New Bill Proposes to Strengthens Government Authority over Pharma Supply Chain

IndustryWeek (Selko) - Society of Chemical Manufacturers welcomes closer inspection of active drug ingredients manufactured overseas...The Drug Safety and Accountability Act of 2010 was introduced on August 3 by Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator for Colorado... One of the reasons for the increased scruity of the quality of the medicine is due to the record 1,742 drug recalls in 2009 which is a 400% increase from the prior year. And the emphasis on foreign production is due to the fact that up to 80% of the active ingredients in U.S. drugs are now made overseas, many in countries where regulatory oversight does not meet U.S. standards, according to the Senator.

Manufacturers Wrestle With Chemicals Regulation

IndustryWeek (Katz) - Producers worry that changes to existing rules will put the industry at a competitive disadvantage...Proposed changes to a decades-old federal toxic substances law has the U.S. chemicals industry concerned that the proposed reforms could stifle innovation and move production offshore. Any changes to existing regulations also could have a far-reaching impact throughout manufacturing supply chains. At issue are proposed reforms to the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. Representatives Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) introduced HR 5820, known as the Toxic Chemicals Safety Act of 2010, on July 22. The bill would strengthen the federal government's authority over chemical substances in the marketplace by increasing chemicals manufacturers' reporting requirements to the Environmental Protection Agency.

California Drafts New Green Chemistry Regulations

Sustainable Life Media (Miner) - The California Department of Toxic Substances released a draft of new green chemistry regulation this week, which creates a new statewide process for evaluating the toxicity of chemicals used in consumer products and requires manufacturers to find safe alternatives to those chemicals used in their products.

The aim of the regulation, according to the department (DTSC) is to create a systematic, science-based process to evaluate chemicals of concern in products, as well as stimulate innovation in California's product development sector. The new law would prioritize toxic chemicals and products, require manufacturers to seek safer alternatives to toxic chemicals in their products, and create tough governmental responses for lack of compliance.

For more information about the impending legislation and how it may affect your company operations, visit the DTSC website here. Comments on the new regulations are due by July 15th, and can be sent to GCRegs@dtsc.ca.gov

Renewables win exclusion from EU toxic law

EurActiv - The renewable energy sector was in high spirits yesterday (2 June) as MEPs decided to exclude windmills and solar panels from an EU law aimed at curbing the use of toxic chemicals in household electric and electronic goods. The European Parliament's environment committee amended a proposal on the recast Directive on the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS)....Other products which won exclusion from the directive include large-scale installations and industrial tools, and material used for military vehicles and equipment.

MEPs also listed a number of substances which are currently not restricted as priorities for further review, with a view to a possible ban in the future. These include halogenated flame retardants and PVC. The European Commission will carry out an assessment of substances for future restriction, assisted by MEPs and EU member states, who will also be able to propose substances for examination, the committee said.

Chemical Industry to Develop ‘Green’ Product and Process Standard

Chemical & Engineering News - Chemical companies large and small are eager to become greener. They want to be able to select greener starting materials and use cleaner chemical processes to make environmentally preferred products. But there are no authoritative marketplace criteria to identify green, greener, or greenest. And for those who think they are green, there's uncertainty over the best way to communicate the supporting information.

To that end, the American Chemical Society's Green Chemistry Institute (GCI) is spearheading an effort to create the Greener Chemical Products & Processes Standard. This standard will provide data to allow anyone to evaluate the relative environmental performance of chemical products and their manufacturing technologies. "We are building a multiattribute, consensus-based standard with third-party verification that a company can certify against to say that it has a greener product or manufacturing process than a competing product or a technology that it aims to replace," Peoples explains.

The process is being administered by NSF International, a global expert in standards development. The end goal is to have the standard issued by the American National Standards Institute. A draft of the standard is nearly complete and is expected to be released for public comment over the summer. The plan is to have final approval by the end of the year. Hat Tip: Environmental Leader

Companies are starting to see benefits of toxicity reduction

Natural News (Gutierrez) - A growing number of businesses are looking at ways to reduce their "toxic chemical footprint" in a bid to protect corporate interests, according to Richard Liroff of the Investor Environmental Health Network. A company's "toxic footprint" refers to the toxicity that is created from manufacturing processes. Among the benefits of toxicity reduction are lowered litigation costs, improved employee safety and productivity, increased sales to eco-conscious buyers, and an enhanced corporate reputation, Liroff added.

Chemical Supply Chain Embraces Wal-Mart’s Sustainability Goals

Environmental Leader - The chemical industry approves of Wal-Mart’s sustainability goal to eliminate 20 million tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the global supply chain by the end of 2015, despite the possibility of additional costs, reports ICIS.com...

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) agrees, and says its own members have already implemented initiatives to reduce emissions and energy use from their products and operations, pledging to lower GHG intensity by 18 percent by 2012, from a base year of 1990, according to ISIS.com. So far the industry has exceeded its commitment, reducing carbon intensity by 36 percent...However, cost is the biggest prohibitive component, say chemical suppliers. This means the industry has to develop low-cost bio-based chemical intermediates that can be drop-in replacements for existing petrochemical counterparts.

Models for Scaling Up Green Chemistry

Green Biz (Liroff) - This is the final post in a four-part series offering a vision for green chemistry in the United States in 2030. Part 1 defined the vision, Part 2 provided a game plan and Part 3 looked at changes needed in regulatory policy. Today's piece looks at two landmark private sector initiatives and how a robust federal green chemistry initiative could help scale up these efforts, speeding realization of the 2030 vision...A robustly funded Green Chemistry and Biomimicry Research and Development Act, on the scale of national initiatives on nanomaterials and bio-based materials, is critical to helping U.S. industry stay competitive in the global marketplace for green chemistry and realize the 2030 vision for green chemistry.

A Formula for Building a Green Chemistry Future

GreenBiz (Liroff) - The U.S. government, through its decade-long $12 billion investment in the National Nanotechnology Initiative, has helped throw nanomaterial innovation into overdrive. By comparison, green chemistry programs are still running in first gear. For example, Congress has failed repeatedly since 2004 to enact a much smaller “Green Chemistry Research and Development Program Act.”

This post, Part 1 of a four-part series, defines and offers an ambitious vision for green chemistry in the United States and describes metrics for measuring progress. Parts 2, 3, and 4 sketch a game plan for realizing the vision and identify green chemistry and related biomimicry initiatives representative of the types of activities that should be scaled up and replicated. Green chemistry and biomimicry are powerful tools for reducing the toxic, energy and waste components of companies’ environmental footprint.

The case for increased, organized, public and private sector investment in green chemistry is compelling, especially to benefit consumer-facing companies and their suppliers...Here’s a vision that offers four Big Hairy Audacious Goals for the year 2030

IBM Addressing Sustainability of 30,000 Suppliers

Environmental Leader - IBM has a new program to address sustainability and environmental aspects of its nearly 30,000-member-strong supply chain. The program covers suppliers in 90 nations, according to IBM’s Smarter Planet blog.

Starting this year, IBM is asking each of its suppliers to define an environmental management system suitable to their particular business operations, said Wayne Balta, IBM’s vice president of corporate environmental affairs and product safety. “We’re asking them to establish voluntary environmental goals and measure performance for at least three topics applicable to virtually all businesses: energy conservation, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste management/recycling,” Balta said. “In addition, we’re asking them to publicly disclose their results.”

IBM also will ask suppliers that the requirements be “cascaded down” to any of their suppliers who perform work that is “material to what is ultimately supplied to IBM.” There will not be a blanket, one-size-fits-all requirement, however, and suppliers will not be publicly graded. IBM is seeking for chemicals to be properly managed from inception through final use and disposal. IBM also seeks for products and components to be designed to maximize life-cycle efficiency.

RoHS—the sting in the tail

Electronic Design News (Nevison) - It is looking likely that RoHS will become a "CE Mark Directive" over the next couple of years. This could have a massive, resource sapping, impact on manufacturers, importers and distributors, regardless of size. While the proposed introduction of new product categories or open scope, further restricted substances and clarity around several definitions will no doubt grab the headlines, the requirements of the RoHS CE Mark will have a massive impact on industry and could prove a real sting in the tail. For example...

U.S. Job Loss to China Trade Shown by State and Industry

Alliance for American Manufacturing - The United States is hemorrhaging millions of jobs as a result of the nation’s growing trade deficit, largely with China, according to a report issued today by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). ...The EPI report is the first to break down job losses to the congressional district level. Using the EPI data, AAM created an interactive map showing the impact by CDs.

The congressional districts suffering the worst job losses were concentrated in states heavily exposed to growing China trade deficits in computer and electronic products and such other industries as furniture, textiles and apparel...Rapidly growing imports of computers and electronic parts accounted for more than 40 percent of the $186 billion increase in the trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2008.

The impact of the China trade deficit is not restricted to the jobs displaced, the report found. Competition with low-wage workers from less-developed countries also has driven down wages for other workers in manufacturing and reduced the wages and bargaining power of similar workers throughout the economy—essentially all production workers with less than a four-year college degree, roughly 80 percent of the private-sector workforce.

ITP Webcast - From Shop Floor to Top Floor: Best Business Practices in Energy Efficiency

Department of Energy - On Thursday, April 1, 2010, from 2:00–3:00 p.m. Eastern time Andre de Fontaine, a Markets and Business Strategy Fellow at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, will deliver a Webcast on the findings from the Center’s forthcoming report, “From Shop Floor to Top Floor: Best Business Practices in Energy Efficiency.” The report describes leading corporate energy efficiency programs, identifies key lessons learned, and details energy efficiency strategy development and implementation through six in-depth case studies of exemplary corporate programs. The report’s findings stem from direct interaction with leading corporations from a cross-section of industries.

The Webcast will give an overview of the motivations driving businesses to adopt more aggressive energy efficiency strategies, and discuss common barriers to implementing organization-wide efficiency initiatives. Insights from the case studies included in the report—which cover efficiency programs at Dow Chemical, United Technologies, IBM, Toyota, PepsiCo, and Best Buy—will also be shared.

Register now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/763266569. For more information or to download previous Thursday Webcasts for Industry, go to: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/resources/thursday_webcasts.html.

New Tool Assesses Chemical Sustainability

GreenBiz - A new group and web-based tool aim to help companies assess the sustainability of chemical products and processes. The iSUSTAIN Alliance has launched with the release of its Green Chemistry Index v2.0. The online tool allows companies to examine existing products or assess products and processes in the planning stages. Companies can plug in information about the materials that go into a process, the materials that come out of the process (final product and wastes), and the conditions during the different stages of the process. The tool generates a sustainability-based score, based on metrics taken from the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, including health and environmental impact of raw materials and products, energy use, waste generation, safety of processes and more.

SME Unveils Annual “Innovations That Could Change the Way You Manufacture” List

Society of Manufacturing Engineers - Eight game-changing innovations are about to enhance production on the factory floor. Outlined in the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) annual Innovations That Could Change the Way You Manufacture, these innovations could help manufacturers save 80 percent of the cost of RFID tags, reduce the costs of producing nano fibers or even change the way electronics are designed. SME’s Innovation Watch Committee compiled the list and its members serve as “innovation researchers” who seek and publish information about technology.

EPA Plans to List ‘Chemicals of Concern’

GreenBiz - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to establish a “Chemicals of Concern” list and is beginning a process that may lead to regulations requiring significant risk-reduction measures to protect human health and the environment. The agency’s actions are being undertaken under its authority of the existing Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), recognizing EPA’s “strong belief” that the 1976 law is both outdated and in need of reform.

In addition to phthalates, the chemicals EPA is addressing are short-chain chlorinated paraffins, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated chemicals, including PFOA. These chemicals are used in the manufacture of a wide array of products and have raised a range of health and environmental concerns.

This is the first time EPA has used TSCA’s authority to list chemicals that “may present an unreasonable risk of injury to health and the environment.” ... More information on EPA’s legislative reform principles and a fact sheet on the complete set of actions on the four chemicals can be found at http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals.

Toyota, Dow Partner with EPA for Sustainable Future

IndustryWeek - The Sustainability Partnership creates a one-stop shopping approach for organizations that use large quantities of energy, water, and natural resources and want to 'go green.'

The Sustainability Partnership creates a one-stop shopping approach for organizations that use large quantities of energy, water, and natural resources and want to "go green." Instead of dealing with each of EPA's voluntary programs individually, EPA staff will work out a comprehensive 'green' plan for organizations that often saves money and makes good business sense.

For more information about EPA mid-Atlantic's Sustainable Partnership, visit http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/spp/index.html

US DOE Invests in Developing Energy Storage Technology

Cars21.com - US DOE awards $620 million in a second round of funding towards the development of various energy storage projects that will extend the life time of used EV lithium batteries and will highlight how to integrate larger numbers of EV’s into the grid.

Secretary Chu announced the funding on Tuesday, 24 November, in Columbus Ohio with the intent of creating a smarter and more efficient energy grid that will be able to integrate the new technologies of the future, EV’s. The 32 demonstrations are pioneering projects that will act as ‘models for deploying integrated Smart Grid systems on a broader scale’. This funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be leveraged with $1 billion in funds from the private sector to support more than $1.6 billion in total Smart Grid projects nationally.

House Passes Chemical, Water Security Bill

Oil & Gas Journal [sign-in required] (Snow) - "The US House approved a chemical and water security bill with a provision requiring inherently safer technology (IST) by a vote of 230 to 193 on Nov. 6, despite objections from the petroleum and other industries." Two "major oil industry trade associations immediately criticized the bill, HR 2868, which now heads to the Senate." National Petrochemical & Refiners Association Pres. Charles T. Drevna said "by including the IST provision, the House is 'sending a clear signal that it wants to put the federal government in a position to dictate chemical practices and procedures to chemical engineers.'" The American Petroleum Institute "issued a statement saying that it joins the agriculture, trucking, and other industries in opposing the bill and supporting reauthorization of current federal security standards, which have been successful since their enactment 3 years ago." In a Nov. 4 letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Ranking Minority Member John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), the NAM joined other trade associations seeking the IST provision's removal.  Hat Tip: NAM

Chemical Industry Lends Support to More Regulation

Washington Post (8/9, Layton) – "In a reversal, chemical industry leaders said last week they are joining environmentalists, public health groups and consumer advocates in seeking more robust federal regulation of chemicals." For the first time, chemical manufacturers said "they are willing to furnish the Environmental Protection Agency with health and exposure data they have gathered that are related to their chemicals, and to allow the agency to determine whether the chemicals are safe to use." The industry has "long insisted that the 1976 federal law governing chemicals, the Toxic Substances Control Act, has been working well." But a number of critics say "the law is weak and does not enable the government to ensure the safety of thousands of chemicals that have been introduced into consumer goods and the environment." Top executives from several companies said the industry "wants Congress to give the EPA new authority and resources to ensure the safety of chemicals used in such things as furniture, cellphones and grocery bags." Hat tip: NAM