Consumers worry about their own – and their children’s – exposure to harmful chemicals. Swedish consumer group Sveriges Konsumenter for example found that nine out of ten surveyed consumers are concerned that chemicals can harm current and future generations and the environment. Four out of five Europeans likewise expressed concerns about chemicals in everyday products, according to a 2017 Eurobarometer survey.

On 14 October 2020, the European Commission published its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, outlining a new long-term vision for EU chemicals policy. In line with the European Green Deal, the Strategy “strives for a toxic-free environment".

It is imperative that the Commission acts swiftly and with ambition to ensure that the Strategy delivers the necessary changes for consumers on the ground.

In this paper, BEUC highlights five major thematic areas where the Strategy promises to deliver important changes for consumers:

1. Stepping up protection against harmful chemicals
2. Endocrine disruptors: safeguarding consumers against everyday toxicants
3. Transitioning to a clean circular economy
4. Reducing simultaneous and cumulative exposures
5. Swift action on early warning signs