New "dating site" for safer chemistry

Chemical producers such as Clariant, Chemours and Valspar are working with environmental NGO ChemSec to raise the visibility of alternatives to hazardous chemicals

In recent years the corporate drive to substitute hazardous chemicals in products and supply chains has increased dramatically. Unfortunately the visibility of safer alternatives to more traditionally used toxic chemicals has been low – until now.

Today the chemicals expert NGO ChemSec announces the Marketplace – a website aimed at progressive companies looking to future-proof their chemicals management.

“There already exist a number of initiatives and projects that can guide companies in identifying problematic chemicals in their products, but very few of these show the way forward – what to replace the unwanted chemicals with. The Marketplace provides both a unique market opportunity for producers of safer alternatives, as well as a one-stop shop for progressive companies looking to substitute hazardous chemicals in their products”, says Anne-Sofie Andersson, Executive Director at ChemSec.

The Marketplace will receive several updates as time goes by and feature everything companies looking for safer alternatives might need: global regulatory news, real-life events, step-by-step guides to chemical substitution and of course, information about safer alternatives.

Safer alternatives are offered in the form of ads created by companies. Some of the most forward-thinking chemical producers, such as Clariant, Chemours and Valspar, are already on board and have created product ads. More will follow as the Marketplace gains momentum.

“Sustainability and innovation are key building blocks in Clariant’s company strategy. Clariant proactively seeks to develop and offer safer and more sustainable solutions to the market to address the key trends of our time. The Marketplace provides us with an additional opportunity to highlight already existing solutions, to connect to new customers, and identify further opportunities for collaboration and innovation in promotion of sustainability and chemical safety”, says Lynette Chung, Head of Corporate Sustainability Strategy & Advocacy at Clariant.

“ChemSec’s Marketplace is a very unique digital forum for suppliers and purchasers to exchange interest in commercial products that represent technical alternatives that may meet their sustainability goals or other business needs.  Valspar is honored to be one of the first companies to place an advertisement for the valPure® V70 food contact coating technology on the Marketplace.  We hope that others share our commitment to transparency and innovation and will advertise their solutions as well”, says Flavio Marchi, Global Marketing Director Packaging at Valspar.

“As Chemours develops innovative, sustainable products like Zelan™ R3 for the Teflon EcoElite™ brand, we are excited that Chemsec Marketplace can be a positive place for industry to find sustainable solutions”, Bob  Buck, Technical Fellow, The Chemours Company.

ChemSec invites all stakeholders that are involved with chemicals in products to visit the Marketplace website. Businesses that rely on chemicals have a lot to gain by contributing to its success.

These are the chemical producers currently featured on the Marketplace: Beyond Surface Technologies, EONCOAT, Valspar, Greenway Denmark, Bio Gen Active, Paxymer, Nordic Paper, OrganoComp, OrganoWood, Jerol, Rivertop Renewables, OrganoTex, Clariant, OrganoClick, The Chemours Company and jobaTEC.

The Marketplace website builds on input from the companies in ChemSec’s Business Group; adidas Group, Apple, B&Q, Boots, Coop Denmark, Dell, EurEau, H&M, Ikea, Shaw, Skanska, Sony and the Swedish Construction Federation.

Marketplace website: https://marketplace.chemsec.org/

Marketplace FAQ:http://bit.ly/2qnl5c0

Contact

Dr. Anna Lennquist, ChemSec, anna@chemsec.org, +46 705 724 750

Peter Pierrou, ChemSec, peter@chemsec.org, +46 739 984 901

About ChemSec

ChemSec, the International Chemical Secretariat, is a non-profit organisation dedicated to working towards a toxic-free environment.

At ChemSec, we strive to bridge the gap between decision-makers, industry, NGOs and scientists; and offer expertise and guidance on chemical management policies in order to get progressive chemical legislation. We also work together with companies to reduce their use of hazardous chemicals and to get their support for progressive chemicals legislation.

ChemSec is made up of a unique, highly dedicated team of chemists, political scientists, business experts and communicators.