Plan of operation The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution 2019 2019-04-02
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Plan of operation
The Swedish Centre for Chemical
Substitution 2019
2019-04-02 12019-04-02 2
Table of content
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 5
Background ................................................................................................................................ 6
About substitution .................................................................................................................. 6
Criteria defining hazardous substances to be substituted .............................................................. 6
Criteria for sustainable substitution ................................................................................................ 7
The role of the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution ............................................................. 8
Current position ......................................................................................................................... 9
Organization ........................................................................................................................... 9
Funding................................................................................................................................. 10
Phases of the development ................................................................................................... 10
The first financial year ........................................................................................................... 11
The way forward............................................................................................................................ 13
The future ..................................................................................................................................13
Vision .....................................................................................................................................13
Desired position.....................................................................................................................13
Overall objective ....................................................................................................................14
Prioritization..........................................................................................................................14
Focus areas .................................................................................................................................... 14
Target groups ................................................................................................................................ 15
Special focus .................................................................................................................................. 15
SWOT.....................................................................................................................................16
Strategies and Means ................................................................................................................ 17
Five Strategies for Success.................................................................................................... 18
Key areas ...................................................................................................................................19
Organisation for members/networks ................................................................................... 20
Follow-up 2019..........................................................................................................................21
Objective 1..............................................................................................................................21
Objective 2 .............................................................................................................................21
Objective 3 ............................................................................................................................ 22
Objective 4 ............................................................................................................................ 22
2019-04-02 3The Sustainable Development Goals adopted by UN in the autumn of 2015, provides a
blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future. The goals set the direction for
future development of companies and states and create incentives to link their goals and
business strategies to the global challenges. Sweden is particularly well positioned to
achieve the goals and while the UN points in a direction the Swedish environmental quality
goals began in 1999 to go one step further towards making the environmental dimension of
the Sustainable Development Goals concrete. The Swedish environmental quality objective
“Non-Toxic Environment” provides clear guidance for companies, municipalities,
authorities and citizens on how they can contribute so that the seven Sustainable
Development Goals concerning chemicals are meet. We are convinced that the Swedish
Centre for Chemical Substitution will be an important hub in this work and that it will offer
the support that companies need for us to jointly reach Agenda 2030.
[Loosely translated from SOU 2017:32 Substitution i centrum]
2019-04-02 4Introduction In the autumn of 2017, the Swedish government commissioned RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) to start a Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution that will support companies and public actors to phase out hazardous chemicals as part of the work to achieve the Swedish environmental quality goal “Non-Toxic Environment” and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals in Agenda 2030. The report “Substitution i centrum”, SOU 2017:32 forms a base for this assignment and the report provides examples on the direction and organization of the centre. Furthermore, the report describes a wide need of support to different types of businesses and public actors and gives examples of possible assignments for the centre. The structure and work within the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution will mainly follow the proposals in the report. The Governance structure that have been worked out in cooperation between the Government Offices and RISE describe the work of the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution. Loosely translated from the Governance structure: The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution should function as a hub between companies, trade organizations, academia, institutes and authorities, among others. Through collaboration and knowledge exchange between these actors, the centre will contribute to increased substitution of hazardous substances in articles and chemical products. The substitution centre will provide support for private and public actors, develop and compile knowledge about alternative substances and processes, and develop methods and tools to drive substitution and strengthen the possibility to monitor and follow up on the demands in the supply chain. The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution shall • base the work on a scientific basis using well-defined criteria that are supported by the generational goal and the environmental quality goal “Non-Toxic environment” that was set by the Swedish parliament. • base the definition of substitution on principles that implies exchange or reduction of hazardous substances in products and processes to less hazardous substances or non- chemical methods and techniques • gather expertise and collaborations with other ongoing initiatives and relevant stakeholders from the business sector, academia, authorities and non-governmental organizations in Sweden and internationally. • base the work on the precautionary principle, which means that substances that are lacking appropriate toxicity data should be considered hazardous until the data is available.” 2019-04-02 5
This plan of operation describes how the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution intends to focus the work in 2019–2021, the time allocated for the centre to build up and develop the work. The plan also describes how the centre intends to prioritize the planned work. Background About substitution Risk reduction through substitution of hazardous chemical substances is described by the product choice (substitution) principle in “The Environmental Code (1998:808)”. The general rules of consideration, chapter 2 4§ stresses that anyone who conducts or intends to conduct an activity shall avoid using or selling any chemical which may be liable to pose a risk to human health or the environment if it can be replaced by such products as are likely to be less dangerous. Corresponding requirements apply in the case of goods that contain or have been treated with a chemical product. The Swedish Work Environment Act also refer to substitution of hazardous chemicals in various risk sources, such as products, goods and materials or through substances that are formed and/or emitted. The importance of substitution is described by the STOP-principle. When a risk assessment indicates an unacceptable risk, the principle advocate substitution (S) as a first step. Thereafter technical (T) actions can be considered (e.g. localized ventilation systems) and then organizational solutions (e.g. shorter exposure time). Protective equipment (P) is the very last risk reducing action to be considered. A concern regarding the working environment may be the driver to find better alternatives for many operations. Chemical substitution can imply different types of substitution, all with the aim to find a less hazardous solution to the alternative. For example, a hazardous chemical substance or product can be substituted for less hazardous substances/products. Substitution can also mean that the material is replaced by another type of material or even a completely new technical solution. Sometimes another raw material with a lower concentration of the hazardous substance can be used and occasionally the hazardous substance can simply be removed provided that its function is not essential. The overarching goal is that the most hazardous substances should be phased-out, in other words they should not be used anymore. Criteria defining hazardous substances to be substituted The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution will focus on accelerating the phasing-out of substances with the hazardous properties listed in the figure below, and according to the report “Substitution i centrum”. The presented criteria align with the criteria in the environmental quality goal “Non-toxic environment” and the criteria in the Swedish Chemicals Agency’s web-based tool PRIO but it also includes very persistent and very mobile (vPvM) and persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT) properties suggested by the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA). The 15 criteria are divided into two levels of prioritization according to the Swedish Chemicals Agency’s web-based tool PRIO: the eight first being phase-out substances and the following seven being priority risk-reduction substances. The European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA’s) criteria for hazardous substances (Substances of Very High Concern, SVHC) correspond to the phase-out substances. 2019-04-02 6
Substance properties which the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution will focus on. The web-based tool PRIO, provided by the Swedish Chemicals Agency’s, offers a step-by-step model to identify and substitute hazardous substances and products. Phase-out substances are substances that have properties of such concern that they should be phased-out regardless of how they are used. Cancerogenic or reproductive toxicity are examples of such properties. Priority risk-reduction substances have properties that deserve special attention. For these substances a risk assessment of the intended use should be done, and a substitution should be considered. The legislation for chemical substances is increasing and there are rules regarding prohibition, authorization, information and restriction of use. Companies and public actors should know and follow this legislation. Customer demands can provide strong incentives for chemical substitution before any legislation is in place. For example, many companies have extensive lists of substances that they do not accept in their products, requiring assurance from their supply chain. Another driver for chemical substitution is the society’s need to develop towards a circular economy. Materials that contain hazardous substances can’t easily be recycled and this creates another incentive to phase-out such substances. Criteria for sustainable substitution The risk for regrettable substitution needs to be minimized and the precautionary principle will therefore be applied. If the toxic properties of a substance are associated with the physiochemical properties, then a small change in the molecule will rarely provide a good substitution. It is important to ensure that the reason that the alternative substance appear less hazardous isn’t because it is less tested. Considerations whether a new material or method will impose other environmental issues, potentially in other sections of the life cycle, are also important. A set of well-defined criteria, that establish the type of information and test data needed is crucial to avoid regrettable substitution. In other words, a decision model is needed to establish whether it can be concluded, based on available data, if an alternative is a good 2019-04-02 7
substitute. If the criteria are too strict, it may be challenging to find a good alternative and a substitution may thus not be possible. It is important to find a good balance as other materials and technical solutions may provide potential solutions. Other factors to consider are the principles of green chemistry and circular economy from a life cycle perspective. The role of the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution The purpose is to stimulate sustainable product and business development, which systematically reduces chemical induced environmental and health risks from goods, materials and chemical products through the replacement or reduction of hazardous substances in products and processes or the application of non-chemical methods and techniques. The focus of the centre is to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of Swedish enterprises by reducing the incidence and exposure of hazardous substances in products, goods and services in accordance with the Environmental Quality Objective “Non-Toxic Environment. The text above describes the governance structure of the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution. The centre will meet the need of companies and public actors who want an independent actor that can help motivate chemical substitution and provide unbiased, educational guidance based on solid science. The Swedish Chemicals Agency provides some guidance but most often companies need more concrete advice. Today, targeted and accessible information on how companies and public actors can work in a structured way with substitution is lacking. The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution is an actor that can help to raise own competence within business and public sector and coach towards increased substitution. In the role to provide guidance the centre will need to make a strategic assessment of the costumer’s need, and potentially which actors can provide more specific help and how such help could best be organized. This requires a general broad knowledge of the field and a large network of people and organizations with deeper knowledge to consult and refer to. To motivate and guide substitution the centre needs to have a central gateway with educational and targeted information. An example of this could be a web page that can provide self-help, and which presents available tools with examples of how they can be used. Many companies request education to strengthen their own chemical risk management competency. A continual communication with the different stakeholders is needed to further identify needs and possibilities. Furthermore, strategic exposure at different venues, conferences and in media will be important to further highlight and motivate possibilities for substitution. Today, several different actors are working with different aspects of chemical substitution and the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution aims to collaborate and cooperate with these actors. 2019-04-02 8
Current position
Organization
In the funding target agreement from 2017 it is stated that RISE will be running the Swedish
Centre for Chemical substitution. The centre is located at the division for Bioscience and
Materials at the Chemistry and Materials unit in Borås. This location provides valuable
competence in chemistry and materials.
The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution is organized as a node with a few employees
that are carrying out the work but other actors, both within and outside RISE, will be
connected and contribute to different activities. The possibility to create good collaboration
and cooperation with other actors is crucial for the success of the centre because of the wide
and deep competency that is required for this task.
In December 2018 the centre had three full time and one-part time employees, including one
centrum leader, two advisors and one communicator. In addition, some administrative
personnel and the head of the unit at RISE are working part time with the centre. In 2019
the centre will be strengthened with one additional advisor.
The direction of the centre is governed by a board of directors, appointed by RISE. It consists
of nine members, with knowledge and interest in substitution, representing different types of
stakeholders. The chairman is the general director of the Swedish Chemicals Agency, Nina
Cromnier. The responsibility of the board follows a procedure that was developed and
decided by the board. Formally, the board is a steering group and RISE has the financial
responsibility.
• Nina Cromnier, General Director, The Swedish Chemicals Agency (chairman)
• Pär Stenmark, Public Affairs manager / Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer, IKEA
• Anne-Sofie Andersson, Executive Director, ChemSec
• Eva Österberg, Director Product Stewardship & Regulatory Affairs, Business Area
Specialty Chemicals, Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel)
• Elinor Kruse, (will be replaced by Jenny Sandahl in 2019), Association of Swedish
Engineering Industries
• Monica Törnlund, the Chemicals Unit, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy
• Per Rosander, Chemical Strategist,Västra Götalandsregionen (VGR)
• Åsa Domeij, Head of environment and social responsibility, Axfood
• Mats Lundin, CEO, Swerea IVF, since October 2018 RISE
At RISE, questions regarding the centre is handled by an informal management team
consisting of the head of the division and the unit head and the lead of the centre.
The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution has a webpage www.substitutionscentrum.se
and the centre can also be found through www.ri.se.
2019-04-02 9Funding In the end of 2017, the Swedish Government Offices/ Swedish Chemicals Agency granted RISE 5 million SEK to establish the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution. In 2018 and 2019 RISE will be granted 7 million SEK per year. The allocation of the funding for 2020 is not yet decided and the funding for 2021 is uncertain. RISE will co-fund the centre with 5 million SEK per year by providing strategic funds to develop ideas and competency, which will be used to further improve the knowledgebase of chemical substitution within RISE. The road to become a self-financed centre The economical support that the government will provide during the development stage of the centre will be used to build up and structure the centre and its activities. The possibility to give extensive help to individual actors will be limited with the provided money. Businesses and public actors are however welcome to contact the centre with their questions. Initially the centre will, free of charge, make a quick assessment of the issue and present a feasible strategy to move forward. For example, the centre may provide a contact that can provide solutions to the problem. The centre will also be able to gather and coordinate similar questions and carry out seminars and workshops. The centre needs to find a sustainable funding for its activities. During the development phase different forms of funding alternative will be evaluated. For example, one alternative is to take a fee for membership in an interest group for which more detailed help can be provided. Another alternative/complement is that the centre actively will apply for project funding. The need for support with chemical substitution will grow with an increasing awareness of the society’s unsustainable chemical usage. Stricter regulation and increasing demands from costumers will also increase the need for support. Phases of the development The year 2018 can be described as a start-up phase for the centre and the focus has been on shaping activities, collaborating and communicating with stakeholders, setting up the board and carrying out board meetings, developing an operational plan and recruiting employees. In 2019 – 2021 the centre will be established, and tools and services related to guidance, education and communication will be developed. The goal for the centre is to be fully established in 2021. By the end of 2022, the centre intends to be so established and renowned that it can be self-driven through assignments, eventual membership fees and grants. 2019-04-02 10
The phases of development for the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution The first financial year The first actual year of operation (2018) has been a starting year for the centre. Early 2018, an interim group worked to employ staff and started to organize work, set up a board of directors and initiated strategic collaborations. The centre has expanded gradually with staff during the year. From May the regular centre leader was on site and from October the centre had four employees, one of which is working part time. The centre has communicated the intended activities in several contexts and has started a dialogue with many different stakeholders. Furthermore, the centre has held meetings and discussed opportunities with several potential collaborators and potential customers to ensure that different expectations and needs could be meet. The creation of a network of strategic partners has been prioritized, which also provides a good starting point of an inventory of the competency in substitution. On request, the centre has held lectures and educated on substitution for companies. The centre has also been contacted by several companies and the public sector that want help with a specific question or are curious regarding chemical substitution. In many cases, the centre has been able to provide support even though the guidance service is not yet formally structured. In the first year, the centre has participated in several international activities, mainly workshops. The purpose of the international activities has been to learn more on how other countries work with substitution issues and to establish important contacts within ECHA, the OECD and the European Commission, for example. The activities of the centre follow broadly the structure suggested in the commissioned report (SOU 2017:32). The overarching goal is to motivate and help businesses and public actors to start their own work to substitute hazardous chemicals in a structured way, i.e. climb up the 2019-04-02 11
“substitution staircase”. 1 During the build-up phase, the centre will prioritise providing
support for the first three steps of the staircase.
The substitution staircase
After the first year, it is estimated that advice, training and communication aimed at the
target groups are important means for the centre. For example, training and taking use of
self-help through the website will enable companies to more readily work with the issue
themselves. The centre will reach out by being at conferences and meetings, talking to
stakeholders in the private and public sectors, as well as using other channels to help us
better understand their needs. Furthermore, it is important that the centre starts up a
guidance service as soon as possible as it will give additional insight into specific substitution
issues and it will also help to build experience. The gained knowledge will be an asset to
further develop good trainings and targeted communication.
The projects financed through RISE’s strategic funds are important to establish competency
regarding chemical substitution internally at RISE and will also provide good examples. In
2018, several different types of projects were distributed over several groups within RISE.
These projects will be evaluated and reported in 2019. The experience from the first year has
indicated that the centre also needs to take an educational role within RISE. It is important
that the solutions presented by the projects do not lead to regrettable substitution.
The centre has started the work to become a hub for chemical substitution. In other words,
the centre will enable matchmaking between those who need help and different competencies
that provides solutions. Through continued competence mapping and development of
collaborations and networks, the centre will be able to link the requests with more specialized
1 This version of substitution staircase includes a pilot and scale-up step compared to the version in the
report “Substitution i centrum”, SOU 2017:32.
2019-04-02 12support if needed. The test services and innovation structure provided by RISE offers possibilities for research, innovation and evaluation of projects. The way forward The field of chemical substitution is complex with many different chemical substances in multiple uses and there is low transparency about where they are used. In addition, there are different aspects that need to be considered within a company, for example work environment, product quality, design and purchasing. The market is global, and the production and use of chemicals in articles and chemical products are regulated by a comprehensive and complex legislation. The control and monitoring of the regulatory requirements are insufficient. One of the challenges for the centre will be to reach out to and help companies with very different needs, from those who do not know what problems they have, to those who have well-defined issues that are challenging to solve. A compelling communication is key to reaching out. Traditions and different quality requirements can prevent better molecules and alternatives from being used. We think that databases such as Marketplace at ChemSec and roundtable discussions can help to increase the use of better alternatives. We therefore intend to inform about and create different arenas for exchange of experience and collaboration. Chemical substitution is often carried out without being noticed or documented. Suppliers continuously improve products and suggest changes, they implement product development, renew methods or change materials. Thus, there is a lot of experience that could be useful for businesses and public actors working with similar products as well as those in other fields. If such experience could be better documented and accessible, there would be a great opportunity for exchange of experience. Gathering competence and experience is therefore an important role for the centre. Since the issue of substitution is complex and resources are limited there is a need to prioritize the work. The basic mandate for the centre does not allow the activities to solely focus on certain sectors, materials, substances or working methods, etc. The identified priorities are set out in the action plan below. The future Vision Swedish catalyst for substitution of hazardous substances. Desired position The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution is the Swedish catalyst for substitution. The Swedish business community, government agencies and other stakeholders want to work in 2019-04-02 13
strategic collaborations and partnerships with the centre to accelerate substitution of
hazardous chemical substances.
Overall objective
Overall objectives of the Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution 2019 – 2021:
1. The centre will become Sweden's natural contact place for customers, collaborative
partners and competences involved in chemical substitution.
2. The centre will reach out with targeted information, knowledge, methods and tools to
motivate and facilitate chemical substitution.
3. The centre will create arenas and good examples for chemical substitution by
initiating and participating in various projects that involve chemical substitution.
4. The centre will work towards becoming self-financed.
Prioritization
Focus areas
The prioritisation of the work is ongoing and will continue to develop. However, there are
some approaches and principles that the centre will apply in the guiding, training and
communication. The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution intends to specially consider
the following:
• Gather good examples and better alternatives: Many companies request lists
of less hazardous substances i.e. positive lists. We will collect and on request develop
positive lists and/or tools, preferably including type of use and technical performance.
• Supply chain requirements and monitoring: Provide support for companies
and public actors in their communication, establishing requirements and monitoring
of their supply chains.
• Design and innovation to reduce hazardous substances in a circular
economy: To help motivate businesses to consider toxicity early in the development
and design process. In other words, work to avoid regrettable substitution and make
circular economy possible.
• Start with function when alternative solutions are sought: Highlight
functional substitution i.e. start by asking whether the function is required and then if
there are other technical or chemical solutions available.
• Working methods based on grouping of chemicals 2: For several groups of
chemicals the knowledge of their general properties is sufficient to avoid substitution
to any chemical from the same group. This applies, for example, to highly-fluorinated
2 For example, see: https://www.treehugger.com/health/six-classes-healthier-home.html
2019-04-02 14substances, brominated flame retardants and bisphenols. Regrettable substitution
can be avoided by systematically working to avoid substances from certain groups.
Target groups
The centre welcomes all businesses and public actors that contact the guidance service
regarding chemical substitution. However, we will prioritize certain questions, issues and
stakeholders when we design our communication and training programs.
We will focus on target groups that can help to phase out particularly hazardous substances
in consumer products, focusing particularly on children. This is in line with the work for a
“toxic-free everyday environment” by the Swedish Chemicals Agency.
The report on chemical substitution (SOU 2017:32) highlighted the need to help smaller
businesses. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a broad target group and the
centre intends to reach out by interacting with RISE's established SMEs networks and to
contact customers to companies that sell chemical management systems.
In order to accelerate chemical substitution and to connect to other sustainability work,
circular economy, and green chemistry we think that it is especially important to identify and
collaborate with innovative businesses and public actors that want to lead the way.
The centre will also collaborate and assist the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and
Regions (Sveriges kommuner och landsting, SKL), the National Agency for Public
Procurement and the National Substitution Group in their work to set up chemical
requirements in procurement and monitoring.
Special focus
Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution will focus on the following areas:
1. Prioritize support to the target group small and medium size enterprises.
2. The guidance service will mainly give basic advice on substitution.
3. Prioritize hazardous chemicals in consumer products.
4. Strengthen the target group's possibility to set requirements when ordering products and
goods and help them reduce business risks and increase competitiveness.
2019-04-02 15SWOT An analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, a SWOT analysis, has been made: 2019-04-02 16
Strategies and Means
The vision of the centre is to be the Swedish catalyst for substitution of hazardous
chemicals. Thus, the centre helps to achieve the Swedish Environmental Quality Goal
“Non-toxic environment” and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. A key to reaching the
goals is communication.
Guiding, education and communication will be the core activities of the centre. Projects are
important drivers to both increasing the competence and enabling more substitution in
different parts of society and thus strengthening the competitiveness of Swedish business.
The centre has identified five strategies for this vision:
The Swedish Centre for Chemical Substitution – Five strategies for success
2019-04-02 17Five Strategies for Success Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships The centre participates in and creates national and international networks, conferences and meetings to exchange experiences, establish strategic contacts/competencies and finds cooperation and collaborations that accelerate substitution of hazardous chemicals. Expert Advice The centre provides guidance regarding substitution of hazardous chemicals by building up a guidance service to which the priority target groups can turn to get help. Awareness-Raising Training The centre increases the knowledge of chemical substitution for the target groups by offering courses that are adapted to the business, substances of concern, the level of knowledge, etc. Innovative Projects The centre contributes to projects that accelerate the phasing out of hazardous substances and stimulate the development of sustainable chemical products, production processes, non- chemical methods and a circular economy. Projects are run both within RISE and within the network of the centre. Good examples are visible in the centre’s communication. Compelling Communication The centre creates dialogue and increases interest and knowledge of substitution with targeted and compelling communication. 2019-04-02 18
Key areas
Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships
• Build networks with governmental authorities and different organizations (KemI,
ChemSec, Swedish Trade Federation, Normpac, etc.) to strengthen the centre’s
position as Sweden's catalyst for chemical substitution.
• Initiate and participate in meetings, conferences and round-table-discussions to
enable and accelerate chemical substitution.
• Contribute to the development of new and existing tools that guide and help
substitution efforts, for example the PRIO-tool and Marketplace (ChemSec)
• Formalise the cooperation and exchange of experiences with similar activities, e.g. the
substitution cooperation in the EU; the Danish “Kemi i Kredslœb” 3 and the German
“International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre” 4
Expert Advice
• Assess the need for support of different functions to work with substitution of
hazardous chemical substances.
• Actively build networks and design a professional guidance service.
• Continuously answer and, if needed, forward inquiries.
• Actively search for customers who need help with substitution issues and use good
examples to motivate chemical substitution.
• Develop criteria for assessing alternatives.
• Develop support to work in a structured way with requirements, monitoring and
communication in the supply chain e.g. in Swedish trade.
Awareness-Raising Training
• Develop, offer and conduct workshops and trainings tailored to the needs of
interested parties. The initiative could come either from us or as an assignment from
e.g. SMEs.
• Organising a workshop in product selection and substitution for county
administration authorities in May 2019 in collaboration with the Swedish
Environmental Protection Agency and the Swedish Chemicals Agency.
• Arrange training sessions in collaboration with the SME-offices at RISE to raise
companies’ awareness and knowledge of substitution.
• Arrange training in collaboration with the Swedish Trade Federation.
Innovative Projects
• Initiate, participate, and run various projects that work towards increased
substitution, such as POPFREE and RenSa PFAS.
• Use the strategic funds to develop ideas and competency within RISE to build
competence regarding chemical substitution internally and create good examples.
3 http://www.kemiikredsloeb.com/
4 https://www.isc3.org/en/home.html
2019-04-02 19• Contribute to applications in research programs, for example the MISTRA program
"Design for reduced exposure to hazardous chemicals".
Compelling Communication
• Position the centre as Sweden's Catalyst for substitution.
• The messages will motivate actors to substitute. The centre will disseminate
knowledge on substitution and on available support tools to actors who want to
replace hazardous chemical substances for safer and sustainable alternatives.
• Use the centre's and RISE-communication channels to spread and increase the
credibility and confidence of the centre.
• Create a Web page that inspires substitution by highlighting good examples, offer
help to self-assistance through checklists, FAQ, webinars etc.
Organisation for members/networks
• The centre will assess different opportunities for long-term financing, for example by
evaluating the possibility for membership for network organizations.
2019-04-02 20Follow-up 2019
Objective 1
The centre will be Sweden's natural contact arena for customers, collaborative
partners and competences working with chemical substitution.
Collaboration and strategic partnership: The centre participates in and creates national and
international networks, conferences and meetings to exchange experiences, establish
strategic contacts/competencies and find synergies with others to increase substitution of
hazardous chemicals.
• Number of network organizations, authorities, etc. that the centre
collaborates/cooperates with.
• Number of tools facilitating substitution in which the centre has helped develop.
• Number of meetings for cooperation/strategic collaborations.
• A questionnaire to investigate needs has been completed.
• A questionnaire for the build-up of networks of competencies has been completed.
• A website has been developed.
Objective 2
The centre reaches out with targeted information, knowledge, methods and
tools to motivate and facilitate chemical substitution.
With the help of targeted and compelling communication, the centre creates dialogue and
increases interest as well as knowledge of substitution issues among the priority target
groups.
• Number of lectures and participants that has been booked.
• Number of meetings in which the centre participated/worked on specific substitution
issues.
Expert advice: The centre guides to substitution by building up a guidance service to which
businesses and other actors can turn to for help on how they can work with substitution of
hazardous chemicals.
• Number of questions answered, possibly broken down by type:
• Information about the centre
• Rapid analysis of the problem and the best way forward
• Simple guidance/reference to website, tools
• Mediated contact/paying customers
• Launched projects
• Implemented substitution
2019-04-02 21• Number of companies contacted after having been identified using chemical
substances that should be substituted.
• Criteria have been developed to assess alternatives.
• Support for structured work in the communication chain within the Swedish trade
has been developed.
Awareness-raising training: The centre increases knowledge of substitution by offering and
participating in training courses adapted to, for example, the specific industry, the chemical
group of concern and the level of knowledge.
• Number of completed trainings and workshops.
• Training in collaboration with the Swedish Chemicals Agency and Swedish
Environmental Protection Agency has been carried out.
• Number of courses completed in collaboration with the SME offices.
• Training in collaboration with Swedish Trade Federation has been carried out.
Objective 3
The centre will create arenas and good examples for chemical substitution by
initiating and participating in various projects that are related to chemical
substitution.
Innovative projects: the centre contributes to projects that accelerate the phasing out of
hazardous chemicals and stimulate the development of sustainable chemical products and
production processes, articles, non-chemical methods and a circular economy. Projects are
run both within RISE and within the networks that the centre is active in. Good examples are
visible in the centre's communication.
• Number of projects started and completed (where the centre is involved).
• Number of applications submitted for project financing where the centre has
participated.
Objective 4
The centre shall be a self-financed activity in the long term.
• Number of actors indicating interest to become a paying member.
• Revenue for assignments in the form of trainings, shorter counselling and lectures.
2019-04-02 22You can also read
