Helsinki Agenda demands global discussion on chemicals
The First Helsinki Chemicals Forum starts running debate
The first Helsinki Chemicals Forum has just finished at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre. Many topical issues emerged during the two-day conference. There is a clear need for more global chemical industry regulation. Because everyone is in daily contact with a variety of chemicals, including unknown and harmful ones, the communication and shaping of data between different stakeholders and appropriate regulations are relevant means for ensuring that chemicals are produced and used safely. The chemical sector has great potential for helping the world to achieve sustainable growth and a cleaner environment.
The speeches, discussions and panel sessions of Helsinki Chemicals Forum will gradually develop the Helsinki Agenda. The agenda aims to define the full scope of the topical and critical issues related to chemistry and its interest groups indentified by the Panels and participants of HCF. Some of the major topics that came up in the discussions are summarised here.
Panel discussion themes
The panelists of Competitiveness and Innovation Session noted that in this challenging economic situation the new innovations by the chemical sector should be based on customer needs. Value chain clusters are needed for effective development work. Long term development is possible only if short term innovation have good financial return.
The companies which are raw material and energy effective will survive in long run said Mr. Per Sandberg from World Business Council for Sustainable development. WBCSD is working in project called Vision 2050 which tries to identify new business models and supply chains need to be developed thorough innovation to meet the challenges of climate change and sustainability.
The European chemical regulation called REACH was discussed in the Chemical Industry Regulation Session. “REACH definitely affects global trade policy because the EU is one of the largest importers of chemicals and end products”, said Klaus Berend of the European Commission. Even if similar chemical legislation is not applied on other continents, market forces will make countries outside the EU to take into account requirements set by REACH.
According to different chemical industry stakeholder groups, new instruments are needed for global information transfer. The world’s chemical producers have already established a voluntary (Global Product Stewardship) system for gathering and transmitting the information required by REACH throughout the world. The European Commission has suggested a modular system for international chemicals management to share this extra workload in each country.
Mr Alain Perroy, the Director General of Cefic – The European Chemical Industry Council – and the moderator of the Safety and Sustainability panel session, stressed that global commitment by the chemical industry also generates results locally. The chemical industry plays a key role in securing the wellbeing of people and the environment.
One of the key messages to emerge was that sustainability is not a status but a dynamic, continuous process. It requires a multi-disciplinary approach and co-operation with various actors in society.
The chemical industry has during recent years launched initiatives, such as LRI (Long Range research Initiative), Responsible Care, Global Product Safety, and SusChem, aiming on continuous improvement.
The panelists of the Chemistry and Consumers session stressed that it is very difficult for consumers to get a full picture of the chemicals in our everyday products. There are various sources of information out there, but their reliability is difficult to check.
REACH Regulation contributes to product safety by generating a lot of data about chemical substances. Considerable effort must be taken to raise awareness; it is essential that this new information about all kinds of chemicals and their harmful effects reaches the end users. This is already being done through voluntary initiatives, but there is always room for improvement. And this is where Helsinki Agenda “comes into the picture”.
The entire Helsinki Agenda will be announced on the HCF web page www.helsinkicf.eu on June 4th.
Helsinki Chemicals Forum 2010 will take place from May 20th to 21st 2010. The general theme will be Chemistry & Climate Change.
More information:
Kyösti Sysiö, Secretary General, HCF 2009, Tel. +358 50 385 2043, kyosti.sysio@helsinkicf.eu.
Photographs of the event can be found in www.finnexpo.fi/press.
The Helsinki Chemicals Forum is being organised by the Chemicals Forum Association in cooperation with the EU Commission and its Chemical Agency ECHA, with partners that include the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, the City of Helsinki, Greater Helsinki Promotion Ltd, the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland and the University of Helsinki.
