Informed Substitution: Safer Alternatives for Chemical Risks

Home » Scoping Project on a North American Center for Informed Substitution

Scoping Project on a North American Center for Informed Substitution

Status: Active
Operational Plan: 2023
Project Duration: 6 - 12 months
Start date: July 1, 2024

The presence of chemicals of concern in a broad range of products can be associated with risks. Many of these chemicals, their chemical substitutes, and their transformation products can negatively impact the environment and/or human health. Informed substitution assessments focus on safer chemical alternatives to avoid such risks. Capacities, priorities, and policies related to chemicals of concern differ in Canada, Mexico and the United States. However, given the technical demand for substitution assessments, the three countries can utilize existing (but perhaps not widely known or available) knowledge to systematize and harmonize ongoing and future research, resources, and best practices in order to make the information comparable and available. This project will assess the feasibility of establishing a trinational Center for Informed Substitution (CIS) and provide a roadmap for facilitating knowledge sharing, promoting best practices, and fostering the implementation of chemical alternatives assessments and informed substitution across North America.

To find out more about this project, here is the complete project description.

Issues

Informed substitution transdisciplinary approach requires a high level of collaboration among concerned parties including industry, regulating agencies, academia and others. It is often unclear who should lead such collaborations; indeed, various parties might lack the necessary knowledge, resources, or motivation to initiate and manage the work.
Regrettable substitution occurs when a chemical of concern is substituted for one just as or potentially harmful or of unknown health and environmental risks.

Aim

Explore the establishment of a tri-national center for informed substitution of chemicals of concern to facilitate knowledge sharing, promote best practices, and foster the implementation of alternatives assessments and informed substitution across North America.

Deliverables

High-level review of current global Informed substitution (IS) assessment frameworks and governance mechanisms
Identification of key resources, actors, sectors, and networks currently working on IS assessments
Workplan for a North American Center for informed substitution pilot