AEI Tèxtils participated in an expert workshop from the European Commission towards hazardous chemical substitution

Submitted by Ariadna Detrell on 20 January 2020

On January 15th, AEI Tèxtils, the Catalan technical textiles’ cluster, and LEITAT technological center, member of the cluster, participated, in representation of LIFE-FLAREX project, in an expert workshop on “PFAS and fluorine free alternatives in textiles, upholstery, carpets, leather and apparel”, organized by the Directorate General of Environment from the European Commission (DG-ENV) in Brussels.  

The workshop was led by the consulting firm Wood along with the European Commission and ECHA. Several authorities presented the views of the Commission and Wood presented the preliminary results from the study.  

The workshop started with some introductory presentations on experiences with substitution and/or elimination of hazardous chemicals in different industries and how they overcame their particular barriers for each case study. After the plenary session, the participants divided into working groups to identify potential chemical substitutes, limitations and substitution strategy.

At large, the main strategic goals pivoted around the communication and information sharing framework, the value chain cooperation and the different policy changes that are upcoming to favor risk-sharing and innovation promotion in this field.

The participant profile was diverse, coming from different industries including chemicals, textiles, coatings and others, representatives from the public sector and research centers from across Europe.

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