Future-Proof and Prospering: How ESPR and Chemicals Traceability Benefit Business and Support the Green Transition

Traceability of chemical substances means knowing the chemicals present in products and used during production. Traceability thus has been identified as a key enabler for achieving the Green Deal goals of a sustainable and just transition. Likewise, it is a precondition to achieve the Circular Single Market as put forth by the recent Letta report as well as for boosting EU resilience through enhanced reuse and recycling capacities.

With this note, Civil Society Organizations are calling on EU policy-makers to take measures to pave the way towards chemical traceability. In particular, there is a need for a distinct traceability strategy, addressing the issue horizontally and taking into account the instruments and information needs of Union legislation. Such a strategy shall comprise:

• strong regulatory incentives regarding chemicals transparency, notably when implementing the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). This has to be complemented by
• capacity building, notably in industries, as committed to under the 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan.

Ambitious implementation of the ESPR alongside the introduction of chemicals traceability would be mutually beneficial when it comes to developing more sustainable and competitive products and industries.

This briefing was co-signed by ClientEarth, Baltic Environment Forum, BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany), Buy Responsibly Foundation, CRIN (Child Rights International Network), ChemSec, Ecocity, ECOS, EEB (European Environmental Bureau), Global 2000 (Friends of the Earth Austria), Health and Environment Justice Support (HEJSupport), Hogar sin Tóxicos (Spain), Research group sofia, VeilleNanos (par AVICENN), WECF (Women Engage for a Common Future), Zero Waste Europe