The European Chemicals Agency has added five substances and revised one substance on the Candidate List. There are legal obligations placed on industry once a substance has been placed on this list. On January 23, 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced the addition of five substances to the Candidate List of substances of very […]
Supply Chain Managers must prepare for new mandatory EU rules on Human Rights Due Diligence
Our research team follows the progress North American and European regulators are making to require companies to monitor their supply chains for violations of human rights and environmental regulations. The United States led the way with the Dodd–Frank Act in 2010 The EU will have legislation by 2021 Businesses can prepare by embracing digital tools […]
What will post-Covid global sourcing look like?
Unprecedented levels of global trade disruption and uncertainty triggered by COVID-19 make reliable forecasting all but impossible. Nevertheless, observations of trends point to several probable outcomes of this still unfolding global crisis. The near-shoring trend of 2019 can be expected to continue and accelerate. With the current crisis further underscoring the risk of supply chains keeping […]
Sweden proposes Chemical Tax on Clothing and Footwear products
The Swedish government is considering implementing a tax on clothing and footwear products containing SVHCs under EU REACH Regulations. In order to increase public finances and reduce the incidence or risk of exposure to, and spread of, substances in clothing and footwear that are harmful to the environment and human health, the Swedish government is […]
Jailed for a Facebook post: garment workers’ rights at risk during Covid-19
Global fashion brands urged to speak out after arrest of factory employee fuels fears that rights are eroded during pandemic On the evening of 31 March, at the height of the Covid-19 epidemic, Soy Sros, a young Cambodian garment worker, took out her phone and posted a message on Facebook. The Cambodian garment sector was in […]
EU restriction of BPA in thermal paper enters into force
An EU-wide ban has entered into force on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in thermal paper. As of 2 January the substance cannot legally be placed on the market in thermal paper in a concentration equal to or greater than 0.02% by weight. In December 2016, the European Commission published a Regulation adding BPA, which is used in […]
Food contact Bamboo and Melamine products continue to face challenges in the European Union
Composite materials containing bamboo and melamine-formaldehyde resin are facing scrutiny in the EU. Recent risk assessments by the German Federal Institute of Risk Assessment (BfR) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reconfirm specific migration issues and use of questionable additives. In an earlier blog post we informed you about market surveillance activities and concerns relating […]
Consumer product safety in the UK
The head of consumer protection policy at UK’s Which? explains how general safety laws help protect UK citizens. Sue Davies is the Head of Consumer Protection and Food Policy, at Which?, the UK’s equivalent of Australia’s CHOICE. In this editorial, she talks about how general safety laws – similar to those that CHOICE would like […]
More than half of EU consumers have environmental impact in mind when shopping, new survey reveals
On November 28th the European Commission released its 2019 edition of the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard. It shows that the overall gap in consumer conditions is narrowing between the different regions of the EU; that consumers are more aware about their environmental footprint; and that consumer rules enable trust in the marketplace. Věra Jourová, EU Commissioner for […]
Potentially deadly electrical products available on Amazon and eBay, safety charity investigation finds
Amazon and eBay have been accused of failing to stop the sale of unsafe electricals after a safety charity found ‘potentially deadly’ items advertised. Electrical Safety First found that of 15 products it bought and tested from the two sites, as well as the online marketplace Wish, 14 failed tests against UK standards. The failures […]