Endocrine disruption has been recognized as a significant health concern for more than 25 years. During this time, the scientific community has begun to refer to many chemicals as “known” endocrine disruptors. Yet the regulatory community has been slow to recognize any chemicals as EDCs. This gap has led to confusion among people who need to know which chemicals should be removed from products, controlled through regulations, and avoided by consumers.
Retail businesses need to know what endocrine disruptors to include in their sustainability efforts, as they work to remove harmful chemicals from products they make and sell. Government agencies around the world are concerned about endocrine disruption but have no starting point for prioritizing chemicals to address. Civil society and advocacy organizations fighting for stronger public health protections need to know which chemicals are the worst offenders.
The Green Screen® for Safer Chemicals hazard assessment methodology incorporates the evaluation of ‘endocrine activity’ as a hazard endpoint. Companies and retailers that participate in BizNGO are keenly aware of the need to address known or potential EDCs in their overall chemical management strategies. However, given the lack of clear regulation and/or guidance on how to determine if a chemical is a potential ED, companies are anxious for better guidance to move forward in a timely manner and in line with the pace of new product development.
Join us for an exploratory discussion with BizNGO stakeholders across all different sectors to understand the current interest/pressures faced by industry members to meaningfully address concerns about known or potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals in their products and/or supply chain. We will discuss if and how businesses are working to identify, manage and/or replace chemicals that have known or possible endocrine-disrupting effects, and what kind of guidance are they seeking for their decision-making processes.
Facilitators:
Shari Franjevic, Clean Production Action
Nicole Acevedo, Elavo Mundi Solutions
Carol Kwiatkowski, The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX)