Call to maintain progress on chemicals database, for consumers and the planet

Re: Call to continue progress on the SCIP database, for consumers and the planet

Dear President von der Leyen,

The past decades have seen an extraordinary proliferation of toxic chemicals in the products we produce and consume. Keeping track of where those chemicals are is a crucial aspect of protecting human health and the environment from hazardous substances.

While revising the Waste Framework Directive, the EU co-legislators decided to improve transparency on substances of very high concern. The goal was to create a source of information for consumers and waste managers, and ultimately to promote non-toxic material cycles. To achieve this objective, the co-legislators set clear obligations and deadlines for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to develop a database (now referred as SCIP database – for “substances of concern in products”, fed by information sent by suppliers).

We understand the industry has been asking you repeatedly to weaken and delay this obligation set in law. Citizens are increasingly worried about the impacts of chemicals on health and the 1 environment . Further delay in ensuring transparency would be unacceptable. In December 2018, 41 non-governmental organisations supported the SCIP database in an open letter. The undersigned call on you again to resist industry pressure, including the demand from certain companies to postpone the creation of the database.

Letter continues…