The road ahead for synthetic chemicals

A new European Commission roadmap reveals future directions for chemical regulation in Europe including maintenance of a rolling list of chemicals considered for risk management measures and grouping of chemically similar substances.

Petroleum provides a rich primordial soup for the creation of new chemical entities. Exploitation of this resource from the 1950s through the 1970s resulted in an explosion of new materials from plastics to clothing dyes and medicines. Commercialization rates for new chemicals had been dropping in recent decades but are now accelerating again - driven by the desire for more sustainable materials and processes, by AI-fueled acceleration in materials discovery, and by access to new bio-based materials and captured CO2.

Information about the health and environmental effects of thousands of currently used chemicals is still lacking. The public perception is that regulators are failing to keep up – for example allowing the regrettable substitution of banned chemicals with chemically similar new materials that may pose similar risks but are not yet as regulated.

Last month the European Commission published the Restrictions Roadmap under the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability which addresses some of these concerns.

The roadmap describes the maintenance of a rolling list of chemicals that are being considered for risk management measures, or for which an entry in the REACH Registry of Intentions has been submitted.

This list will allow manufacturers to anticipate (potential) upcoming restrictions. It encourages them to proactively look for alternatives rather than waiting for a final decision (which can be slow to arrive).

The roadmap also proposes that chemicals should be considered for all uses and in groups rather than one at a time. For example, all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances would be considered in one group, or all bisphenols (4,4’-isopropylidenediphenol and all structurally related derivatives). This could prevent future regrettable substitutions.