Peter Fisk recently joined a webinar hosted by the European Solvents Industry Group (ESIG), a Stakeholder Day called “Solvents and the Green Deal – Circularity & Sustainability.” 

The opening presentation was of wide relevance and so it is reviewed it here. This was a presentation by DG Environment (Paola Migliorini, Deputy Head of Unit – Sustainable Production, Products and Consumption). It was entitled “Circularity & Sustainability in the Green Deal and beyond.” This is part of the topic “Mobilising industry for a clean and circular economy” within the European Green Deal, and focussed on the following topics: 

• Sustainable Products Initiative: addressing all products placed on the EU market, promoting better design for reuse and recyclability, and meeting sustainability requirements. Manufacturers need more incentives to achieve these ends.
• Empowering consumers for the green transition 
• Supporting more sustainable patterns of consumption by tackling false green claims stressing role of Environmental Footprint (EF) methodology.

This was a key element of the presentation in that impacts to be covered were set out:

• Climate change
• Water use
• Land use
• Acidification
• Ozone depletion
• Human toxicity
• Marine, freshwater and terrestrial eutrophication
• Freshwater ecotoxicity
• Particulate matter
• Resource use – minerals, metals, fossils
• Ionising radiation
• Photochemical ozone formation

These impacts will be scored.

Life cycle analysis is seen as too complex for the need.

Key product value chains were identified:

• Electronics and ICT
• Batteries and vehicles
• Packaging
• Plastics
• Textiles
• Construction and buildings.