Future-Proof and Prospering

The document argues that the lack of chemicals traceability in industry creates significant legal, financial, and environmental risks, hindering the EU's Green Deal and circular economy goals. It advocates for a horizontal traceability strategy combining strong regulatory incentives via the ESPR and capacity building for industry to ensure companies know the chemical composition of their products.

• The current lack of chemicals traceability in industry leads to severe data gaps and uncertainties, as evidenced by the difficulties in identifying PFAS in supply chains when restrictions were initiated.
• EU legislation is increasingly relying on dynamic substance lists and hazard classifications, making it nearly impossible for companies to remain compliant without robust traceability systems.
• The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), effective as of 2023, requires companies to identify and report on all Substances of Concern (SoC) per volume in their products and operations if these are considered material.
• The authors recommend that the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) be used to ban the most harmful substances from consumer products and mandate the reporting of all Substances of Concern (SoC).
• Full chemicals traceability is presented as a prerequisite for a functional circular economy, as it allows end-of-life actors to track the legal status of chemicals to ensure safe reuse and recycling.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). Future-Proof and Prospering. https://www.clientearth.org/media/mkocymkn/espr_chemicals-traceability_2024-may-1-1.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Future-Proof and Prospering. n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/mkocymkn/espr_chemicals-traceability_2024-may-1-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Future-Proof and Prospering |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/mkocymkn/espr_chemicals-traceability_2024-may-1-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearthndfutureproof, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Future-Proof and Prospering}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/mkocymkn/espr_chemicals-traceability_2024-may-1-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }