- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
Safer Chemicals Podcast. Sound science on harmful chemicals.
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
The first time we have, through this framework, brought together the data gathered under this legislation and shown how the legislation has contributed to chemical safety in Europe.
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
In Europe, the large quantities of waste that we generate continues to be really, one could say, a persistent or stubborn problem to address. And the transition towards a more circular economy is being slowed down by hazardous chemicals and waste.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
Welcome to the Safer Chemicals podcast. I'm your host, Adam Elwan. Now, in today's episode, we're going to be diving into a project that was tasked to develop a framework of indicators to monitor chemical pollution and assess the effectiveness of chemicals legislation. This framework was developed together by the European Commission, European Environment Agency, EEA, and the European Chemicals Agency, ECHA. Joining us are the Executive Directors of EEA, Leena Ylä-Mononen, and Sharon McGuinness from ECHA. Welcome both to the podcast and thank you for joining us.
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
Delighted to be here.
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
Pleased to be here.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
So before we get into the details of the project, could you both tell our listeners what your agencies do?
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
The European Environment Agency is an independent agency of the European Union, one of many. Our role is to inform policymakers and the public about the state of Europe's environment, climate change, and also wider sustainability issues. Working alongside other EU agencies and our network of experts, we call it the EIONET network, across 38 member countries, we support policy development, offering analytical expertise and maintaining an efficient reporting structure for a wide range of environmental data flows. We are indeed based in Copenhagen, so regards from Copenhagen.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
All right. Thanks, Leena. What about ECHA then, Sharon?
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
Well, ECHA is an EU agency based in Helsinki. Our focus is on the protection of health and the environment through our work on chemical safety. And in that, it involves delivery of what we call technical, administrative and scientific tasks required through implementation of a wide range of EU chemical laws and policy. And one of our main deliverables and tasks is to provide independent, high quality scientific opinions and decisions so that our policy and decision makers can take the right actions on chemicals to keep and promote chemical safety. And obviously we collaborate with EU institutions, EU countries, authorities, other bodies like the EEA and supporting companies as well to fulfill their duties, as well as keep our stakeholders and the public informed.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
Then how would you say that your two agencies'unique strengths complemented each other when working on this one, but also other projects like this one?
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
You know, this work actually was a really good example, I think, of collaborating for both agencies. And it was good because we collaborated on something that's very central to the work we do here in ECHA on both science and knowledge. And so, for example, individually, each of our agencies has unique roles, we have unique sets of data and we have unique insights. But by bringing together these respective expertise and experience, we've actually shown that. Together, our capabilities and strengths really complemented each other. And more importantly, through that collaboration, we now have resulted in a very good and impactful outcome.
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
I can agree to that. ECHA has a lot of information on the production and uses and hazards and risks of chemicals, whereas our agency is closer to the data on the environmental presence, occurrence in air and water of chemicals, and using this data to develop assessments and knowledge on the impacts on health and the environment. This is largely thanks to our network of experts from the EU member states, so this EIONET network that I was referring to, and our European topic centers that give support and advice to our agency. So we collect a lot of monitoring data that includes chemical emissions from industry, human biomonitoring and data on related aspects such as greenhouse gas emissions.
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
In ECHA, we have quite a lot of data. It's generated through regulatory actions, but equally for regulatory actions. And often we're looking at it and the data in a narrower and maybe deeper assessment than perhaps this exercise did. So it was really useful for us to be able to take a different view of the data we have and ask a different question and together maybe work with the EEA. who has a different approach to data in terms of joining dots, maybe to create new knowledge, looking at the differences and how aspects of pollution contribute to the overall state of the environment and overall risks. So what happened, I think, was with the two agencies in particular, our respective teams here, really found a common level of analysis of all of that information to be able to extract then the meaningful insights, from that data we both have.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
Right. So while ECHA brings expertise in analysing production and hazard data, the EEA focuses more on environmental monitoring and holistic analysis, I guess that would be fair to say. Well, glad to hear that both agencies found a common ground in interpreting the data and pulling out, as you said, meaningful insights together. Let's move on to the indicators themselves. So why do we need them?
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
Well, we have a wide range of legislation in the EU that address chemical safety. And I suppose, in a sense, for the first time we have, through this framework, brought together the data gathered under this legislation and shown how the legislation has contributed to chemical safety in Europe. So, in essence, the framework of indicators we feel is an essential tool to be able to demonstrate that chemical safety is being addressed in the EU and in Europe. So we now, as a result of this work, have a baseline assessment and knowledge base on chemicals as well as the drivers and impacts of chemical pollution. And in this way, we are supporting this development, which came in under the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability. And that will help us and hopefully allow us to monitor and track the transition to the production and use of safe and sustainable chemicals.
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
I would only add that the framework also gathers indicators on the presence of chemicals in the environment and hence also then their known risks to the environment and human health. And by giving a holistic view on this use of chemicals and its impacts, the framework makes it sort of possible to identify areas for improvement and track progress towards our regulatory objectives.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
What then are the specific metrics or parameters that are being considered within this framework?
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
So the indicators focus on three key areas. There was looking at safe and sustainable chemicals, looking at how and minimising and controlling risks is done and then eliminating and remediating chemical pollution. So, for example, individual indicators cover topics like chemical production volumes, emissions, identification and classification of the most harmful substances, presence in different parts of the environment, be it air, water or soil. as well as the human body, and then aspects linked to waste, to decontamination, to remediation. We also look, for example, at the exposure information through human biomonitoring data, as well as dynamics of the EU industrial chemicals market, particularly in the area of hazardous chemicals. And obviously, we have seen that in some areas, such as the safe and sustainable by design framework, the work is just starting and more data is likely to become available for that in the future.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
How exactly then will these indicators help to monitor the drivers and impacts of chemical policy across Europe?
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
These indicators will allow us to track trends in chemicals usage, emissions and exposure levels and also of course the related risks. And this provides really valuable insights into the drivers of chemical policy. And by monitoring changes in these indicators over time, we can then identify emerging risks and assess the effectiveness of measures taken to reduce chemical pollution and exposure to hazardous chemicals. The indicator framework also allows us to identify knowledge gaps and to seek to develop new indicators in future iterations of this assessment, which will help us to address these gaps. And this information will support also evidence-based decision making and help prioritise actions to mitigate the adverse impacts on chemical pollution on both human health and the environment. It also identifies potential synergies and tensions, trade-offs with other relevant topics, such as climate change and adaptation to climate change and circular economy initiatives, as an example.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
Okay, so in other words, these indicators help us spot risks, assess our kind of pollution-fighting efforts, and may lead to new indicators also in the future. I imagine that something like this requires a lot of working together with different actors, so not just between the agencies, but also other institutions. Could you elaborate a bit on the collaborative process that went into establishing these indicators?
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
Indeed, close collaboration between several institutions. We have been working closely with the EU's Joint Research Centre and Eurostat, as well as other Commission services and other agencies such as the medicines agency, EMA, and the ECDC in Stockholm. This has allowed us to collect and pool together relevant existing data on chemicals and based on this to prepare our joint assessment. We have consulted here in EEA the EIONET network that I mentioned earlier to ensure that the indicators are based on the best available evidence. We have also worked closely with the European Commission to propose key performance indicators for the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability. This project had a broad stakeholder participation and generated really useful content that has been integrated also into this framework. Overall, I would say that the collaborative process has helped build consensus around the selection of indicators and ensure their alignment with the broader objectives of chemical safety and sustainability.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
So from your organisation's point of view, what are the key messages or let's say discoveries that have emerged from this project? Maybe we start with you, Leena.
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
If we start from the environmental side. Data shows that emissions of certain chemicals to water and air have fallen following specific EU regulations like the industrial emissions directive. And also thanks to international actions. I would also say that more measures are needed to reach concentration levels that are not harmful for people's health and the environment. We will be soon publishing our latest State of the Water report that will give a further update on the key pressures on water in Europe. And what this current indicator framework tells us is that chemicals in water continue to present a a barrier to achieving good status under the Water Framework Directive. The report also highlights that there is little evidence of progress towards eliminating substances of concern from waste and secondary materials. In Europe, the large quantities of waste that we generate continues to be a persistent or stubborn problem to address. The transition towards a more circular economy is being slowed down by hazardous chemicals in waste. It is making the waste more difficult to recycle and produce secondary materials which are safe for different uses. The report also gives data from human biomonitoring that gives the opportunity to understand human exposure to chemicals from, of course, multiple sources, and thus health risks associated with the chemical pollution. The concept of human biomonitoring offers a very effective approach to understanding the risks that chemicals pose to human health and well-being.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
So while EU regulations have helped to reduce emissions of certain chemicals, I suppose it would be fair to say that more action is needed, as you highlighted, to ensure safe levels in water and air. Also interesting what you said about hazardous chemicals and waste slowing down the transition to a circular economy, something that I assume should be quite urgently addressed. What about from ECHA's perspective then, Sharon?
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
Yeah, overall the report shows that transition towards safer and more sustainable chemicals is progressing in some areas, while in others it is just getting started. Also we see that market data at EU level suggests that the production and consumption of the most harmful chemicals is growing slower than the overall market itself. And there is, as we know, increasing pressure in industry to substitute the most harmful substances often within their own supply chains, not just from the regulatory side. So, you know, it is, as you said, work in progress there. And as well, action by authorities and industry have supported minimising and controlling the risk from several groups of hazardous chemicals. And we in ECHA here, for example, do a lot of work in either ensuring authorisation of particular substances of very high concern or taking particular restriction action on other chemicals. Some of the more bigger recent ones, for example, around microplastics and some other chemicals in regard to that. So there is action being taken across the board. The number of industrial chemicals that have come under scrutiny by EU authorities has also substantially increased since 2010. And we currently in the EU and as authorities have much better knowledge about the hazardous properties of high volume chemicals on the EU market. However, all efforts should continue to increase this knowledge on chemicals and support risk management where needed.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
So there is an indication of progress in transitioning to safer chemicals and slower growth in harmful substances. So that's a positive. But as you said, there's still a need then to enhance chemical knowledge and risk management. How do you then envision these indicators in contributing to the industrial transition and towards the production of safe and sustainable chemicals?
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
I think the indicators will increase the visibility with transparent and comparable data on the various aspects of the chemical lifecycle. As I said, this is the first time they've been produced, and I think that in itself will be a real benefit for the future. The intention with the indicators is to empower the policymakers and businesses by providing facts and a basis to help make more informed decisions on chemicals used. The indicators will also inform and further, we hope, incentivise industry to adopt safer and more sustainable practices. So it gives them something to check themselves against and also their own progress. We also hope that these indicators will stimulate maybe more efforts at the design stage, encouraging the development of new, safer and more sustainable chemicals.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
All right, maybe then we'll talk a little bit about challenges. So what kind of challenges or obstacles have you encountered during the development of the framework and how are they being addressed? Because I assume there were some challenges in a project like this.
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
The key challenge has been basically choosing the right indicators. Chemical pollution impacts cover a really wide range, from industrial chemicals used in products to pesticides used in agriculture, for example. And some are still in use, while others, although they are not used anymore, they are still lingering in the environment, posing persistent challenges. The framework needed to be focused enough to fulfill its aims to support chemicals policymaking and helping to assess the impact of legislation on chemicals. So, yeah, we need to make some choices. We believe that this first version achieves a balance and surely the feedback and further developments will help improve it in the future. The first challenge has been ensuring the availability and quality of up-to-date data. which is needed to populate the indicators, particularly in areas where data may be limited or it may be fragmented. Our assessment identified a series of data gaps, and we highlight these in our reports as a way to help in improving the existing framework. So hopefully it's getting better and easier next time.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
So an iterative process that will be continuously developed. What about transparency and accessibility then? So how will the framework ensure that the transparency of information and kind of making it available to all stakeholders, including the public, is achieved?
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
We are obviously committed to making the indicators and indeed the underlying data openly available to all stakeholders, including the public. We will also ensure that data sources, methodologies and assumptions are clearly documented and indeed communicated to facilitate both the understanding and indeed, more importantly, to keep and promote the trust in the indicators. And this online dashboard is a step towards the establishment of more user friendly online platforms and databases where all stakeholders can access and explore the indicators and related information.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
Who do you see using this framework of indicators? I mean, I understand that kind of regulators, policymakers, companies, researchers, NGOs potentially as well, right?
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
I would presume yes. Anybody who's got an interest in it will want to have facts and evidence. And it can be difficult when the facts and evidence are presented in individual legislative places. So at least with this, I think the framework brings it all together. And it's a good starting point for people to maybe work out as opposed to try and work in. So I think with this, you know, very comprehensive suite of information, people now can start to look at it much more, maybe more together, all of the different elements of legislation on chemical safety.
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
I think it's an interesting question whether also the consumers or citizens in general will find the indicators and find it useful for their, let's say knowledge building on these issues. It's not easy because this is very special data and even the chemical names may put people off. But if we manage to make an attractive user application, it might be also something for the European citizens.
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
As we started on the podcast, I think we said this was a really good example of the two agencies working together, showing that collaborative engagement on the science and knowledge is a really good way to demonstrate that the work we're all doing on chemical safety is with the ultimate aim of protecting health and the environment. And we look forward to continuing it.
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
Fully agree. Fully agree from Copenhagen.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
Well, very interesting to see when this is launched, how the world receives it and what kind of feedback we get. We have time for one last question, and I'd like to spend a bit of time on the next steps for this work. Can you share what those are?
- Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director - EEA
The data gaps that I was referring to, they point to areas of possible development. For example, human bio-monitoring is one of them. The opportunity to assess the presence of chemicals in our bodies through monitoring campaigns. Some results from the last EU-level initiative called HBM4EU are presented in the framework and we hope that more human biomonitoring will be carried out in the future. And both of our agencies, EEA and ECHA, and our sister agency EFSA, are involved in the EU-funded research project called PARC, Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals. This work will deliver new data on human biomonitoring and this data will be integrated into future iterations of the chemical indicator framework as well as into our assessments here in the EEA. This type of new knowledge, along with the other expected datasets, will enhance our ability to identify really emerging risks and trends and support more targeted and, I would say, effective regulatory interventions to protect both health and the environment. Perhaps another area is the development of new risk assessment methodologies, which would allow more robust correlation between the data on hazards and exposure to chemicals, including the so-called cocktail effect of exposure to multiple chemicals at the same time, a topic that has been long time in the discussions. And data on animals used for tests required by legislation also shows that more effort is needed to reduce the use of animals via innovative approaches and methodologies and I know that ECHA is working actively in this.
- Sharon McGuinness, Executive Director - ECHA
Maybe just to add in to the points that Leena has just made with the proposal of the One Substance, One Assessment package, which we expect to be adopted in 2025, we can see that there is a mandate from the Commission to continue the work on the dashboard into the future. This regulation will also enhance the overall availability of data and with key roles for both the EEA and ourselves and ECHA. It will ensure that the two agencies continue to work very closely together over the coming years. So in essence, the plan is that we continue working on maintaining and developing the dashboard as updated data becomes available. And as part of this, we plan to further add and develop indicators for the dashboard. And this includes the possibility to add relevant indicators from the zero pollution monitoring assessment, as well as develop new indicators based on the PARC data that Leena mentioned earlier as well.
- Adam Elwan, Host - ECHA
All right, that wraps up today's episode of the Safer Chemicals podcast. A big thank you to both of you, Leena and Sharon, for taking the time from your busy schedules and for sharing your insights into the framework of indicators. Until next time, goodbye. Safer Chemicals podcast. Sound science on harmful chemicals.
