| |
Chemical policy - chemicals risks
Why does Oekopol work in this field? |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Products - Actors - Economy |
| |
The production of chemical substances and chemical products is a
relevant economic factor in Europe: The 37.500 enterprises of the
chemical industry employ around 7% of the employees working in
industry and contributes about 11 % to the industrial output of the EU. |
| |
In Europe about one third of the world-wide chemicals production is
manufactured. Chemicals contribute to the technical performace of
nearly all production processes and finished products. Almost 30% of
the European chemical production takes place in small and medium
size enterprises, which often produce a great variety of specialised
chemicals. |
| |
Around 100.000 different chemical substances may exist in the
European market . 28% of the total turnover of chemical products are
consumer products, 18% are consumed by services and
administrations, 9% is used in agriculture, 8% in textile processing
industries, 8% in metal processing and engineering, 5% in automobile
manufacturing and 5% in the construction sector and 4% in the
production of paper. |
| |
| |
| Challenges |
| |
The European chemical industry as well as the industrial users of
chemical products are facing four main challenges at present: |
| |
- Important data on the environmental fate and potential health
hazards is not available for about 90% of the currently marketed
substances
- Many small and medium size enterprises lack capacity to
evaluate and manage the risks from handling dangerous chemical
products
- The chemical industry is only partly informed about its products
final applications by the professional end-users and consumers.
Because of the lacking transparency it is possible that risky uses
remain unknown or that less risky solutions will not prevail in the
market.
- The general public has lost confidence in the chemical industry
due to a seria of accidents and risky practices in the design of
chemical products in the seventies and eighties.
|
| |
| In spring 2001, the EU Commission published the White Paper on a new chemicals policy in Europe. The policy reform is expected to largely shift the responsibility for the assessment, the prevention and the communication of risks related to chemicals from state authorities to trade and industry. Also, the new policy aims to make more information available on the properties and uses of chemicals in the market. |
| |
| |
| Oekopol offers |
| |
Since many years, Oekopol researches and consults in the fields of
environment related assessments of chemical substances and the
development of instruments for chemicals policy. Risks related to
industrial installations (emissions of solvents, treatment of waste,
discharges of waste waters) as well as product related risks to human
health and the environment are the focus of our work. |
| |
| Oekopol |
| |
- assesses chemical substances and elaborates risk reduction strategies on enterprise or interplant level
- develops instruments for the evaluation of risks by actors in the market and for the respective communication along the supply chain
- represents environmental organisiation on expert level in European discussion for a on chemical policies
- carries out projects on risk management for administrations and enterprises in accession countries to the European Union
- participates in interdisciplinary research programms on innovations towards safer products and processes.
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Your contact persons are: |
| |
|
| Dirk Jepsen |
 |
| Heike
Lüskow |
 |
| |
| |
