安全可持续的化学品：采取行动的案例

[编者注：本文originally appeared在里面BSR洞察力。It is the first part of a two-part series highlighting societal trends and drivers for companies to address chemical impacts. Part two will be published next month and will offer examples and information about how companies can approach chemical management.

In 1975, California implemented a law requiring that foam used in furniture be treated with chemicals to prevent the product from catching fire if placed in an open flame for 12 seconds. Across the United States, furniture manufacturers responded by adding flame retardants to their products.

然而，最近，这些阻燃剂在减少家庭大火中的有效性受到质疑，并且scientific studies now indicate某些阻燃剂与生育能力降低，婴儿出生体重下降以及幼儿身体和心理发育缺陷之间的联系。

Fast-forward 38 years, and加利福尼亚的家具易燃标准正在重写-- part of a broader change in societal views globally on the risks and benefits of chemicals. For the past several years, activists groups such as theCenter for Environmental Health, the环境工作组and the绿色科学政策研究所一直在提高消费者的意识，并创建成功的运动以改变商业实践和法律。

Consider several examples across industries:

• For the last two years, theapparel sectorhas been the target of ahigh-profile campaign on chemicals use and pollution in textile manufacturing。
• Thenew draft version of LEED emphasizes safer chemicals use，代表了重大转变construction industry。
• 在里面electronics sector，标准EPEAT（用于计算机）和UL 110(for mobile phones) dictate chemicals that must be avoided in products.
• 在里面food sector,非政府组织已针对公司在CAN中使用双酚A（BPA）, which has led companies such as Campbell’s Soup to switch to alternatives.
• Children’s productsare also subject to a variety of regulations, including缅因州在儿童产品法中更安全的化学品。
• Cosmetic companies是另一个目标significant NGO campaign。

化学法规的数量也在增加，最近在加利福尼亚和华盛顿通过了法律，越来越多的化学药品涵盖了欧洲覆盖范围的法规。

鉴于市场需求不断增长，法规和声誉风险，公司需要了解化学使用对社会和商业的影响，并主动管理其在产品和供应链中的使用。

Proponents of better chemical management highlight a variety of social and environmental impacts that some chemicals can have -- on consumers, workers, communities and the environment. For consumers, there is growing awareness of the “body burden” of chemicals found within each of us. This is of particular concern for the young, as developing infants and children are more susceptible to chemical exposures than adults. In addition,持久，生物蓄积和有毒物质（PBT）remain in the environment once released, and they disperse across the globe with the wind and ocean currents. Because PBTs degrade very slowly, they accumulate in animals and humans and can cause negative health effects.

在里面supply chain, many workers dealing with hazardous chemicals face health risks due to a lack of proper protective equipment. In addition, because wastewater treatment plants in developing countries are often inadequate or overtaxed, pollutants are released into lakes and rivers surrounding factories, with negative impacts on local communities. According to a联合国报告, between 300 and 500 million tons of heavy metals, solvents, toxic sludge and other wastes are released into water bodies each year. The pollution of waterways in China, for example, is well known, andindustrial effluents are a significant source of this pollution。这对人类健康有直接影响，不仅在中国，而且在世界各地的制造业地区。

These societal concerns drive consumer, government and activist attention to chemical use, and this affects business through increased costs and damaged reputations for targeted industries.

积极的化学管理可以帮助公司避免召回（例如与儿童玩具中的铅相关的召回）或消费者购买习惯的变化，例如消费者意识到水瓶中的BPA使用时。主动化学管理还可以降低合规成本，尤其是随着越来越多的国家寻求调节产品中的化学品。例如，西门特能够防止合规成本上升- 面对越来越多的监管和客户要求，要求供应商完全披露产品的化学含量。

When it comes to a company’s reputation, risks and opportunities are both associated with chemical use. On the risk side, activist campaigns draw attention to gaps in chemical management in products and in supply chains, potentially tarnishing corporate brands. This is certainly the case for the high-profile campaign绿色和平组织与服装行业相抵触。

On the opportunity side, companies can enhance their reputations and build consumer trust by proactively addressing customer concerns.Method, for example, successfully entered the competitive consumer packaged goods marketwith new approaches to packaging design and the use of safer chemicals in its products’ ingredients.

As was California’s experience with flame retardants, a combination of activist attention, consumer awareness, regulatory movement and corporate leadership is making proactive assessment and management of chemical use an essential part of companies’ sustainability programs. Science-based assessment of chemical impacts, along with an understanding of chemical use in products and manufacturing processes, will help companies address current societal concerns as well as anticipate future ones.

工人的照片hazmat suits in a factory provided byMarcin Balcerzak通过shutterstock.com。