The EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability: Key Issues for Industry

Geraint has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist covering environmental policy, with a particular focus on chemicals, business strategy and waste management. He started his career as a reporter for the international chemicals trade press before working at UK environmental policy journal The ENDS Report. He joined online global chemicals policy website Chemical Watch in 2008, becoming a member of the senior management team and head of journalism. At the end of last year he embarked on a freelance career.

Cristina de Avila is Head of the Sustainable Chemicals Unit of the European Commission’s Environment Directorate-General, where she has been in charge of drafting the Commission’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, currently focusing on its implementation.

Anne-Sofie Bäckar has worked with chemical management for 22 years and for the past 17 years as the Executive Director of ChemSec. Under her tenure as Executive Director, ChemSec has grown into a well-respected player in the chemicals world and developed world-class chemicals management tools such as the SIN List and the Marketplace. Before joining ChemSec, she worked for the consumer organisations in the Nordic countries, where she monitored chemical issues from a consumer perspective. As a scientist, she started her career with biotechnology research on diseases. She has been a member of the Executive Committee of IPEN (2008 -2020), a board member of the Centre for Chemical Substitution (2018-2021) and a Member of the Supervisory Board at the Swedish Chemical Inspectorate (2022-today).

Bjorn is ECHA's second Executive Director with a mandate running from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022. He is ECHA's legal representative, in charge of the day-to-day management and all staff matters, working first at the European Chemicals Bureau at the JRC in Italy and then from 2003 in the Chemicals Unit of DG Environment in Belgium. There Bjorn became Head of Unit in 2012. He already spent one year in ECHA in 2007-2008 as Director of Operations. Bjorn was involved in the development of REACH and CLP from their very early days.

Sylvie, Cefic's Deputy Director General, has more than twenty years experience in EU regulatory affairs focused on chemicals policy, working in both trade associations (A.I.S.E. and Cefic) and in chemical companies (ExxonMobil Chemical, Dow).

Maria Spyraki is awarded MEP of the year 2019 for Industry, Research, and Innovation. She is now serving her second mandate in the European Parliament with of Nea Demokratia party - European People's Party (EPP), as a member of the Committees Industry, Research, and Energy (ITRE) and Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).

Dr Michael Warhurst has been Executive Director of CHEM Trust since July 2014, leading the organisation and working with his team and other NGOs to improve EU chemical policies such as REACH and chemicals in food contact materials.

Guilhem de Seze joined the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on 1 September 2016 as Head of the Scientific Evaluation of Regulated Products (REPRO) Department - a Department providing independent scientific advice on pre-marketing risk assessment of substances, products and processes intended for use in the food chain, and substantiation of claims made on foods.

As senior expert in the European Commission, DG Internal Market, Industry, Enterprise and SMEs, REACH Unit Otto Linher deals with the implementation of the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and, in particular, the planned revision of the REACH Regulation.

Tatiana holds a Chemistry degree and both MSc. in Environmental Impact Assessment and Occupational Health Safety. She has been working in chemical risk issues, chemicals legislations, occupational health and safety, chemicals in the circular economy and substitution of hazardous chemicals for around 20 years.

Eugen is senior scientific officer in the chemical safety unit, dealing with inspections & enforcement for the State Government Services in Vorarlberg. He is the Austrian Member of the ECHA FORUM & also appointed chair of the BPR Enforcement Forum. He has 20+ years experience in national & international regulatory issues on chemicals in the context of implementation, enforcement & regulation setting.

Christof Walter is a trained chemist with a PhD in Computational Chemistry. In 2016 he joined the German Paint and Printing Ink Association (VdL) as technical and regulatory affairs officer for Food Contact Materials and Biocides. Additionally, he is in charge of Food Contact Materials at the European Printing Ink Association (EuPIA)

Ruxandra defends industry interests towards legal and regulatory challenges to EU market access. Her practice is focused on EU regulatory law and litigation with a strong emphasis on product, environmental and sustainability regulations, across a large number of sectors ranging from raw materials (chemicals, minerals) to products such as electronics, consumer apparel, medical devices, cosmetics, food and food contact materials. Ruxandra also advises on supply-chain related matters, in particular environmental and regulatory. Although rules and regulations apply per jurisdiction, companies operate globally – her expertise and advice assist companies address global challenges and risks. Ruxandra’s litigation experience is extensive (she defended close to 100 actions before the European Court of Justice and before the Board of Appeal of ECHA), and she has formed and continues to act as a trusted advisor to more than 30 industry groups.

Violaine Verougstraete studied medicine and toxicology at the Catholic University of Louvain, did a DEA in Public Health and obtained her PhD in Public Health in 2005 from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium). She worked as a researcher at the Industrial Toxicology and Occupational Medicine Unit of the Catholic University of Louvain for 8 years. She joined Eurometaux in May 2005 as Health and Alloys Manager. Since January 1, 2012, she is Chemicals Management Director at Eurometaux, coordinating all chemicals management activities. She attends ECHA Risk Assessment Committee meetings as a regular stakeholder. She is teaching Human Toxicology at the RUG (Universiteit Gent) and Regulatory Toxicology at the UCL (Catholic University of Louvain, Faculty of Medicine).