August 2011
 
 

U.S. EPA Releases New Chemicals Data Reporting Rule

The U.S. EPA recently published a new reporting rule under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act that that expands the amount of information that chemical manufacturers are required to supply to the agency, as well as increases the frequency of required reporting. More specifically, chemical makers will now be required to supply data about the processing and use of any commercial chemicals they produce in quantities of 100,000 pounds per year or more. Additionally, the new rule requires reporting to occur every four years, as opposed to every five years. For more information, you can read the U.S. EPA press release, or you can find a copy of the final rule here.

 

DfE Alternatives Assessment Criteria Released

The Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics has released the final criteria for evaluating human and environmental health effects under the U.S. EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) Alternatives Assessment program. The program helps businesses identify safer chemical alternatives with a goal of informing substitution of hazardous chemicals. DfE Alternatives Assessments for BPA, decaBDE, and NPE surfactants will be released as final drafts for public comment by the end of this year. The DfE Alternatives Assessment criteria are available for download here.

 

Green Chemicals Industry Forecast for Dramatic Growth

A new report published by Pike Research finds that green chemistry represents a significant market opportunity that is projected to grow from $2.8 billion currently to nearly $100 billion by 2020. While this represents significant growth in the emerging markets for green chemicals, the global chemistry industry, which is currently valued at $4 trillion, is expected to expand to $5.3 trillion over the same time period. The report considered three primary areas that will help move the industry forward: waste minimization in synthetic chemical production processes, green chemical alternatives for conventional chemical products, and shifting to renewable feedstocks. To learn more about this report, read the press release from Pike Research or the Executive Summary of the report, which is available to download for free.

In the Loop

Thinking Beyond Chemical Regulation to Innovation

The following is an excerpt from a blog post by Director of External Relations Erin Malec on GreenBlue's blog, In the Loop. Read all recent posts.

Last week the EPA announced an update to its chemical reporting system under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Under the new rule, chemical manufacturers will have to supply more data about the chemicals they make and they will have to supply this information more frequently. You can read a good summary of the new rule in an article by EDF’s Richard Denison, aptly titled "US Chemical Reporting Policy Finally Enters the 21st Century." Given that this reporting program is the only way the federal government assesses the production and use of widely used chemicals in the US, its expansion is a significant accomplishment, and industry associations such as the American Chemical Council and environmental organizations alike praised the move. Read More

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