The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) now contains 209 substances that may have serious effects on people or the environment. These may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future, which means that industry would need to apply for permission to continue using them. Companies may have legal obligations when their substance is included in the Candidate List - either on its own, in mixtures or in articles.
In this update, three out of four substances are toxic to reproduction and are used in industrial processes to produce polymers, coating products and plastics, respectively. The other one is an endocrine disruptor used in consumer products, such as cosmetics.
News
Collected news links from external sources related to topics concerning the Book Chain Project.
Candidate List update: Four new hazardous chemicals to be phased out
ECHA, 26 Jan 2021
Two proposals to identify new substances of very high concern
ECHA, 2 Sep 2020
Member states or the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) can propose substances to be identified as an SVHC. There are two substances currently proposed:
• Bis(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)ether; (Tetraglyme) (EC 205-594-7, CAS 143-24-8). The substance can be used as a solvent/extraction agent in inks and toners.
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. These substances are not registered under REACH. The mono-constituent form of the substance (dioctyltin dilaurate) is used in adhesives and sealants.
If a substance is identified as an SVHC, it will be added to the Candidate List for eventual inclusion in the Authorisation List. The deadline for public consultation is 16 October 2020.
Working on the world’s broadest restriction of intentional uses of microplastics
ECHA, 1 Sep 2020
ECHA published a proposal to restrict intentionally-added microplastics in January 2019. It is said to be the most comprehensive restriction initiative for reducing emissions from intentional uses of microplastics. It has since been subject to a six-month stakeholder consultation and discussed in two scientific committees: Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC). The RAC has adopted ECHA’s opinion and have given their own recommendations on certain aspects of the proposal. The consultation of the draft opinion of SEAC closed on 1 September and final opinion of SEAC is expected by end of 2020.
The decision on the restriction and its scope will be made by the European Commission with the EU Member States – taking into account the RAC and SEAC opinions and ECHA’s proposal.
Boohoo, the audits and an industry under the spotlight
Guardian, 28 Aug 2020
The Guardian has recently uncovered audits and whistleblowing reports from factories that supply the fast-fashion retailer Boohoo. All 18 audit reports raised questions about minimum wage violations at the time they were conducted. Issues identified in these supplier audits include inaccurate hours recorded for workers potentially resulting in workers not receiving the minimum wage or their furlough money, workers not having the right to work in the UK, and employees being issued with contracts that aren’t in their native language amongst others.
UK's largest pension schemes set for mandatory climate risk reporting
Edie, 27 Aug 2020
A six-week consultation on new climate disclosure rules for the UK’s pension sector started on 26th August. Under the proposed changes, pension schemes with £5bn or more in assets under management will be required to both assess and publicly report on the physical and transition risks facing assets in their portfolios by the end of 2022.
Smaller schemes which still have more than £1bn of assets under management would then be subjected to the same requirements by the end of 2023. To ensure that disclosures are uniform, pension schemes will be mandated to follow the recommendations of the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).
According to the Department of Work and Pensions’ Secretary of State, once this roll-out is complete, 70% of the UK’s pension sector, in terms of assets under management, would be covered.
L'Oréal USA joins U.S. plastics pact to accelerate progress toward American circular economy for plastic
LorealUSA, 25 Aug 2020
L’Oréal USA announced a new partnership with the U.S. Plastics Pact, a new initiative of over 60 organisations that aims to reduce plastic waste. To join the Pact, L’Oréal committed to deliver the following four targets:
- Define a list of packaging to be designated as problematic or unnecessary by 2021 and take measures to eliminate them by 2025.
- By 2025, all plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
- By 2025, undertake ambitious actions to effectively recycle or compost 50% of plastic packaging.
- By 2025, the average recycled content or responsibly sourced bio-based content in plastic packaging will be 30%.
UK sets out law to curb illegal deforestation and protect rainforests
Guardian, 25 Aug 2020
The UK government has proposed to introduce a new law to prohibit large business operating in the UK from using products that are from illegally deforested land as per local laws. Businesses that fail to carry out due diligence on their supply chains and make that information public would face fines. This proposed legislation will be on consultation for six weeks. Critics say that the proposal is flawed partly because the local laws on forest protections might be absent or have loopholes.
FSC Publishes the National Forest Stewardship Standard for Indonesia
FSC APAC, 22 Aug 2020
The National Forest Stewardship Standard (NFSS) for Indonesia was published recently after years of development. It applies to all types and scales of forest management, including timber, non-timber forest products and ecosystem services. It will become effective on 1 December 2020. The transition window for FSC-certified forests is twelve months and will last until 30 November 2021.
Unilever touts supply chain mapping pilot in fresh bid to tackle deforestation
BusinessGreen, 19 Aug 2020
Unilever is to partner with U.S. tech company Orbital Insight on a pilot project to trace agricultural commodities sourced, especially palm oil. It claims to be using geolocation data and satellite imagery to identify the individual farms and plantations supplying the palm oil mills in its extended supply chain. The pilot project will be tested out at palm oils mills in Indonesia and soy mills in Brazil, working jointly with its established supply chain monitoring projects.
New guidance for protecting migrant workers during the coronavirus pandemic
UN, 10 Aug 2020
As migrant workers continue to be on the frontline of the collective response to Covid-19, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have published new employer guidance on measures to protect them.
The guidance highlights the role of the private sector and is presented in five categories: physical and mental health; living and working conditions; economic support; ethical recruitment; and supply chain transparency. Click here to download the guidance for migrant workers.
Amazon region: Brazil records big increase in fires
BBC, 2 Aug 2020
Satellite images show there were 6,803 fires in the Amazon during July, a rise of 28% compared with same month last year. It might get worse in September as predicted by the Science Director of Brazil's Amazon Environmental Research Institute. President Jair Bolsonaro, who previously encouraged agricultural and mining activities in the Amazon, banned starting fires in the region in early July under pressure from internal investors.
FLATPÅCKED FÖRESTS: IKEA’s illegal timber problem and the flawed green label behind it
Earthsight, 25 Jun 2020
This report by independent environmental charity Earthsight finds illegal logging in FSC-certified supply chains in Ukraine. Focussed on the Carpathian forests, it found around 100 sites are being felled illegally each spring, when silence periods should protect several endangered animal species including brown bears, wolves and Eurasian lynx. While regulations require Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) before sanitary felling is conducted, no EIAs were found to have been carried out. Evidence sited by Earthsight includes the Ukrainian State Environmental Inspectorate (SEI), local environmental organisations, and research commissioned by WWF Germany.
Earthsight claims this illegal logging has not been picked up in FSC audits because of systematic issues with FSC that go beyond Ukraine: conflicts of interest as auditing bodies are paid by the logging companies they certify; inadequate oversight by Assurance Services International (ASI) which should be holding the auditing bodies to account but is argued to have failed to do so. The report documents a wide array of cases where FSC-certified firms have been accused of illegal logging, clearance of High Conservation Value (HCV) forests, and human rights abuses from all over the world – including in places such as Brazil, China, Congo, Indonesia, Peru, Romania, Russia, Ukraine. Earthsight highlights that FSC has only investigated 13 companies in its 27-year history – 0.02% of the more than 44,000 it has certified.
In response, FSC states it is fully aware of the issues in Ukraine, and insists that whenever illicit acts are identified or reported they are investigated. IKEA says it has started its own investigations, commissioned audits from a 3rd-party independent audit company, asked questions to ASI, and pledges that if any illegal wood is indicated in its product it will take immediate action.
Earthsight’s report focuses on IKEA because, as the biggest buyer of wood in the world, it has the most influence to drive positive change. However, the issues found by Earthsight apply to the publishing industry as much as they do to IKEA. Therefore, the Book Chain Project will further look into Earthsight’s findings and update you as soon as we decide what further action to take.
Candidate List update: Four new hazardous chemicals to be phased out (25 June 2020, ECHA)
ECHA, 25 Jun 2020
The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) now contains 209 substances that may have serious effects on people or the environment. These may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future, which means that industry would need to apply for permission to continue using them. Companies may have legal obligations when their substance is included in the Candidate List - either on its own, in mixtures or in articles.
In this update, three out of four substances are toxic to reproduction and are used in industrial processes to produce polymers, coating products and plastics, respectively. The other one is an endocrine disruptor used in consumer products, such as cosmetics.
Germany bans single-use plastic products
Deutsche Welle, 24 Jun 2020
The German Cabinet agreed to end the sale of single-use plastic items by July 3, 2021, bringing it in line with a European Union directive intended to reduce the amount of plastic waste. The move means the sale of single-use cutlery, plates, stirring sticks and balloon holders, as well as polystyrene cups and boxes, will be banned by then.
Timber from unsustainable logging allegedly being sold in EU as ethical
Guardian, 23 Jun 2020
According to an investigation by the environmental charity Earthsight, in the area of forest - Velykyi Bychkiv within Ukraine, loggers appear to be taking advantage of loopholes that allow for “sanitary felling” during the silent periods in the spring and early summer from 2018 to 2020. Some of the wood in question is found in the supply chain of Swedish furniture maker Ikea, who denied wrongdoing and immediately began their own investigations into all parties mentioned in Earthsight’s report.
The Superpower of Media - Mirrors or Movers II: managing the societal impacts of content
Responsible Media Forum, 10 Jun 2020
Media has a superpower: the power to shift hearts and minds, and catalyse change. With that power comes great responsibility. Our report examines how media companies proactively manage the social impacts of their content, and how this domain has progressed in recent years.
With a powerful foreword by Christiana Figueres, this report is a progress update and a call to arms for media companies. Media responsibility has often been creative and innovative, putting the sector’s talents to good use. But our research shows that rigour and measurement now also characterise media responsibility. This is timely, because society expects ever more from its media, whether to tell truth, to challenge or to inspire.
Based on learnings gathered from the Mirrors or Movers conference series, the regular discussions of the Responsible Media Forum, and interviews with both media responsibility practitioners and commentators, the report outlines a framework for good practice in content impact measurement, and six steps to impact.
More masks than jellyfish': coronavirus waste ends up in ocean
Guardian, 8 Jun 2020
Covid waste” – dozens of gloves, masks and bottles of hand sanitiser have been found by NGO Operation Mer Prope in the Mediterranean, mixed in with the usual litter of disposable cups and aluminum cans. This is after Hong Kong based NGO OceansAsia raised the alarm earlier on this year, in response to finding masks on the beaches of the uninhabited Soko Islands. This new form of waste could be a sign of things to come in the future.
Indonesian court jails indigenous farmer in conflict with paper giant APP
Mongabay, 2 Jun 2020
A farmer from the Sakai indigenous tribe is sentenced to one year in prison with a fine of 200 million rupiah ($13,800) for cutting down 20 acacia and eucalyptus trees planted by PT Arara Abadi (AA), a subsidiary of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), near his home to plant sweet potatoes for his family.
This case is part of a long-standing land conflict between the Sakai indigenous community and AA. Activists have condemned the verdict as the Sakai tribe settled in the land decades before AA obtained its concession.
Titanium Dioxide CMR Carc. 2 classification updates
Materials & Supply Chain, 26 Mar 2020
In October 2019, the 14th ATP (Adaptation to Technical Progress) to the CLP regulation, which includes amendments to Annexes II, III and VI, has been adopted by the European Commission. One of the amendments includes the annex VI entry for titanium dioxide (CAS 13463-67-7) as a carcinogenic category 2 by inhalation route in powder form. This will apply to titanium dioxide in powder form containing 1% or more of particles with a diameter ≤ 10 μm. The classification also requires that mandatory product labelling and warnings will be required for mixtures containing titanium dioxide.
Titanium dioxide is widely used across multiple industries. For example, titanium dioxide is used for the manufacture of chemicals, plastic products, textile, leather or fur, wood and wood products, pulp, paper and paper products, rubber products, coatings and printing inks.
This amendment has been put forward to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers who will have a couple of months to raise any objections. If there are no objections, this amendment will come into force mid-2021.
ECHA adds four substances to REACH candidate list
ECHA, 20 Feb 2020
The European Chemicals Agency has included four more substances on its REACH candidate list of Substances of Very High Concerns (SVHCs), which now contains 205 chemicals. The list comprises of substances that may have serious effects on human health or the environment and which are candidates for eventual inclusion in the Authorization list (Annex XIV).
The substances included in the Candidate List for authorisation on 16 January 2020 are:
• Diisohexyl phthalate (CAS 71850-09-4) – added due to its toxicity to reproduction
• 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-4'-morpholinobutyrophenone (CAS 119313-12-1) – added due to its toxicity to reproduction
• 2-methyl-1-(4-methylthiophenyl)-2-morpholinopropan-1-one (CAS 71868-10-5) – added due to its toxicity to reproduction)
• Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and its salts – added as it causes probable serious effects to human health and the environment