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2019 Summit Highlights

This year's Global Business Summit was another huge success. Taking place in Brussels, Belgium on 26-27 March, the 5th annual Summit focused on the theme of global drivers for the chemicals management of the future, including sustainable development, quality risk management and the circular economy. The two-day conference welcomed a panel of carefully-selected experts from leading organisations including ECHA, the US Environmental Protection Agency, Greenpeace International, and the United Nations Environment Programme.

Key topics covered at this year’s Summit included:

  • Global Chemicals Outlook II and chemical pollution;
  • The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM); 
  • Corporate drivers and the use of data for innovation and substance tracking;
  • The circular economy, plastics and waste;
  • Industry case studies; 
  • Break-out sessions on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and Brexit;
  • Panel discussion - The future post-2020;  and, 
  • Choice of post-Summit conferences on 28 March to address chemicals management for the electronics industry and retail industry (along with their supply chain), and the regulation of food contact materials. 

View the full 2019 programme here


Speakers

Rafael Cayuela
Corporate Chief Economist, Dow Europe

Melissa Wang
Senior Scientist, 
Greenpeace International

Carina Loh Lindholm
Project Manager, IVL
Swedish Environmental Research Institute

 

John Ortiz
Product Stewardship Director, HP

Frank Michel
Executive Director,
ZDHC Foundation (Zero Discharge
of Hazardous Chemicals)

Marco Mensink
Director General, Cefic

 
Find out about the 2020 Global Business Summit Europe

Related content:

News articles

Feature: Has the Saicm programme made any difference?
The UN's GCO-II summary report makes it clear that the goal to minimise adverse impacts of chemicals and waste worldwide will not be achieved by 2020, leading to speculation about the viability of Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management. Read the full article 

Circularity and innovation key to European chemicals future
Driving the circular economy is key to the future of the European chemicals industry, the Chemical Watch Global Business Summit has heard. In a keynote address to the two-day event in Brussels, Marco Mensink, Cefic director general, warned that the world is becoming far more fragmented and for the industry to thrive it has to stop complaining about regulatory burden and "develop its own solutions or we’re sitting ducks". Read the full article

Lack of chemicals information has caused public 'crisis in confidence'
More information must be obtained to reverse the general public's poor perception of chemicals, say regulatory leaders in Europe and the US. Speaking at Chemical Watch’s Global Business Summit this week, head of Echa Bjorn Hansen and Nancy Beck, principal deputy assistant administrator for the US EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, agreed that the public’s view and awareness of chemicals is low. Read the full article

Proactive Alliance splits into groups to progress chemical reporting goal
Cross-sector industry group, Proactive Alliance, has created four sub-groups that will help it establish a global standard for companies to report on substances in articles along the supply chain. The group is made up of representatives from a number of sectors, including automotive, chemicals, electrical and electronic, furniture and textiles. Read the full article

Event gallery:

Global Business Summit 2019, 26-27 March, Brussels, Belgium

Tweets from the day:

Future events from Chemical Watch

Global Business Summit Europe 2020
25-26 March | Amsterdam - Register here 

Global Business Summit Asia 2020
9-10 June | Kuala Lumpur - Register here

Chemical Watch Expo 2020
1-2 July | Amsterdam - Register here