Green Science Policy Institute

The Green Science Policy Program Accomplishments 2023:Our overarching Six Classes approach is an innovative strategy to educate decision makers in government, manufacturing and purchasing to reduce the use of the most harmful classes of chemicals in consumer products. All too often when a toxic chemical is phased out after years of scientific research and advocacy, the substitute is a chemical cousin, with similar properties and similar toxicity. By focusing on entire classes of chemicals, this common problem of regrettable substitution can be prevented. The Six Classes of chemicals of concern are: flame retardants; PFAS; antimicrobials; bisphenols & phthalates; organic solvents; and certain metals. See our accomplishments below and visit www.greensciencepolicy.org, www.pfascentral.org, and www.sixclasses.org for more information. (Our websites received over 100, 000 unique users in 2023)REDUCING PFAS: In 2023, a focus of our work was educating stakeholders and reducing the use of the class of PFAS in consumer products and building materials. Our accomplishments include:Textiles: We worked with outdoor companies including Marmot, Nike, & Cotopaxi who are succeeding in phasing out PFAS from their products. Arlene Blum wrote the forward to the latest Green Paper from KEEN, describing their success in stopping the use of all PFAS, which is a model for other brands. We also contributed to a PFAS testing guidance document for AFIRM, an organization of apparel and footwear companies collaborating on sustainable chemicals management in the global supply chain. Our recent peer-reviewed papers on PFAS include one demonstrating that PFAS do not significantly prevent furniture stains and another promoting the essential-use approach to chemicals management. Our webpage, webinars, and communications help purchasers, designers, manufacturers, and architects reduce the use of PFAS in textiles.Electronics: We convened a working group of ten clean energy companies producing green products, including electronics, without PFAS (counter to the prevailing belief that functional and affordable PFAS-free alternatives do not exist for many of such uses). This group is sharing ideas and resources to accelerate the transition to PFAS-free clean energy.Building Materials: Our Material Buyers Club, a group of large institutional purchasers, is growing and sharing lists of PFAS-free carpet, resilient flooring, and furniture with other large purchasers. Our new guidance toolkit aids stakeholders in eliminating the Six Classes of chemicals of concern. Arlene and sustainability leaders at Google and Harvard are educating the purchasers and managers in the CBRE Group with a webinar to reduce the use of toxics in purchasing decisions for the 165 large client companies for whom they manage property.U.S. CPSC: We met with Consumer Product Safety commissioners to help reduce PFAS and flame retardants in consumer products and especially the increasing use of flame retardants in e-bikes. We contributed PFAS usage lists to a CPSC notice in the Federal Register regarding PFAS in consumer products. We are encouraging the CPSC to nominate problematic short-chain PFAS to the National Toxicology Program for health studies.

SIX CLASSES ACCOMPLISHMENTS:1) We have seen growing adoption of the class concept we helped pioneer and promote, notably in the groundbreaking EU PFAS restriction proposal and US state regulations for the whole class of PFAS. We provided comments in support of these regulations stopping most uses of PFAS and encouraged others to also comment. 2) We held a productive 10th Anniversary Toxics Reduction Retreat bringing together businesses, government, academic scientists, and NGOs to discuss Big Ideas to reduce harm from PFAS and other chemicals classes of concern. At the retreat, we helped initiate a new Committee on Toxic Chemicals within the Leadership Council of California Nurses for Environmental Health and Justice. 3) We used our communications strategy to amplify five of our own joint peer-reviewed papers, important papers from our academic colleagues, and our interactive map showing the global impacts of flame retardants in wildlife. As a result, this research had a wider reach and more media coverage in local, US, and international outlets, and key trade publications. Our staff members published opinion pieces in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Hill, The Messenger etc.

REDUCING FLAME RETARDANTS: In 2023, we continued to reduce the use of unnecessary flame retardants in consumer products. FLAME RETARDANTS IN VEHICLES: We continued work on reducing the use of flame retardants in vehicles. Flame retardants are used in vehicle seat foam and interior plastics and electronics to meet an ineffective US standard from the 1960s which is internationally harmonized. We collaborated with the Stapleton lab at Duke University on a study to measure flame retardants in over 100 vehicles from across the United States. Harmful chlorinated organophosphate flame retardants were found in most of the cars we studied. INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS WORK: We prevented unnecessary International flammability standards that would lead to the use of flame retardants without providing a fire safety benefit. Our educational work has helped prevent proposed international standards that would have led to the unnecessary use of hundreds of millions of pounds of flame retardants in electronics enclosures. Our team of expert consultants monitor flammability committees to prevent proposals that could lead to the increased use of these harmful chemicals. FIRE SAFE TENTS: Our scientific and policy work contributed to the 2023 California Assembly Bill 267, The No Toxics Tent Act, updating tent flammability regulations. Camping tents and childrens play tents and tunnels no longer need for harmful flame retardant chemicals.