Newsletter September 12, 2019

Conference to be held in downtown Boston

 

In anticipation of BizNGO 2019 we wanted to:

• Provide details on the BizNGO 2019 agenda
• Highlight the 2019 accomplishments of the BizNGO Work Groups (WGs), including:
  • Endocrine disruptors & chemical classes – Hazard Assessment WG 
  • Chemical footprint metrics – Chemicals Management WG 
  • TSCA and California Safer Consumer Product Regulation implementation – Public Policy WG
• Introduce Kayla Williams, our New Communications and Program Coordinator 

BizNGO 2019 - 14th Annual Meeting: December 10-11 (Boston)

Bringing together a unique community of business and environmental leaders, the Annual Meeting gives members and fellow travelers the opportunity to collaborate, share, and act on our collective efforts to advance healthy materials and a safer chemicals economy.

This year’s meeting will feature panels on:

• Chemical classes: specifying classes and chemicals within those classes, including PFAS, BPA structural analogues, and siloxanes; 
• Endocrine disrupting chemicals: defining levels of concern in GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals, including criteria and data requirements for low, moderate, and high levels  of concern;
• Chemical footprinting: measuring footprint of products & manufacturing operations;
• Chemical Footprint Project (CFP): learning from 4 years of CFP Survey data;
• Chemical ingredient disclosure: trending public policy initiatives;
• Regenerative products: morning forum led by Martin Wolf of Seventh Generation.

Be a Sponsor. Register for the meeting. Click here for ticket and event information.

Get involved: If you are not a member of BizNGO but are interested in joining, contact Kayla.

BizNGO Hazard Assesment & Informed Decision Making Work Group (WG)

Chaired by Shari Franjevic of Clean Production Action, Antonio Quinones of GOJO Industries, and Cory Robertson of HP Inc., the Hazard Assessment WG is diving deep into defining hazardous chemicals through our work on Endocrine Disruptors and Chemical Classes: 

• Endocrine Disruptors: Building from the conversation started at BizNGO 2018, we are working to update the GreenScreen hazard criteria for endocrine activity. In 2019 our conversations started with learning how GreenScreen currently specifies hazard levels for endocrine activity, the latest science on endocrine activity and disruption from Carol Kwiatkowski of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, and the needs of decision makers from Nicole Acevedo of Elavo Mundi Solutions. We then learned from Paul Ashford of Anthesis how regulations in the European Union address endocrine disruption and from Anna Lennquist of ChemSec how they specify endocrine disruption criteria to populate the SIN List. We are now forming a sub-group to draft revised criteria for endocrine activity in GreenScreen.
• Chemical Classes: The Hazard Assessment WG is in the weeds on how to specify chemicals in a class, such as BPA and its structural analogues. Conversations started with presentations by Healthy Building Network and Clean Production Action on populating chemical groups, and turned to six classes of focus in GreenScreen Certifications. On our September 17^th call we will hear from Dr. Ted Schettler of the Science & Environmental Health Network on the criteria Health Care Without Harm and Clean Production Action are developing to populate BPA structural analogues.

To join the Hazard Assessment WG, contact Kayla.

BizNGO Chemicals Management WG

Chaired by Cheri Peele of Clean Production Action and Nicole Acevedo of Elavo Mundi Solutions, the Chemicals Management WG is zooming into the chemical footprint metrics of corporate product portfolios and manufacturing operations, with a special focus on manufacturing: 

• Chemical Footprint of Manufacturing Operations: In 2021, the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP) plans to expand its question on chemical footprinting in the 2021 Survey, asking responders to calculate the footprint of their manufacturing operations, as well as their product portfolios. The Chemicals Management WG is working to specify the scope and definitions for a manufacturing chemical footprint, including highlighting parameters important to incorporate into manufacturing footprint pilot projects.
• Join the Pilot Project – calculate your manufacturing chemical footprint: To inform the development of guidance resources for calculating manufacturing chemical footprints, we are working and inviting companies to pilot how to calculate their manufacturing chemical footprints. For more information, contact Cheri.

To join the Chemicals Management WG, contact Kayla.

BizNGO Public Policy & Advocacy WG

Chaired by Mark Rossi and Howard Williams (formerly of Construction Specialties) of Clean Production Action, the focal points of the WG in 2019 are the following public policy initiatives:

• Transparency policies: tracking, commenting on, and engaging in state and federal chemical ingredient disclosure initiatives, including fragrances, flavorings, and beauty & personal care products;
• PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) policy initiatives;
• California Safer Consumer Products Regulations implementation; and
• Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) / Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act implementation.

Thank you, Ansje Miller! Ansje, formerly of the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), co-chaired the Public Policy WG for seven years, providing us with leadership, strategic advice, and expertise on numerous chemicals policy initiatives, including chemical ingredient disclosure bills, TSCA reform and implementation, and PFAS legislation at the state and federal levels. She has moved on to become the Executive Director of the Health & Environmental Funders Network (HEFN). Ansje, we will miss you and congratulations on your new role!
 
To join the Public Policy WG, contact Kayla.

Introducing Kayla Williams, Communications and Program Coordinator 

Kayla Williams joined the Clean Production Action team this summer as our new Communications and Program Coordinator. Kayla recently graduated from Tufts University where she earned her BA in   Environmental Studies with a concentration in Sustainability, Policy, and Equity as well as a BA in Anthropology. Kayla brings communications, outreach, and administrative experience from her previous internship work with the Clean Water Program of California's Santa Clara County, the Environmental and Transportation Planning Division of the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as her previous role as Coordinator for Tufts Eco-Representative Program, a student-run initiative of the Tufts University Office of Sustainability. Kayla is committed to working toward a cleaner, greener, and safer environment for people from all walks of life, and looks forward to building her career in environmental justice and advocacy.

 

Get your BizNGO Annual Conference ticket here. If you are not a BizNGO member but would like to attend the meeting, please contact Kayla.

I hope to see you in December! 


Mark

 

Chair, BizNGO
Executive Director, Clean Production Action