HEJSupport and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) contributed to the 2026 High-Level Segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) by submitting a statement in support of this year’s theme “Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all”. With only a few years left until 2030, incremental progress is no longer sufficient. Transformative and systemic change is needed—addressing unsustainable production and consumption while ensuring equity.
From our work on chemicals, waste, health, and environmental justice, we highlight a critical gap: the role of chemicals in materials and products, and the lack of transparency across value chains.
Across sectors, products contain thousands of chemicals, including hazardous substances such as endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, and persistent pollutants. These contribute to serious health impacts and environmental damage. Yet, chemicals in products remain insufficiently addressed in SDG implementation, despite their relevance to SDGs 3, 6, 12, 14, and 15.
Transparency is essential. Today, information on chemical content is fragmented or missing, limiting risk management, enforcement, and safe circular economy practices. Without traceability, recycling risks perpetuating toxic exposures and shifting burdens to vulnerable communities.
Emerging initiatives—such as UNEP Digital Product Information Systems (DPIS), EU Digital Product Passports (DPP), and the Global Framework on Chemicals—offer an opportunity to create harmonized global systems. However, these must include binding requirements on what information is disclosed, particularly chemical composition, and ensure global accessibility and interoperability.
Targets B2 and B3 under the Global Framework on Chemicals are key. Their indicators should prioritize comprehensive, harmonized disclosure systems over voluntary standards, which often lack consistency and completeness.
The ongoing plastics treaty negotiations highlight the urgency: plastics containing hazardous chemicals are incompatible with a safe circular economy. Without transparency and the elimination of harmful substances, circularity risks reinforcing exposure and pollution.
Equity must remain central. Communities in low- and middle-income countries face disproportionate exposure and lack access to information, monitoring capacity, and safe waste management. Transparency systems must be globally accessible and supported by capacity-building and financing.
Innovation, particularly digitalization, must be guided by strong policy frameworks to ensure accountability and sustainable outcomes. At the same time, coordination across international and regional processes is essential to avoid fragmentation.
Finally, meaningful participation of civil society and affected communities must go beyond consultation to real influence. Delivering on the SDGs requires systemic change: binding transparency, global coordination, and a commitment to health, equity, and justice.
