Ecover, a multinational cleaning products manufacturer, recently announced that it will cooperate with Closed Loop Recycling, an environmentally friendly recycling company, to collect plastic waste in the ocean and recycle it into cleaning product bottles to achieve its self-declared green commitment. Ecover pointed out that the plastic waste in the ocean will be collected by European fishermen and then sent to Closed Loop Recycling's factory in London, where the plastic waste will be remade into a new packaging bottle. This new packaging is expected to be Released in 2014. Closed Loop Recycling said that in addition to recycling marine plastic waste, the company and Ecover are also committed to developing new technologies and trying to mix recycled marine plastic pellets with post-consumer recycled rHDPE and sugar cane. Ecover’s ocean plastic bottles originated from the EU’s Waste Free Oceans (WFO) initiative, which was jointly launched by EU politicians, plastics industry and non-profit organizations to reduce plastic waste floating in the ocean and encourage recycling. use. WFO has prepared a special boat trawl net that can collect 2 to 8 tons of marine garbage once out to sea. After cleaning and classification, it will become the raw material for recycled plastic pellets. Since late 2012, cleaning product manufacturer Method and plastic flooring manufacturer Interface have invested in technology to recycle marine plastic waste. Coincidentally,

The European Union's new cosmetics ban on animal testing takes effect today, and it hopes to persuade trading partners such as the United States and China to follow suit. Products currently on the market can continue to be sold if animal testing has been used. The European Union has adopted and restricted animal testing since the 1990s, but its effective date has been delayed several times to provide the European cosmetics industry with time to develop other testing methods. By 2009, most animal testing products were banned, but there are still There are exceptions for certain toxicity tests, and the use of any animals for testing is now prohibited. The ban applies to cosmetic products from all over the world. Tonio Borg, the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said that the EU's move highlights the EU's determination to pursue animal welfare and can serve as a model for countries around the world, demonstrating people's ability to develop cosmetics products that are responsible and do not compromise consumer safety. . Cosmetics Europe pointed out that the ban will restrict the development of new products and thereby weaken the global competitiveness of the European cosmetics industry. Source: Chemical Watch (2013-03-11) (PIDC compilation)

The European Commission released a green paper on plastic waste on the 7th to solicit public opinions on improving the utilization efficiency of plastic products and reducing the impact of plastic products on the environment. The European Commission pointed out in a press release issued on the same day that once plastic products enter the environment, especially the marine environment, their degradation cycle is often as long as hundreds of years. At present, more than 10 million tons of waste are dumped into the ocean every year around the world, most of which are plastic products, making the ocean the world's largest "landfill" of plastic waste. Janez Potocnik, the European Commission Commissioner responsible for environmental affairs, said that how to deal with plastic waste is a major challenge to environmental protection, and it is also a major opportunity to improve resource utilization efficiency. The Green Paper is a form for some national and regional governments to solicit public opinions on important issues. This green paper from the European Commission details the role of plastics in all aspects of industrial production and the potential effect on economic growth of increasing plastic recycling rates. The green paper points out that with the increase in population and the increasing consumption of resources, the recycling and reuse of plastics will become another option for consuming resources. In order to speed up this process, considerations such as recycling and environmental protection need to be included in the design of plastic products. The European Commission will conduct further consultations and solicit opinions on issues such as the reuse of plastic waste. The results will be synthesized after the consultation deadline on June 7, 2013, and incorporated into relevant legislative recommendations in 2014. Source:    

The Korea Institute of Technology and Standards (KATS) issued Notice No. 2012-32 last year, announcing the revised toy self-regulation safety confirmation standards. Recently, the agency announced that the effective date of the updated standard has been extended from January 1, 2013 to July 1, 2013. The main changes in the new standard include: 1. Certain changes have been made according to the new version of EN71, ASTM and ISO8124 standards: * The standards for toys, indoor/outdoor swings, slides and similar activity toys need to be revised; * It is proposed to add chemical experimental devices , chemical toys and finger paint requirements; * Add regulatory requirements regarding transformer charging indicator LED lights on electric toys; * The amount of formaldehyde released in the adhesive used for manicure must not exceed 50 mg/kg. 2. Added new requirements on the content of phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DNOP, DINP and DIDP) in soft stuffed toys and toys. 3.&n

 On February 17, 2013, China's State Administration of Work Safety released the "Second Batch of Hazardous Chemicals List of Key Supervisions", with a total of 14 substances. On June 22, 2011, the State Administration of Work Safety released the "Target List of the First Batch of Hazardous Chemicals under Key Supervision", which includes 60 substances. Currently, there are a total of 74 key hazardous chemicals under supervision. The List of Key Supervised Hazardous Chemicals is compiled by China’s State Administration of Work Safety after analyzing the production situation of domestic hazardous chemicals and hazardous chemical accidents that have occurred in China in recent years, the domestic chemical production situation, the types of key regulated chemicals at home and abroad, It was compiled based on the research and screening of more than 3,800 hazardous chemicals in the current "List of Hazardous Chemicals" by China's State Administration of Work Safety based on factors such as the inherent hazardous characteristics of chemicals and major chemical accidents at home and abroad in the past 40 years. of. China's State Administration of Work Safety requires companies that produce, store, and use hazardous chemicals under key supervision to actively carry out renovation and improvement of automated monitoring systems for production and storage facilities involving hazardous chemicals under key supervision. Highly dangerous and large-scale installations must be equipped with safety instruments in accordance with the law. system (emergency stop or safety interlocking) and ensure its completion before the end of 2014. Local safety supervision departments at all levels should, in accordance with the requirements of relevant laws, regulations and documents, implement key supervision on enterprises that produce, store, use and operate hazardous chemicals under key supervision. And based on the safety production status of hazardous chemicals in their respective jurisdictions, supplement and determine the implementation within their jurisdictions.

Thailand updated its list of hazardous substances used in households at the end of 2012, and several chemicals were reclassified. The update took effect immediately. One of the changes is to add the pesticide lindane to the national list of Class 4 substances, prohibiting its production, import, export or use. Other changes include: – Citronella oil is changed from Class II substance list to Class I; – Anionic surfactants are classified as Class I; – Except nonylphenol thoxylates are classified As the first category, nonionic surfactants are all classified into the first category. Thailand’s Hazardous Substances Act divides hazardous substances into four categories. Substances falling into Category 1 only need to be monitored and do not need to be registered. However, it is still necessary to report production information to the government. Business operators must comply with certain standards and procedures, including labelling, production and storage rules. For example, cleaning products containing anionic or nonionic surfactants (except nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether); adhesives containing alkyl cyanoacrylate (alkyl cyanoacrylate); and calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, dichloroisocyauric acid and its salts or trichloroisocyauric acid and its salts as swimming pool disinfectants. Class II substances

International World Water Day is held on March 22 every year to remind and focus on the importance of freshwater resources and to promote the United Nations' demand for sustainable management of freshwater resources. The theme of this year's World Water Day 2013 is "International Year of Water Cooperation". United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the opening ceremony of the event that one-third of the world's population is currently under moderate to high water stress; By 2030, nearly half of the world's population will face water shortages. The United Nations report stated that climate change increases the pressure on water supplies and is likely to trigger more conflicts. The importance of water in safeguarding national security should be recognized, possibly as much as national defense. The report points out that about 145 countries around the world share waters with neighboring countries, and increasingly frequent floods and heat waves may deplete water sources. Countries should strengthen efforts to coordinate the use of water resources. Michel Jarraud, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said in the report: "In the past few decades, the definition of security has expanded beyond the limited focus of military threats and conflicts." In 2011, about 185,000 Somalis fled the country. In neighboring countries, drought has caused water and food shortages, and in South Sudan in 2012, some communities were forced to leave their homes en masse due to conflict that led to scarce water resources. Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien emphasized: "Few issues can cause more friction than cross-border water management." Chretien led 37 outgoing heads of state to launch activities to make water issues a security issue. global people

SONY announced the 12th edition of Environmental Management Substance Standards for Parts and Materials (SS-00259) on March 1 this year. This version will officially come into effect on April 1, 2013. At that time, the SONY Group and the parts, materials and other items contained in the products designed and manufactured commissioned by the group must comply with the relevant requirements of this management regulation. Among them, five new environmental management substances are added: Substance name CAS number Management level &

The first U.S. study on phthalates in food investigated 72 commercially available foods and found that all foods contained phthalates. The results of this study triggered Academic circles are concerned about the health risks caused by the accumulation of plasticizers in the human body. A research team from the University of Texas School of Public Health purchased a variety of beverages, dairy products, cereals, meats, vegetables, and processed foods in New York supermarkets and tested these foods for nine different phthalates. These nine common phthalates are commonly used as plasticizers and/or ingredients in personal care products. These chemicals are known to disrupt endocrine and affect development. The test results show that the content of different phthalates and the number of detections in the tested foods vary greatly. In terms of concentration, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) has the highest concentration among all foods except beef, and the phthalate with the highest concentration in beef is di-N-octylphthlate (DNOP). Pork has the highest average phthalate concentration of any food. The study also estimated phthalate intake by comparing phthalate concentrations in foods and the rate of food consumption. The study found that estimated intakes of phthalates from a single food product were significantly lower than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) safe intake reference values, but the researchers noted that phthalates

"Highly polluting cars", which China regards as one of the "environmental killers", have been criticized recently. As the pressure on the urban environment increases, Chinese consumers are increasingly willing to purchase "green cars." McKinsey, a world-renowned management consulting firm, released a report in Shanghai today, showing that China is expected to become the world's largest high-end automobile market in 2016. Sha Sha, global managing partner of McKinsey Shanghai Branch, pointed out that in a survey of 1,200 high-end car consumers in 12 major cities in China, 26% respondents were interested in the application of green technology in high-end cars and were willing to contribute to it. "Green Technology Loves Driving" pays the bill. The report believes that "green technology" has become one of the key elements in preparing for China's high-end automobile market; the report also points out that in view of the increasingly serious environmental pressure, Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly mature in accepting relevant technologies, and automobile manufacturers need to lead the way in green technology. Innovation and application in China's high-end cars to attract consumers to buy. The report pointed out that the total number of new car sales of high-end cars in China reached 1.25 million units in 2012, making it the second largest high-end car market in the world after the United States. In the past 10 years, China's high-end automobile market has continued to grow at an astonishing rate of 361 TP3T per year, which is higher than the overall growth of China's passenger car market of 261 TP3T per year during the same period. According to McKinsey's research, China is expected to surpass the United States with annual sales of 2.25 million vehicles as early as 2016, becoming the world's largest high-end car market in one fell swoop. If we want to deeply explore the Chinese automobile market, green technology and innovative applications to reduce pollution

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) urges countries to reduce fossil fuel subsidies, pointing out that energy subsidies will drag down government finances and ultimately benefit the rich more. The IMF said in a wide-ranging report that subsidies for oil, gasoline and electricity were designed to help consumers, but in the end had the opposite effect, leaving governments overwhelmed by cost burdens. In addition, the report stated that energy subsidies promote energy waste, fail to encourage the public to invest in energy-saving industries, and make pollution and global warming worse. According to the IMF, global direct energy subsidies amounted to US$480 billion in 2011. If after-tax subsidies are included, global government subsidies amounted to US$1.9 trillion. Oil exporters receive the most subsidies, which will deplete natural resources faster. However, in the past three years, global oil and natural gas prices have risen, and energy importers have been particularly hard hit. According to the report, many countries have not raised domestic energy prices to respond to rising prices, which has increased their fiscal burden. David Lipton, first deputy managing director of the IMF, said that countries that provide energy subsidies to the public are now trapped in financial paralysis and energy shortages. There are 20 countries in the world where energy subsidies account for more than 5% of gross domestic product (GDP). These subsidies squeeze out much-needed spending on health, education and infrastructure and are a stumbling block to higher growth. The report also stated that including after-tax subsidies, the total amount of subsidies provided by the three major energy subsidy countries, the United States, China and Russia, is nearly 900 billion US dollars.

Green construction has gradually transformed from a niche market into the mainstream. Management systems, government initiatives and financial support mechanisms, coupled with rising consumer awareness, have created pressure in the construction market, forcing builders and designers to take more environmentally friendly measures. The rejuvenation of the construction industry and consumers' increasing attention to environmentally friendly products will increase the demand for green building materials in the United States between now and 2017. It is expected to grow by approximately 11% annually to US$86.6 billion. The U.S. construction industry suffered a severe recession from 2007 to 2012, but the demand for green building materials has always remained strong. This is because consumers have increased demand for energy-saving products. Most energy-saving products are products that can save utility bills. While the benefits of energy saving are directly fed back to end consumers, it can also practice environmental awareness. Data source: Green Trade Information Network (2013-03-12)

Since the EU has been promoting environmental and human health protection for many years, there are many green products in the country that claim to have less impact on the environment, and many different green label certification systems have been derived. According to the EU's latest Green Products Survey Report (Eurobarometer on Green Products), 48% EU consumers are confused by the numerous green labels, manufacturers' different green declarations and a lot of environmental information. Too many green labels not only cause trouble to consumers, but also put pressure on manufacturers. Faced with the pressure of consumer market demand for green products, manufacturers are also faced with applying for several different green labels. When they must apply for several green labels, it is not only a waste of manpower, but also economic pressure. Not small, for small and medium-sized enterprises, it is just adding insult to injury. European Commission Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik pointed out that in order to promote sustainable growth of enterprises, all resource efficient and environmentally friendly products must be clearly identifiable in the consumer market. Only when the environmental impact and environmental-related information of all products are calculated and disclosed in a unified way can consumers make the right choice for truly green products. Therefore, the European Commission proposes methods and suggestions for establishing a single green products market and rebuilding it with comparable and trustworthy environmental information.

In early May 2013, the Swedish Federation of Professional Employees (TCO) released the latest smartphone certification standards (TCO Certified Smartphones criteria document). The certification standards promoted by this organization are all set for human health and the ecological environment. They were commonly used on screens, projectors, laptops and desktop computer products in the past. They are voluntary certifications for international brand manufacturers. Because This certification is recognized by the United Nations Environment Program and therefore has considerable credibility in the computer IT equipment industry and consumer market. The smartphone certification standards released this time have the same parts as other product certification standards: – A socially responsible manufacturing environment; – &nb

According to the recommendations of a recent meeting between the EU Toy Safety Committee and experts and scholars, the European Commission plans to add a migration limit for bisphenol A (BPA) to the EU Toy Directive by the end of this year. At a meeting held on May 3, after experts and scholars reviewed a research report on bisphenol A, the European Union Enterprise Agency (DG Enterprise) recommended amending the toy directive and adding migration limits. The revised draft is expected to be published later this year. This meeting also discussed flame-resistant additives for toys: TCEP, TCPP and TDCP. The report recommends amending the directive and setting a maximum limit of 5mg/kg. There is no conclusion yet on the use of lead, nickel and kathone in toys. Source: Chemical Watch (2013-05-16) (PIDC compilation)

The Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) released the latest version of the sustainability reporting guidelines, referred to as G4, at its 2013 global conference in Amsterdam, and emphasized that the new version of the sustainability reporting guidelines will pay more attention to materiality. GRI stated that encouraging companies to provide only economic, environmental and social disclosures and indicators relevant to their business will allow reporting companies and reporting users to focus on truly influential issues and produce more credible reports. The revised G4 reporting guidelines will also help companies produce information related to raw material sustainability, which can be included in comprehensive reports. G4 claims to be a more “user-friendly” version that is easier to use for new sustainability report writers. G4 is also in line with different international sustainability reporting frameworks, including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) MNE Guidelines, the United Nations Global Compact Principles and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ( Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights). The main changes in G4 version are as follows: –         

A latest research report points out that mainland China and the United States are rapidly playing a leading role in responding to global climate change, but the report also warns that world greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase significantly. The report, "The Critical Decade: International Action on Climate Change," reviews actions over the past nine months and was commissioned by the Climate Commission, an independent body based in Australia. ). Tim Flannery, co-author of the report and a senior figure at the Climate Council, said that mainland China's electricity demand growth rate has been halved, renewable energy production capacity has been significantly increased, and emissions growth has been reduced faster than expected. Whatever the reason, these results have their weight. Mainland China has quickly risen to prominence among the leaders on climate change. The report pointed out that mainland China invested US$65.1 billion in clean energy in 2012, an increase of 20% from 2011. This ranks first among all countries in the Group of 20 (G20), accounting for 30% of total investment last year. The United States ranked second, investing US$35.6 billion in renewable energy. Flannery pointed out that within one year, global renewable energy surged, with solar power generation capacity increasing by 42% and wind power generation increasing by 21%. Different from the surge in global investment in renewable energy, the report shows that global carbon emissions continue to increase strongly.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed flame retardants as a major focus of its 2013 chemical risk assessment. The seven substances that the EPA announced will undergo comprehensive evaluation are as follows: l 1.2-ethylhexyl ester 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) 4,5-tetrabromobenzoic acid; l 1,2-ethylhexyl 3,4,5, 6-tetrabromo-benzenedicarboxylate, or (2-ethylhexyl)-3,4,5,6 tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP)&

A report commissioned by the China National Development and Reform Commission and written by the Climate Group and the Central University of Finance and Economics said that by 2020, China will need to raise up to US$243 billion per year for clean energy development. The report will be submitted to the Chinese government this month. China's investment in renewable energy last year (2012) was US$67.7 billion, an increase of 20% from 2011. In 2012, despite the overall decline in global clean energy investment, China's investment accounted for a quarter of the world. The report points out that in order to help achieve carbon intensity reduction and low-carbon energy goals, China will need to spend 3.5 times as much money by 2020 as last year. China plans to meet the domestic energy demand of 15% by low-carbon energy by 2020, reduce the carbon intensity by 17% from 2011 to 2015, and achieve the goal of reducing the carbon intensity to 40-45% of the 2005 carbon intensity by 2020. The report states that reaching these goals will require investments of up to US$333 billion in 2015 and US$413 billion by 2020. Current public and private funds are insufficient to complete investment. The financing gap is approximately 2% of the estimated GDP in 2015, or up to US$214 billion per year. By 2020, the funding gap will be as high as US$243 billion per year. The report also pointed out that "Although the funding gap is large, the 2% accounted for GDP is relatively small...Chinese leaders have ways to make up for the gap." Source: &nbs

On April 12, 2013, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) submitted a notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO), planning to add five toxic and hazardous substances to the "Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law" (The Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Law). Substances or articles containing these substances will be judged to be toxic or hazardous substances. The notification is currently in a 60-day public comment period and is expected to be adopted on July 1, 2013 and take effect on July 15, 2013. The five toxic and harmful substances are as follows: Substance name Toxicity classification