Baltic pilot cases on reduction of emissions by substitution of hazardous chemicals and resource efficiency

The European Union chemical regulation REACH places high responsibility for chemicals management on industry and has led to a greater awareness about hazardous substances. However, many emitters downstream of supply chain are very small companies using substances and mixtures in production processes and often unaware of what they contain. They cannot afford complex authorization procedures and lack the knowledge, skills and funds to find alternative substances. Meanwhile hazardous substances reach the environment, disturb ecosystem functions, have endocrine effects, accumulate and reach the human food chain.

Project aims:

We want to prepare downstream user small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) to face the future challenges for chemicals management, which means to understand the restrictions of tomorrow already today.
We therefore offer them a full “chemicals management package” including: capacity building on CLP/MSDS literacy, information on chemicals inventories and general management practices, guidance how to follow legal obligations on specific substances (SVHC) and proposals on how to implement substitution as a core action to reduce environmental impacts from the use of chemicals in their own products and processes, possibly also realising resource efficiency gains.

Project implementation:

• Preparation for pilot cases by analysing international best practice on substitution and by mapping the substances in 6 pilot companies. Establishing the Baltic SME Forum “Fit for REACH” and recruiting 50-80 companies for “light cases” of substitution of SVHC and implementation good chemicals management practices.
• Implementation of pilot cases: concrete reduction of emissions by substitution of hazardous substances and by resource efficiency in 6 pilot companies. Developing online tools to assist in proper management of chemicals in SMEs – e.g. for identifying substances based on their CAS number or to check MSDS.
• Monitoring impact of project actions by elaboration of environmental impact assessment and socio-economic impact assessment of the pilot cases.
• Information dissemination to more interested industries, responsible institutions and general society about the results of pilot cases, implementation and enforcement of REACH regulation, greening the industry, green consumption and other relevant topics.