Sustainable products: Meeting emerging compliance goals
How is the drive for sustainable products affecting compliance strategies?
Adapting to the changing agenda for chemicals management and product compliance
As policymakers around the world work towards the development of sustainable products and a circular economy, the chemicals management agenda is changing. Product safety professionals managing chemicals now have new compliance goals as they must understand the whole product lifecycle, which is becoming essential for compliance.
Policy approaches such as safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) and extended producer responsibility (EPR) are cornerstones of the circular economy concept, which is driving the regulatory agenda of policy frameworks including the EU chemicals strategy for sustainability.
Why sustainable products?
Sustainability is key to winning and retaining business and to compete in a world where social and environmental issues command increased attention among regulatory authorities, investors and end consumers.
In this year’s Chemical Watch Chemical Management and Control Survey, sustainability is a strong driver of regulatory work for product safety professionals. Two-thirds of respondents cited the EU CSS as driving their work, with revision of the CLP and the UN sustainable development goals (SDGS) also rising in importance compared with previous years.
As the legislative agenda continues to grow, creating safer and sustainable products can help businesses:
- avoid costly substitutions after product launch;
- attract customers; and
- attract investors.
How is sustainability changing the role and responsibilities of product safety professionals?
To create safe and sustainable products, compliance professionals are now expected to understand the full lifecycle of a product from start to end of life. Not only that, they play an important role and act as internal ambassadors to drive sustainability within their organizations and help the business achieve its goals.
Sustainability means compliance now has to make sure the product delivers not just in terms of the safe use of chemicals and raw materials but in terms of the whole product lifecycle and the regulation around that. That’s become a higher profile issue.
Delwyn Evans Senior Principal Chemist, P2i, UKWhat can you do to be ready?
Plan ahead
to inform your sustainable business strategy
Create a compliance program
to meet new needs
Share regulatory intelligence
to inform product development strategy
Have meaningful conversations
with your supply chain customers
Take a closer look at our solutions
Want a sustainability program that gives you everything you need to be ready for what’s coming?
See how Enhesa Product can provide you with what you need to create more sustainable products.
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