Paving the Way to a Toxic-Free Planet: The New Global Framework on Chemicals – for a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste

Published January 31, 2024 By Giulia Carlini, Manager and Senior Attorney in CIEL’s Environmental Health program, David Azoulay, Director of the Environmental Health Program, and Catherine Allary, Communications Campaign Specialist. After years of negotiations, the fifth International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) successfully adopted a new global framework on September 30, 2023, in Bonn, Germany, … Read More.

Breathing Plastic: The Health Impacts of Invisible Plastics in the Air

As the world’s understanding of the plastics crisis grows, new facets of the problem emerge and reveal impacts on human health and the environment. Recent advances in science are allowing scientists to explore how micro- and nanoplastics form a critical piece of the plastic pollution problem. First thought to be mainly a marine pollution issue, … Read More.

Toward a Toxic-Free Future: Five Chemicals Issues We’re Following at UNEA 5.2

Starting next week, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will host the 5th Meeting of the Open-Ended Committee of Permanent Representatives to UNEP (OECPR) and the second session of the 5th UN Environment Assembly, the highest political forum on environmental matters. While much of the buzz surrounding the meetings is about the push for a … Read More.

2020: A “green switch” for chemicals and waste?

The year 2020 was supposed to be the “super year for nature.” Many people around the world were expecting new, ambitious goals to protect our oceans and biodiversity and to better regulate chemicals and waste. Events were scheduled and hopes were high. After all, this decade is the last real chance to reverse biodiversity loss … Read More.

European Green Deal — A New Hope for Safer Chemicals?

The European Green Deal has been presented as an ambitious plan to transport the European Union to a bright, sustainable future for chemicals management. But is it really? The European Green Deal, presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on December 11, 2019, is meant to be the “boarding pass” for the European … Read More.

Breaking Silos on Chemicals and the Climate Crisis

I know, I know, it’s a bit of a trope to talk about the need for a “holistic approach” within UN spaces. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the phrase “synergy” or “breaking silos” so much as in the time I’ve been attending UN events in Geneva.  However, despite the cliché messaging, environmental decision-making is … Read More.

The US’ Environmental Obstructionism is Hurting the Planet — and Itself

For years, wealthy nations have flooded developing countries with toxic plastic waste under the guise of “recycling.” Now, the international community has almost unanimously agreed to finally tackle the plastic waste trade crisis, but the US is, naturally, attempting to circumvent the new standards.  The practice of shipping plastic to other countries has been the … Read More.

EU Residents are Still at Risk from Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

Back in 2017, we shared some juicy updates on the EU’s newly proposed criteria to identify endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). But what has happened since then? Spoiler alert: The Commission is (still) as slow as molasses, and the chemical lobby can gloat as essential public health protections continue to be delayed. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: A Refresher Endocrine-disrupting … Read More.

Plastic is a global health crisis, and it requires global solutions

This blog post was originally posted by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. There is a global health crisis hiding in plain sight. It’s being transported along our roadways and released into our skies. It surrounds us in our homes and offices. It plagues our oceans, our waterways, and our soil. It’s even in the food we … Read More.

The Uncertain Future of Big Plastic

In the 1960s, investing in plastics was a safe bet, and the plastics boom showed no sign of slowing down. But in 2018, the future of the plastic industry is less clear. In the US, plastic production is ramping up as natural gas fracking has led to extremely cheap feedstocks for plastic production. The plastic … Read More.

REACHing for a stronger classification for nanomaterials

Strong evidence suggests that titanium dioxide is a carcinogen, but industry manufacturers are moving to block the implementation of European legislation to label the dangerous chemical in their products. If it’s successful, this lobbying effort could put at risk one of the strongest science-based regulations to protect public health from harmful substances. Titanium dioxide can … Read More.

Nanoparticles: Small Problem, Big Issue

What do sunscreen, toothpaste, and pastries have in common? Many of them contain a chemical called titanium dioxide, or TiO2, which is used to increase whiteness and block UV rays. Yet this same chemical — the one slathered on your kids when it’s sunny out and that goes into your mouth when you brush your … Read More.

EU, It’s Time to Get Serious About Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

You may not know about endocrine disruptors, but chances are they’re in your body. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with the body’s hormonal system and are linked to developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and animals. EDCs are most toxic at our most vulnerable: Exposure to these chemicals in the womb or during … Read More.

SAICM Beyond 2020: Slow Progress on a Framework for Global Chemicals Management

From water bottles to smartphones, tens of thousands of chemicals are used around the world to make billions of products. Some of these chemicals are harmless. Others, however, carry toxic properties, affecting the development of children at their most vulnerable stages, damaging the environment, and building up in our bodies over time, compounding their already … Read More.

This Earth Day, It’s Time to #EndPlasticPollution

Our oceans, river systems, marine animals, and health are being threatened by a pollutant that’s all around us, yet sometimes invisible to the eye: plastics. Whether it’s an empty bag of chips floating in a nearby stream or microplastics ingested by both humans and marine animals, plastics have become a ubiquitous and destructive commodity. As … Read More.

Deregulation through the EU-Canada Trade Agreement: Four Case Studies

The EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is designed to facilitate the unfettered expansion of trade between the EU and Canada, including by limiting the regulatory burden for companies in both jurisdictions. This means harmonizing regulations, which historically has meant reducing them to the lowest common denominator; reducing the discretion regulators have to tailor … Read More.

Countries Should Tackle Pollution at Its Source at UNEA-3

From November 27 to December 6 in Nairobi, Kenya, the CIEL team will participate in the third meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3). UNEA, the main governing body of the United Nations Environment Programme, is the highest political forum on environmental matters, involving all 193 Member States of the UN, as well as … Read More.

The Rotterdam Convention: Finding a Way Forward

You’re going to your sister’s house for a holiday dinner. Your son begins pestering you to bring his favorite pie (pecan), even though your niece is deathly allergic to nuts. Before bringing the potentially hazardous treat, you’ll probably check with your sister to see if it is ok, right? That is how the Rotterdam Convention … Read More.

Industry Conflict of Interest Jeopardizes Regulation of Toxic PFOA

On October 17-20, the Stockholm Convention’s Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee will meet in Rome, Italy. Among other priorities, the Committee will discuss PFOA — a toxic chemical that has been found in the bodies and bloodstreams of people all over the world. CIEL and other NGOs highlighted conflicts of interest that undermine the recommendations … Read More.

Ceta and pesticides: A citizens’ rights issue

This article originally appeared on EUObserver. The EU and Canada will begin provisionally applying the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (Ceta) on 21 September 2017. The EU’s obligation for data protection under this agreement is in conflict with EU law on public access to information, particularly in relation to pesticides. Therefore, the EU will soon be … Read More.

Toxics Triple COP Parties Press “Pause” on Compliance Mechanism

As a rookie to international negotiations and a curious trainee in CIEL’s five person Environmental Health team, I attended my first Conferences of the Parties of the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm Conventions (BRS COPs) from April 24th to May 5th 2017. The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions regulate the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes … Read More.

Why We March For Science

On Earth Day – April 22, 2017 – in Washington, DC (and in satellite marches in 600+ cities across the globe) thousands of people will come together in a show of force in the March for Science. We march to show our support for the research, analysis, and methods that seek to solve the most … Read More.

Protection not found. Reboot the system and try again. /

Recipe for hormone system disruption: Step one – manipulate science and bake regulations for 2.5 years In a recent article in Le Monde, almost a hundred scientists denounced industry’s manipulation of science related to climate change and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The scientists fear that the European Commission’s scientific criteria to identify EDCs ignore the scientific … Read More.

A Shakespearean Tragedy in Modern-Day Verona

Reflections by a Venetian on why governments don’t do their best to protect people’s health from chemical pollution. I was born in the beautiful north-Italian region Veneto — the same region where Verona is located, the city of Romeo and Juliet. This spring, though, a toxic pollution scandal shattered into pieces my romantic memories of … Read More.

A Toxic Threat to Human Rights

This week, on the tenth anniversary of the illegal dumping toxic waste by the Probo Koala cargo ship in Cote d’Ivoire, United Nations human rights experts call on the Ivorian, Dutch and UK Governments and Tragifura, the multinational commodity trading company, to address the ongoing human rights impacts of the “Probo Koala incident.” The Probo … Read More.

What’s More Hazardous – Endocrine Disruptors or the EU’s Proposed Criteria?

On June 15th, the European Commission presented drafts of two legal acts (for Plant Protection Products and Biocidal Products Regulations) to set criteria for the identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). While it has the potential to successfully define endocrine disruptors in order to better protect people and the environment from these chemicals, which have … Read More.

UNEA 2 and Stakeholder Engagement

The weekend prior to UNEA-2, civil society gathered in the 16th Global Major Groups and Stakeholder Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. For a number of years, this Forum has been the space where organizations interested in UNEP’s work prepare their engagement with UNEP’s Governing Council, now UNEA. But the advent of UNEA in the “new UNEP” … Read More.

Will UNEA-2 be able to deliver on the high hopes placed on it?

Looking back at the genesis of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) could give us a leads on the answer to that pointed question. The architects of the Rio+20 Outcome Document faced the challenge of strengthening the institutional framework for sustainable development. In particular, it was recognized then that the UN Environment Program (UNEP) needed … Read More.

Nanoparticles in Baby Formula

Today, Friends of the Earth (FoE) US released a report on ‘Nanoparticles in Baby Formula’ revealing that popular infant formulas sold throughout the United States contain engineered nanomaterials. FoE tested a selection of six baby formula samples gathered from retailers in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. In all six of the baby formulas, nano-sized structures … Read More.

Killing us softly, from farm to plate

Why hazardous pesticides must be phased out Pesticides are designed to kill. And they do. They are used to reduce and kill weeds, insects, rats, and other pests. However, pesticides aren’t nimble killers that eliminate their desired targets and vanish. In truth, pesticides can have a lot of collateral damage – killing bees, bats, amphibians, … Read More.

2015 Highlights: Top 10 Accomplishments

Your energy and advocacy sparked a global momentum shift over the past year, and we are on the cusp of true, transformative change. On all fronts, you have defended your right to a healthy planet. With your support, you help CIEL… Advance Climate Justice For three years, we’ve highlighted the growing legal and financial risks … Read More.

Advancing the Global Strategy towards Sound Chemicals Management: A Report Back from the 4th International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM4)

Hundreds delegates from governments, international organizations, public interest NGOs, and the chemical and pesticide industry just returned from a week-long conference in Geneva. The hot topic? Our health and environment over the next 15 years. Chemicals are in our food, clothes, and children’s toys, in household dusts and on our work floors, in our rivers … Read More.

European Parliament Takes a Stand to Protect REACH

On July 8, 2015, the European Parliament (EP) passed a resolution calling for REACH and other chemical laws to be excluded from the scope of the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The European Parliament calls on the EU Commission “to recognise that where the EU and the US have very different rules, there … Read More.

What’s food got to do with it?

In October, the Special Rapporteur on Right to Food Ms. Hilal Elver will present her report to the Human Rights Council, just a couple of months before the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or CoP21, whose aim is to reach a legally binding agreement to combat climate change. Her … Read More.

Big Secrets Benefit Big Industry

Trade secrets: the fuzzy line between freedom of information and intellectual property rights In late November 2013, the European Commission released its proposed directive on the “protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure” with the objective of reinforcing the protection of so-called trade secrets. This proposal … Read More.

Crying Wolf on Chemical Reform

As awareness continues to grow about the impacts of business on people and the environment around the world, companies and trade organizations resort to the old argument that stricter environmental regulations would stymie the economy.  Truth be told, studies show that this argument is simply not the case.   In an effort to refrain from … Read More.

EU Commission’s Conclusions Let Nanomaterials Slip Through the Gaps

Wouldn’t you want to know if your house paint/ golfballs/ make-up/ spinach/ car tires could give you cancer? …How about if they might? Still interested?   Deaf to the expressed desires of its citizens and researchers, the European Commission seemingly refuses to acknowledge the essential lack of transparency in the nano industry, instead preferring to rely … Read More.

Where’s your seat at the table?

Sure, your local American drug store may sell very European-sounding makeup, but that is where the similarity ends. The laws that determine which ingredients are allowed are very different: the European Union bans 1300 potentially-hazardous chemicals vs. a mere 11 banned under United States law. Toxic freedom! Cosmetics Europe, which represents over 4000 individual cosmetics … Read More.

Lowest Common Denominator

US-EU trade agreement threatens to reduce environmental standards in favor of looser pesticide regulations Industry lobbyists are pushing proposals to weaken pesticide regulations in the EU and US under the proposed Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Agreement.  The ongoing TTIP negotiations between the EU and the US aims primarily to minimize regulatory differences between … Read More.

A Win for Science-Based Policy Making

EU Commission terminates Chief Scientific Advisor position after pressure from CIEL and partners By David Azoulay and Lainey Sidell Science is a critical tool for policy making, in particular on issues relating to human health and the environment. In some cases, science can give very definite answers; in others, there is uncertainty. Recognizing the wider … Read More.

Regulating the Unknown: National Mandatory Nano Registers on the Rise

How can policymakers adequately regulate nanomaterials if they don’t know what’s out here to regulate? This post is the second in a series of updates on the contentious technological development known as nanomaterials. At the heart of nanotechnology regulation is a need for information. Information is the key to developing appropriate regulatory tools to protect … Read More.

Small Steps Taken by EU Towards Nano Regulation, Still Leaves Much to be Desired

This post is the first in a series of updates on the current situation regarding the contentious technological development known as nanomaterials, a topic that has spurred heated debate as policymakers, industry, and environmental health experts weigh its potential to help versus harm. In response to intense lobbying and activism by NGOs and several European … Read More.

EU holds public consultations on TTIP investment chapter

Following public outcry over EU-US trade negotiations, the EU is holding three month public consultations on one of several controversial issues, Investor-to-State Dispute Settlement, or ISDS. Human rights, including the right to a healthy environment, are threatened by the possible inclusion of ISDS in the new free trade agreement being negotiated between the US and … Read More.

Invisibility Cloaks In Our Future?

Nanomaterials are very, very small. When a molecule changes size, its properties – chemical, physical, toxic, etc. – also change. The expanding field of nanotechnology holds enormous potential for advancing technology in exciting ways, but the funding for innovation currently outpaces research into possible negative impacts by more than 3,000%. CIEL works actively to ensure … Read More.

Setting the record straight on TTIP? Yes, let’s.

By Baskut Tuncak and Vito Buonsante Two weeks ago, at the start of the fourth round of “trade” negotiations between the EU and the US (officially the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership Agreement, or TTIP), the Center for International Environmental Law and ClientEarth issued a detailed critique of a document submitted to TTIP negotiators by … Read More.

Join the Thunderclap!

We are launching an exciting new campaign calling on negotiators not to undermine progress on safer chemicals in the EU-US trade agreement. “Thunderclap” is an exciting new crowd-sourcing platform that allows people to sign up to be part of a social media surge… if enough people sign up before the deadline.  It’s a way to … Read More.

Chemical Lobby proposes to reinvent and duplicate OECD Chemicals Program

A leaked joint proposal by US and EU chemical lobby groups, the ACC and CEFIC respectively, released during the latest round of negotiations for the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) shows that ACC and Cefic aim to slow and alter the pace of chemicals regulation in the EU.  None of the ideas in this … Read More.

The truth about the EU’s proposal on regulatory coherence

**This blog post is the second in a series discussing the chilling effects TTIP will likely have on laws to better protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals in both the United States and European Union. The Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is not a conventional trade agreement. TTIP is, at its heart, … Read More.

The Trans-Atlantic Regulatory Agreement (aka “TTIP”)

**This blog post is the first in a series discussing the chilling effects TTIP will likely have on laws to better protect people and the environment from toxic chemicals in both the United States and European Union. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is not a conventional trade agreement.  TTIP is a regulatory agreement … Read More.

Innovation hearing re-invents the wheel

A new article in The Huffington Post starts with the question, “Whatever happened to innovation in America?” and concludes by hinting that American innovation is not what it once was. According to studies cited by the authors, the United States is second to last in terms of progress over the past decade. So, who are … Read More.

TSCA overview at US House of Representatives highlights problems

On June 13th 2013, the Environment and Economy subcommittee in the US House of Representatives held a hearing to discuss the 1976 U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The House hearing was motivated by a recent bi-partisan bill in the Senate by Senator Vitter (R-LA) and the late Senator Lautenber (D-NJ). Deeply flawed and under … Read More.

What industry groups forgot to mention about the impact of regulation on innovation

What are the drivers of innovation?  This was the question behind new research CIEL released this week, which clearly illustrates that stronger laws to regulate chemicals are a driver of innovation, and also create a safer marketplace.  Forbes broke the story on Wednesday and the report has received attention from policymakers, industry leaders and environmental … Read More.

France adopts ban on uses of BPA and DEHP

And now for some good news.  Today, France adopted a ban on certain uses of two widely used hormone disrupting chemicals:  Bisphenol A (BPA), and the plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP for short.  Both BPA and DEHP are primarily used to make plastics—polycarbonate and PVC, respectively.   Millions of tons of each chemical are produced and … Read More.

International community kicks it up a notch

(This article originally appeared Oct. 11, 2012 at blog.saferchemicals.org) Recently, the global community kicked it up a notch by issuing a simple statement on hormone disrupting chemicals during negotiations on a process intended to achieve the sound management of chemicals globally by 2020 (called “SAICM”).  Despite seeming like an innocuous statement, it lays the groundwork to … Read More.

At the Crossroads for Global Chemical Safety

Next week, negotiators from over 150 countries and other stakeholders will convene in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the future of global chemicals management.  These critical negotiations come at decisive juncture for the Strategic Approach to Chemicals Management (SAICM), with only eight years left on its ambitious mandate to ensure sound chemicals management—eight years in which … Read More.

US Senate Committee Sends a Global Message on Eliminating Toxic Chemicals

For the first time in 36 years, the U.S. Congress took a significant step towards fixing the ineffective law that primarily governs the use of toxic chemicals in America’s workplaces, homes, schools, and almost every other facet of our everyday lives.  This is a monumental step, not just for the U.S., but for public health … Read More.

Breaking the global paralysis on endocrine disruptors

Over the past two decades, the urgent need for global action on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has become undeniable.   A little-known global agreement—SAICM—might provide the best opportunity for global action to prevent further health and environmental harm from EDCs.

SAICM and Nano: A unique chance to develop an international governance mechanism for this new emerging issue

Nanomaterials are those tiny materials (1 nanometer is about 1/100,000 of the width of a human hair) that behave radically differently than would expected, relative to their bulk counterparts. Examples include carbon nanotubes and nano silver. Promoters of nanotechnology promise life-changing and civilization-saving applications, while scientific institutions and citizen organizations across the world argue for … Read More.

Global negotiation on chemicals offer hope for developing countries…and the world

Hundreds of government delegates will join representatives of intergovernmental organizations, health and environmental advocates, as well as business groups in Belgrade, Serbia November 15-18 to improve the management of toxic chemicals. The Belgrade meeting, known as an Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG), sets the stage for the Third International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM3) in September … Read More.

Vaccines and the Draft Mercury Treaty

Last week, the Associated Press reported that the international treaty being negotiated to address mercury pollution could ban vaccines that use mercury as a preservative. The preservative, thiomersal (also known as thimerosal), is widely used in vaccines that are distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and other regions where refrigeration may not be available. The AP article … Read More.

Basel COP10: Shipbreaking, E-Waste, and Global Waste Management

The Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention (COP10) will be held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia from October 17-21, 2011. Adopted in 1989, the Basel Convention now boasts 178 State Parties. The overall objective of the treaty is to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects … Read More.

2011 Senate TSCA bill would enable U.S. leadership on global POPs treaty

Proposed federal legislation to revamp the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) could pave the way for the United States to join three important international treaties, according to a new CIEL publication.   “U.S. Law and the Stockholm POPs Convention:  Analysis of treaty-implementing provisions in pending legislation,” reviews the Safe Chemicals Act (S. 847), a bill … Read More.

The Global POPs Treaty at Ten

By the CIEL Chemicals Team Over the past ten years, CIEL has helped to shape the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). From April 25-29, 2011, our Chemicals Team is in Geneva for the Fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP5). The Stockholm Convention, a global accord ratified by over 170 countries, … Read More.

Known Unknowns

In reflecting on his revolutionary achievements, Sir Isaac Newton explained, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”  Implicit in this statement is the recognition of information as an essential part of the foundation for technological innovation. In the 21st century, information has captured the attention of a broad … Read More.

The Real Cost of Coal

Last time I blogged, I wrote about how coal-based power projects are not as cheap as they seem.  This is because coal projects have a number of hidden social and environmental costs or externalities that are either under-valued or excluded from the typical economic costs calculus.   Today, I’d like to highlight a recent case that … Read More.

A Bipartisan Crossroads on Global Toxics?

By Daryl Ditz, Chemicals Program Last month, the feisty lame duck Congress heeded a bipartisan chorus of advice, from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton, in voting to ratify a new nuclear weapons treaty to reduce the risks of dangerous materials falling into the wrong hands. Could the new Congress find bipartisan agreement to ratify a … Read More.

The Long REACH of Chemical Information

By Daryl Ditz, Chemicals Program December 1, 2010 marks the beginning of a new chapter for REACH, the flagship European Union (EU) law affecting thousands of industrial chemicals … with important implications for the United States and other countries. Beginning today, companies operating in the EU cannot make or import high-volume, or certain high-hazard, chemicals … Read More.

Of Trout, Men, and Mercury: Thinking Locally, Acting Globally

By Glenn Wiser, Chemicals Program I was fishing a mountain stream at my friend John’s place in Chilean Patagonia recently when I hooked a 27-inch wild rainbow trout.  After chasing the fish halfway down the river, I succeeded in hauling it onto the gravel bank, where I quickly did some mental math:  rainbow trout is … Read More.

Energy Ministers Endorse Clean-Tech Measures, Back CCS Group

Government energy ministers gathering in Washington, D.C., today launched 11 energy-efficiency and renewable energy initiatives around the world, which they claim will avoid the need to build 500 midsize power plants during the next 20 years. via www.nytimes.com  Of particular note is that “the United States and a dozen other nations will create what is … Read More.