety report is submitted as a text document attached to the IUCLID dossier, the information cannot be verified by the Validation assistant. This makes verifying the completeness of a dossier before submitting more difficult. Registration dossiers sent before 1 March 2021 are not checked for the new TCC rules.

Registrants should, therefore, prepare for the changes, as their update registrations may no longer pass the revised technical completeness check. If your first submission fails the TCC, you will get four months to correct the information. If your second submission is also incomplete, your submission will be rejected, and the data will not be included in ECHA’s database. ECHA will not refund or otherwise credit any fees before the rejection.

More information

Technical Completeness Check: https://echa.europa.eu/technical-completeness-check

ECHA’s webinar on the revised completeness check: https://echa.europa.eu/-/revised-completeness-check-what-changes-and-how-you-can-prepa-1

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Text: Mikael Hirn

Picture: Shutterstock

Source: ECHA

January 27, 2021

Two new substances added to the SVHC Candidate List

ECHA added the substances to the SHVC – Candidate List in January 2021

ECHA has added two new substances to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) due to their toxicity to reproduction. This means that the Candidate List now includes 211 substances. Any supplier of mixtures or articles containing a Candidate List substance above the concentration of 0.1 % (weight by weight) has communication obligations towards customers down the supply chain and to consumers. The supply chain communication obligation is important for the whole supply chains of mixtures and articles in the EU. As of 5 January 2021, article suppliers have to notify substances of very high concern present in their articles to ECHA’s SCIP database under the Waste Framework Directive.

The added substances are: bis(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)ether and dioctyltin dilaurate, stannane, dioctyl-, bis(coco acyloxy) derivs., and any other stannane, dioctyl-, bis(fatty acyloxy) derivs. wherein C12 is the predominant carbon number of the fatty acyloxy moiety.

The substances are used in ink and toner products and in the manufacture of plastics and rubber tyres. The first substance, bis(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)ether, acts as a solvent and extractant, and the mono-constituent form of the second substance (dioctyltin dilaurate) is used as an additive in the production of plastics and rubber tyres. The second substance is not registered under REACH as a group of substances. However, the constituent dioctyltin dilaurate is a registered substance.

The substances added by ECHA can cause serious effects on human health and the environment

The Candidate List includes substances of very high concern that may have serious effects on our health or the environment. These substances may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future, which means that companies would need to apply for permission to continue using them. (ECHA)

Companies that are importing, producing, selling or using substances, their mixtures or articles (components, materials) containing them should keep an eye on the substances added to the SVHC Candidate List. Substances are regularly being added here. It is recommended for companies to start looking for substitutes for the added substances already now.

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Text: Kristian Vaitomaa

Picture: Shutterstock

Source: ECHA

January 11, 2021

New in Sustainable Finance

Sustainability runs capital. During the last 10 years the capital in sustainable indexes has doubled. During the last year sustainability indexes that concentrate on environmental (E), social (S) and governance (G) have had higher returns than their non-sustainable competitors both on the European and North American market. As there are several indexes it can be difficult for investors to understand what they contain and how to compare them. The European Union strives to make the indexes more comparable and transparent by creating new directives and therefor creating a stronger and cleaner economy.

EU leads capital towards sustainability

The new laws concerning sustainable finance by the European Union leads towards sustainable investing by a creation of clearer definition of tools and obligations of sustainability reporting and -valuation. To support this, the European Union has published the EU Taxonomy Regulation for sustainable development. The Taxonomy Regulation contains harmonic criteria that define whether the economic activity is sustainable from the nature’s perspective. The classification contains e.g., climate change, water resources, and circular economy. The creation of the taxonomy regulation unites sustainable reporting which makes it easier for investors and other financial actors to make their investment decisions. The classification is new for companies and it is profitable to start preparing for them already now.

Additionally, the European Commission will approve a directive in June 2021 that specifies the reporting among non-financial information. The directive defines how and how widely companies must report according to the above-mentioned Taxonomy Regulation.

The first company- and investment reports in accordance with the new Taxonomy Regulation must be published in the beginning of 2022 about the financial information from 2021.

You might be interested in our webinar recording“New in Sustainable Finance: How to apply EU’s taxonomy regulation and reporting requirements”

Are you interested in sustainable finance? Are you familiar with the new classifications and reporting requirements in sustainability by EU? Have you wondered how you should prepare to meet the obligations?

Welcome to hear more about sustainable finance, the new obligations and how one should prepare to develop the reports. Our expert will go through EU’s Taxonomy Regulation in our webinar recording.

We are looking for a EHS-specialist to join our consultancy team

Do you specialize within occupational health and safety? Do you want to work with sustainability in a team of experts? Do you handle even the most demanding parts of occupational health service-, occupational safety- and environmental legislation and the company specific requirements?

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Text: Emma Björkqvist

Picture: Shutterstock

December 15, 2020

We are looking for a chemical expert to join our team as a industry consultant

Do you want to work with sustainability in a team of experts? Do you handle even the most demanding parts of chemical legislation and company specific requirements?

We are looking for an expert in chemical legislation to join our versatile consulting team. Read more about the recruitment here and apply to join our team.

Text: Emma Björkqvist

Picture: Shutterstock

November 2, 2020

SCIP database launched for tracking chemicals of concern in products

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched the SCIP database for tracking chemicals of concern in products. Information on substances of very high concern can be now submitted to the database. In order to improve safe recycling of waste and enhance circular economy, companies are required to report hazardous chemicals in their products to the database. More knowledge on chemicals in products is also needed for making the EU Green Deal work. Moreover, improved data also protects workers, citizens and the environment and encourages companies and industry to replace their potentially hazardous chemicals with safer ones.

The Waste Framework Directive requires companies to submit their chemical data to the database as of 5^th of January 2021. Consumers and waste operators will have access to the database in February 2021 onwards. The database has been developed in cooperation with stakeholders and an IT user group. Based on industry feedback, the database is built to simplify the companies’ work. For example, a system-to-system submission function helps companies submit notifications easily. Also, companies can work together by referring to data that has already been submitted when adding new notifications to the database.

There is supportive information about the SCIP database on ECHA’s website. What is more, there will be a webinar about the tools and features included in the system on 19^th of November.

Does your company need help with SCIP requirements? Ecobio’s experts are happy to help! Please contact us and ask about our services.

info@ecobio.fi

Text: Ecobio Oy

Picture: Shutterstock

References: https://echa.europa.eu/fi/-/tracking-chemicals-of-concern-in-products-scip-database-ready-for-use

October 16, 2020

The EU´s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability

The European Commission published a chemicals strategy for sustainability on 14 October 2020. It is part of the EU’s zero pollution ambition, which is a key commitment of the European Green Deal. The Strategy includes prohibiting the use of the most harmful chemicals in consumer products and ensuring that all chemicals are used more safely and sustainably. As far as possible, new chemicals and materials must be safe and sustainable by design i.e. from production to end of life. This will help avoid the most harmful effects of chemicals and ensure the lowest possible impact on climate, resource use, ecosystems and biodiversity.

The EU’s chemicals strategy aims to better protect citizens and the environment, boost innovation for safe and sustainable chemicals and enable the transition to chemicals that are safe and sustainable by design.

The key actions in the Chemicals Strategy are

banning the most harmful chemicals in consumer products – allowing their use only where essential
account for the cocktail effect of chemicals when assessing risks from chemicals
phasing out the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the EU, unless their use is essential
boosting the investment and innovative capacity for production and use of chemicals that are safe and sustainable by design, and throughout their life cycle
promoting the EU’s resilience of supply and sustainability of critical chemicals
establishing a simpler “one substance one assessment” process for the risk and hazard assessment of chemicals
playing a leading role globally by championing and promoting high standards and not exporting chemicals banned in the EU.

The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability is ment for better products, production and human life in harmony with our nature.

Ecobio´s experts help you turn chemical challenges to innovations for sustainability. Please contact us!

Contact details

Pia Talja, Leading chemical expert, Ecobio Oy

pia.talja@ecobio.fi

More news

Further information & sources:

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/pdf/chemicals/2020/10/Strategy.pdf

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/chemicals-strategy_en

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1839

August 19, 2020

Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions

At the end of July, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published a global standard for the use of nature-based solutions (NbS) to address global environmental challenges. The standard helps governments, businesses, and societies to assess the effectiveness of nature-based solutions and make the most of them to manage societal challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and food security.

As countries all over the world strives to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and move towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it is crucial to ensure that future investments in nature reach their potential. To help businesses and societies address this challenge, the first-ever IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions was launched to guide the institutions through NbS applications and set benchmarks for their progress.

What is Nature-based solutions and why is a standard needed?

Nature-based solutions (NbS) are actions that seek to address social challenges through the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of natural or modified ecosystems, and thereby improving the well-being of both biodiversity and people. Examples of NbS are reforestation, beach protection and green infrastructure. These all benefits both the nature and people.

There is a need for a standard to guide this kind of activities because not all solutions called nature-based are in themselves a guarantee that they take into account the well-being of both society and nature. Because of the lack of knowledge, many activities may unintentionally harm the biodiversity. The working group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) therefore wanted to develop a scientifically valid criteria that would be suitable for a wide range of situations, regions and social systems, so that both people and nature would benefit in the long term. Such a framework is essential to increase the scale and impact of Nature-based Solutions, to prevent negative outcomes or misuse, and help funding agencies, policy makers and other stakeholders assess the effectiveness of interventions, and direct investments in the right direction.

How does the standard work?

The Global Standard for NbS is a self-assessment tool consisting of eight criteria and related indicators, addressing all three pillars of sustainable development: biodiversity, economy, and society. The criteria also take into account sustainable project planning and management. The requirements of the standard allow the user to assess the scope and economic, environmental, and social impact of their own activities and then compare it with international agreements and objectives. At the same time, the transparency of operations is improving and operations can be continuously improved.

The standard contains indicative instructions and advice on how the user can evaluate and develop his or her own nature-based solutions and, on the other hand, see which practices still need to be improved. The standard evaluation matrix provides the user with information on how many percent of the user’s activities meet the criteria. The information is presented in color codes reminiscent of a traffic light system, from which the user can easily see which actions still need to be developed. IUCN, who monitors the standard, reviews the aspects and requirements of the standard every four years, so that their suitability for companies and actors in various fields can be improved.

Companies and other actors using the framework will be able to design effective and ambitious sustainability-based NbS, that facilitate discussion with stakeholders and, on the other hand, spark new ideas and innovations.

Need help?

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Text: Mai Kärppä & Caisa Lindblom, Ecobio oy

Picture: Shutterstock

Sources:

https://www.iucn.org/theme/nature-based-solutions/iucn-global-standard-nbs

https://www.iucn.org/news/nature-based-solutions/202007/iucn-standard-boost-impact-nature-based-solutions-global-challenges

July 8, 2020

SDS requirements amended due to changes in REACH Annex II

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The requirements of Safety Data Sheets (SDS) in the REACH regulation have been modified to comply with the rules of the GHS. The changes concern e.g. Requirements for the placement of UFI labels, labeling of nanoforms and endocrine disruptors and mixtures.

The SDS-requirements amended by the Commission

Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) was amended by Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/878 of 18.6.2020. Annex II further restricts the requirements for the preparation of safety data sheets (SDS).

Earlier this year, the European Commission invited stakeholders to comment on the amendments to Annex II, which have now been published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Due to the changes, SDS suppliers, such as chemical manufacturers and mixers, need to make significant changes to their safety data sheets. SDSs are an important part of hazard communication, providing information on the safety of substances and mixtures in the supply chain from the manufacturer to downstream users.

The changes in SDS requirements

The amendment to REACH sets requirements for safety data sheets (SDS). These are amended to be in line with the rules set for SDSs in the 6th and 7th revisions of the GHS and CLP ((EU) 1272/2008). The change takes into account the labeling of nanoforms in the SDSs. Each relevant section of the SDS shall indicate if the section covers nanoforms, which different nanoforms are covered, and combine each nanoform with the relevant safety information. Instructions for affixing the UFI label to SDSs have also been specified. If necessary, the UFI identifier shall be entered in section 1.1 of the SDS. In addition, for substances with a harmonized classification, a specific concentration limit, an M-factor, and an estimate of acute toxicity, if available, must be provided in section 3 of the SDS.

Furthermore, the requirements for SDSs for endocrine disruptors and mixtures have been amended. Section 2.3 provides information on endocrine disrupting properties of the substance. The endocrine disrupting ingredient must be indicated in section 3 of the SDS if its concentration exceeds 0.1%. Information on endocrine disrupting properties that cause health or environmental effects is provided in the new sections 11.2 and 12.6 of the SDS.

The regulation will enter into force on 16 July 2020 and will apply from 1 January 2021. The transition period for the new requirements is two years. This means that old safety data sheets can still be submitted until 31 December 2022.

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Text: Anne Kallioinen, Ecobio Oy

Picture: Shutterstock

Source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FI/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2020.203.01.0028.01.FIN&toc=OJ:L:2020:203:TOC