I attended the “identifying and evaluating alternative materials” workshop hosted by the Green Chemistry Department at UC Berkeley

The workshop was built around the “case of BPA-free can linings,” but the gist was to share best practices and common challenges across industries as we move towards safer alternatives.

Below are a few of my insights:

Clearly define the problem

It is critical to identify the requirements that the alternative must provide. In the case of food packaging, an alternative must perform the following functions and it must be able to adhere to regulations.

• Have a lower toxicity than the product it is replacing.
• Protect food from spoiling.
• Provide protection to different types of food including acidic and fatty foods as well as solids and liquids.
• Maintain aesthetically pleasing visual representation of food.
• Meet chemical regulations such as REACH and TSCA.
• Must be inexpensive and be applied cheaply and quickly.
• Should not add a lot of additional weight to the packaging material.

Successes exist across industries

It was great to hear from different industries. I presented a case study on how the apparel industry is replacing perfluorinated chemicals for durable water repellency with fluorine free alternatives.

We also heard about the development and implementation of the Health Product Declaration (HPD), which is being used in the building industry to track and record hazardous chemicals.

Transparency for alternative materials gains momentum

Valspar, a metal packaging coatings supplier shared their journey to find a safer alternative to Bis Phenol A. As part of their approach, they hired a consultant to poke holes in their work and invited comments from a variety of experts. They posted their case study, including chemicals and synthetic routes to making those chemicals on their website. Now that is progressive!

Cross-functional representation is key to success

Having input from a variety of stakeholders is so valuable. There was representation from the following industry sectors

• Regulators, such DTSC, who developed the California Safer Products Regulations
• The NGO community such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Breast cancer Fund
• Scientists from OEHHA and the EPA
• Brands who shared case studies and challenges they face from their consumers, retailers and regulations

The importance of stakeholder engagement is a critical element to finding safer alternatives to chemicals of concern.

I love these types of workshops because I always meet interesting people and learn important ways to tackle problems. And I always pick up tips and insights about chemicals too.

Impacts to your business

Questions to consider:

• Do you have a chemical or material that needs to be replaced with a safer alternative?
• Do you engage with key stakeholders

For help with any issue associated with chemicals, contact Amanda Cattermole at (415) 412 8406 or Amanda@cattermoleconsulting.com. We can help you develop powerful solutions to protect your company and brand reputation and result in safer products manufactured in cleaner supply chains.

Tips and Insights contains information to help you make informed chemical management decisions. Each post highlights a particular topic and includes questions you may want to consider for your business.