Fighting chemical pollution

The dangers of chemicals

From medicine to technology, chemicals can have important benefits.

But in our everyday lives, we are exposed to a cocktail of many different chemicals. Some of them have dire effects on human health and the environment – these effects are underappreciated and underreported.

How do we change this?

There are many ways we're fighting chemical pollution:

Advocating for laws that better protect health and environment

In the EU, there are more than 40 laws to protect our health and the environment from harmful chemicals. Unfortunately, many of these laws are not sufficiently ambitious, or are not implemented consistently. 

We're fighting to change that.

Working to secure a universal PFAS restriction in the EU

PFAS, also known as 'forever chemicals', are a group of more than 14,000 man-made chemicals resistant to heat, water, oil, and grease – and associated with a host of health issues.

We’re working hard to secure a restriction of these substances in the EU that would encompass both consumer and industrial uses.

Ensuring that the most harmful chemicals are not in circulation

Using tools such as advocacy and legal action, we challenge trade bodies, companies and authorities when they argue that a harmful chemical should remain in circulation.

We’ve most recently done this with BPA – a chemical used in the manufacture of plastic and found in other items – which has been linked to hormone and fertility issues.

Taking action against harmful pesticides

The current farming system relies on huge chemical inputs to protect crops from insects and pests. But due to the massive scale of industrial farming, this has resulted in extremely high amounts of chemicals accumulating in the soil and running off into waterways. 

We’re challenging the EU’s reapproval of one of the most harmful pesticides – glyphosate.