Safer product innovation: A conversation with ChemFORWARD

Tue, Dec 17, 2019 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST

Finding ways to innovate safer ingredients and products is increasingly important in a market where the growth of sustainable products is outpacing that of conventional products. Using safer ingredients also allows companies to stay ahead of regulatory scrutiny, manage business risk, and rebuild consumer trust. However, the lack of comprehensive, transparent and comparable hazard information for chemicals and their alternatives is a major obstacle to safer ingredient innovation.

ChemFORWARD, a nonprofit collaboration of leading businesses and NGOs, including EDF, offers a promising solution to this obstacle. ChemFORWARD is working to empower the value chain with high quality, actionable chemical hazard data. Alissa Sasso, of EDF, and Stacy Glass and Lauren Heine, Ph.D., of ChemFORWARD, speak to this exciting initiative and their pilot project, a portfolio of assessments on alternatives to hazardous plasticizers. A dozen more alternative assessment portfolios are planned for 2020 targeting high-priority, pre-competitive topics. ChemFORWARD welcomes stakeholder input to help guide their work.